North Hollywood Girls Get Tough Against Dorsey, 70-61

Rich Allen entered his North Hollywood High girls’ basketball team in the Washington tournament hoping to toughen his players for a successful playoff run later in the season.

That strategy began to pay dividends Saturday as the Huskies upset Dorsey, 70-61, in a first-round game at Washington.

“We’ve had our problems playing [Southern Pacific Conference] teams in the past,” Allen said. “We don’t go up against them until the playoffs and we lose, so I requested Dorsey for the opener.”

North Hollywood, which will play Southern Pacific member Banning in January, will face Belmont in a second-round game Monday at 4:20 p.m.

Saturday, the Huskies got 11 second-half points from reserve Angelle Hill, whose contributions were magnified when starting point guard Tashean Thomas and starting forward Claudia Villa fouled out.

Thomas had 16 points and Villa had five points and 10 rebounds. Richelle Sherman added 13 points for the Huskies.

In another Washington tournament first-round game:

Poly 39, South Gate 37--Ciara Jeffries scored 11 of her 19 points in the fourth quarter to help the Parrots (1-0) erase a seven-point deficit and Jamie Jefferson made a game-winning layup with 11.2 seconds to play.

Jeffries hit a three-point basket with 50.2 seconds left to tie the score, 33-33, and the teams traded baskets until Jefferson’s final shot.

Jefferson, a senior center, finished with three points and 17 rebounds. Jeffries’ twin sister, Quiana Jeffries, added 11 points and five blocks.

Poly will play Locke in a second-round game at 3 p.m. Monday.