Hamilton Keeps Chatsworth’s Sprints in Check

Chatsworth High girls’ basketball players run length-of-the-court sprints in practice for each free throw missed in a game.

But Britney Hamilton, Chatsworth’s junior point guard, made sure the Chancellors won’t run many on her account at the next workout.

Hamilton made nine of 11 free throws, including seven of eight in the fourth quarter, to help the Chancellors secure a 58-47 come-from-behind victory over North Hollywood in a nonleague girls’ game Friday at Chatsworth.

The Chancellors rallied from a 20-14 second-quarter deficit and clung to a 44-42 lead with about five minutes to play.

Chatsworth (10-5) scored the next seven points, including five by Hamilton, to move ahead, 51-42, with four minutes to play. Hamilton made four free throws in the final 2 1/2 minutes.

“I’ve always been pretty good at free throws, and I work on them, too,” Hamilton said. “We’ve been shooting a lot of them in practice.”

Practice didn’t make perfect, but it helped Hamilton, who finished with 22 points. Her effort, combined with Liz Sun’s 18 points, nine rebounds and seven steals and Linnae Barber’s 16 points and 13 rebounds, helped offset the loss of three starters to injuries.

Shooting guard Ashley Shelton sat out with a strained lower back and center Jenni Lang missed her third game with a knee injury. Guard Summer Johnson has not played because of a broken arm.

North Hollywood (7-8) battled other problems.

Senior guard Melissa Escobar played despite a cold.

The Huskies rarely got more than one shot off because of poor rebounding and lost their early lead. Then some lost their cool.

Coach Rich Allen kicked off reserve guard Anais Jaoyan and starting forward Kaipresha Price from the team’s halftime meeting for comments they made. Neither player returned to the game until late in the third quarter.

“It was a CD [coach’s decision],” Allen said. “It was just frustration, not really directed at anyone. They just didn’t want to listen to what I had to say.

“We’re just not together, but hopefully we’ll get it together.”

North Hollywood played well early, making six of 12 shots in the first quarter for an 18-11 lead.

The Huskies led, 20-14, early in the second quarter before Chatsworth went on a 13-1 run for a 27-21 lead.