Pacifica Christian girls’ basketball reaches final of Mama Pittman Tournament
WHITTIER — The Pacifica Christian girls’ basketball program has some coaching continuity for the first time in a few years, the Tritons enjoying success again with Pablo Martinez in his second season at the helm.
Martinez took over as head coach at Pacifica Christian after Chyanne Butler joined JSerra, a move that came after the latter led the Tritons to the CIF Southern Section Division 4A title. She had taken the reins as interim coach as a result of a midseason coaching change.
As the new year gets underway, Pacifica Christian has shown more promise, carrying a 15-3 overall record through the brunt of its nonleague schedule.
The team recently advanced to the championship game of the Mama Pittman Tournament, where it fell to Rancho Cucamonga Los Osos 54-36 on Saturday at Whittier High.
The Tritons challenged the Grizzlies, as they trailed 24-20 at halftime, but an offensive dry spell to open the second half saw Los Osos pull away after the break.
Pacifica Christian was held to two field goals — both by leading scorer Lauryn Ham — in a five-point third quarter. Senior guard Alexia Valencia also left the game due to injury during that span.
“She’s a big part of our team, but at the end of the day, that’s also a state championship team,” Martinez said. “That’s what it came down to. They have championship pedigree, they went all the way, they won it. Alexia’s a big part, it could have been a little bit more competitive, but they were bigger than us. We got some girls in foul trouble.”
Los Osos (10-5) beat Colfax 65-48 in the CIF State Division III final to cap last season.
The Grizzlies drained 10 three-pointers against the Tritons, scoring more than half their points from beyond the arc. Sophomore guard Jackie Polk (14 points) connected four times from distance, matching the Tritons’ output from the three-point line.
Ham paced the Tritons with 13 points. She achieved a career milestone by recording her 1,000th point in a win against Westminster La Quinta on Nov. 29.
Junior Caylie Villagrana scored 10 points, and sophomore Vivian Villagrana added seven points for Pacifica Christian.
“I’ve always had that specific goal to be like a firm rock as the program grew,” Ham said. “I knew I never wanted to leave the school. I knew I loved the school too much, the teachers, the people, the community. It’s just meant a lot for me to be able to stick through.”
Ham added it was “really hard not knowing” the future of the program after a coaching change, but she said she is grateful for the situation she is in now.
“We’re just getting better and better,” she added. “Our record’s getting better. I’m just happy where we’re going, where it’s headed.”
En route to making the final, the Tritons beat Los Angeles Wilson, Redmond (Wash.) Bear Creek, Hacienda Heights Los Altos and Whittier Pioneer.
Pacifica Christian placed third in the San Joaquin League, before a first-round exit in the Division 2AA playoffs last season. The Southern Section girls’ basketball polls, last updated on Dec. 11, rank the Tritons at No. 7 in Division 2A.
“Pioneer, they’re good,” Martinez said when asked about teams the Tritons have played within their division. “They finally got everybody back. That was a really good game. I think all our wins have been pretty good. Calvary Chapel’s having a great season. You look at Los Alamitos, those are some of our key wins.”
Mama Pittman Final
Los Osos 54, Pacifica Christian 36
SCORE BY QUARTERS
Pacifica Christian 9 - 11 - 5 - 11 — 36
Los Osos 15 - 9 - 21 - 9 — 54
PC — Ham 13, C. Villagrana 10, V. Villagrana 7, Aguiniga 4, Martinez 2.
3-pt. goals — Ham 3, V. Villagrana 1.
Fouled out — None.
Technicals — None.
LO — Polk 14, Finley 13, D. Knight 10, Saunders 6, Sanders 4, Nwagbo 4, T. Johnson 3.
3-pt. goals — Polk 4, Saunders 2, Finley 2, T. Johnson 1, Knight 1.
Fouled out — None.
Technicals — None.
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