Bishop Amat answers first big challenge in grand style

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Came into this season not knowing how good the Bishop Amat girls’ basketball team really was. The last few years, Coach Richard Wiard’s program has been as good as there is, winning state titles in 2005 and 2006, losing in the state finals in 2004 and 2007.

But the Lancers are lacking their trademark inside game, which included Erin Myrick, Juanise Cornell and Candice Brown through the years. They were penciled into No. 24 in The Times’ preseason rankings. They were unbeaten through 10 games but hadn’t really been challenged by a marquee-type team, unless you consider a rebuilding Etiwanda squad.

That changed Thursday.

Amat beat No. 19 Cajon in the second round of the Ayala Best of the West tournament, 80-64.

Cajon had played No. 4 Ayala to within a point, 47-46, and beaten No. 10 Chatsworth, 51-39.

If anything, Cajon (8-2) looked better than No. 19, and now Amat (11-0) looks better than No. 24. One thing that was bankable about this season was Temple-bound guard Kristen McCarthy, who was one of four Lancers in double digits against Cajon. She scored 25 points, seven above her season average.

But it wasn’t McCarthy who saved Amat against Cajon, which made four three-point baskets in its first five trips down the floor to take a 15-4 lead. ‘We’ve got some other kids who can shoot, and they did,’ said Wiard. ‘We got great balance, four kids in double figures. And one kid who didn’t score (Ashley Carter) had nine assists.’

Morgann Ellis (14 points), Katie Moreno (13) and Ashleigh Adams (12) rounded out the scoring. Moreno had two three-pointers and a field goal before the first quarter ended as Amat answered Cajon’s big start. McCarthy scored only one point in the first quarter against a defense that was focused on her and Adams.

Then it was a matter of wearing out Cajon, which played without any substitutions.

Next up is No. 2 Fontana Miller on Friday, 3:30 p.m. Top-seeded Miller (7-1) beat JSerra, 59-54, but was surprisingly challenged in its first two games and won by a combined eight points.

Other quarterfinal games on tap: No. 8 Lynwood (4-5) vs. Bishop Montgomery (9-3), 5 p.m.; No. 7 Muir (8-0) vs. No. 14 Magnolia (8-2), 6:30 p.m.; No. 4 Ayala (9-2) vs. No. 15 Perris (9-1), 8 p.m.

-- Martin Henderson