GIRLS’ BASKETBALL ROUNDUP : Capistrano Valley Gets Lift From Freshmen, Wins

They are unbeaten teams with high hopes. And the season is still in its embryonic stages for them. But they met Thursday in the semifinals of the South Coast Holiday Classic at University High, and Capistrano Valley showed it might be a little better than anyone thought.

The Cougars scored a 48-36 victory over University, advancing to Saturday’s championship against Trabuco Hills.

The Cougars got 15 points and 13 rebounds from senior Jennifer Garrett, but the play of freshmen Sarina Kissell and Elizabeth Fleming was critical. Kissell scored 13 points, had 11 rebounds and four steals, and Fleming had eight points and six rebounds.

“We need the freshmen to play well to be competitive,” Capistrano Valley Coach Pete Belanto said. “(Kissell) played about as well as she could play.”

An common problem with an inexperienced team, such as the Cougars (3-0), is turnovers, and they committed 28 of them--22 in the first half. They trailed at halftime, 20-19, but Garrett scored six of her 15 points in the third quarter as the Cougars took a 34-27 lead.

University (2-1) is also young, but the Trojans had 27 turnovers and shot only 29% from the field (14 of 48).

Senior Heather Snavely had 14 points and six steals, but her supporting cast of freshmen didn’t match Capistrano Valley’s: Natasha Combs had nine points and Monique Mathews had six.