Halfhearted Effort Is Enough for Alemany

NORTH HILLS —  Carly Funicello is headed to UCLA on scholarship and the Alemany High girls’ basketball team appears ready to defend its Mission League championship.

Funicello and the Indians didn’t play that way in the first half of a 59-36 victory over Louisville on Tuesday night at L.A. Baptist.

If Funicello didn’t realize it at halftime, with the Indians floundering but leading, 26-19, Coach Melissa Hearlihy made the message clear in a heated address at the intermission.

“When she starts speaking, I start thinking,” Funicello said.

The 6-foot-4 senior responded with 17 points, 18 rebounds, four blocked shots and four steals.

Funicello posted 11 points and eight rebounds in the third quarter despite three fouls that kept her on the bench much of the period. She made an early exit in the fourth after her 12-foot jump shot gave Alemany (12-5, 4-0 in league play) its biggest lead at 24 points.

With nearly half her team’s points, Funicello carried the Indians in the first half. Still, she said there was no excuse for the way she played.

“I wasn’t hitting the boards, blocking out or rebounding,” she said. “I was just standing there.”

Funicello got help. Ten Alemany players scored. Francine Bennette (seven rebounds) and Dana Rios each added eight points.

Becky Witt had 16 points for Louisville (11-5, 3-1). Kari Crawley had seven points and Adriane Bilek added six points and 11 rebounds.

The Royals made only 17.3% of their shots (nine for 52). But Coach Paula Getty-Shearer didn’t set high expectations.

“I don’t think the score indicates the kind of team we have,” she said. “I think we did a good job in the first half. Then Carly took over.

“But this loss won’t affect us. We weren’t supposed to win.”

Worse than losing this game could be losing guard Rosie Chingcuangco. A junior who averages 10 points and 5.2 steals, Chingcuangco left with 5:02 remaining in the second quarter with a head injury.

The Royals looked like a rudderless ship after Chingcuangco suffered what Getty-Shearer hopes is nothing more than a bruised forehead.

“I’m going to tell her dad to take her to the doctor,” Getty-Shearer said. “You don’t like to make excuses, but that hurt us.”