In a thrilling, close championship game last weekend, the Los Alamitos girls JV basketball team finally pulled away from Downey in the final quarter to win 38-28 and take home the championship of the Millikan High School 2024 Annual Girls JV Tournament.
Although the Griffins (8-4) led most of the way, the game was a tight battle and the first half ended in a 15-15 tie and the fourth quarter started with the Griffins clinging to a 28-26 lead. The relentless Los Alamitos defense finally wore down Downey (7-4), and the Griffins outscored the Vikings 10-2 in the final quarter of the Saturday, December 14, contest.
Sophomores Remy Hoang and Danira Jones were selected for the All-Tournament Team for their inspired play during the tournament and especially in the championship game.
Playing point guard and shooting guard, Hoang scored 8 points in the championship game, including 2 three-pointers, and she added 6 steals. Jones led the team with 11 rebounds and also scored 7 points, had two steals, and a blocked shot. For the four-game tournament, Jones averaged a whopping 10.3 rebounds a game.
In the title game, sophomore guard Ashley Matsumoto also scored 8 points, including 2 three-pointers, and she dished out 5 assists and had 3 blocked shots. Freshman forward Maryah Collier added 6 points and freshman point guard Mio Emi chipped in 5 points and 5 rebounds.
The Griffins out rebounded the Vikings 43 to 33. Sophomore center Kara Townzen added 9 boards to go along with 4 points and a blocked shot. Sophomore forward Madi Real grabbed 8 rebounds and added 3 steals and 2 assists, and junior forward Morgan Oropeza grabbed 5 boards.
“The girls came out with great energy tonight. They pressed, they defended, they rebounded, and they hit big shots,” said Coach Patrick Kennedy. “It was a total team effort.”
Overall, for the four-game tournament, Matsumoto led the team in scoring, averaging 9.5 points per game, including hitting 8 threes. Collier averaged 7 points a game, followed by Jones at 6.8 points per game.
The Griffins ended pool play with a 2-1 record, the same as Millikan and Whittier, but they advanced to the championship game because of their greater positive point difference in their three pool games.
In pool play, Los Alamitos lost a close game to Millikan, 27-33, but blew out Anaheim, 60-16, and Whittier, 50-8.
In its pool, Downey was a perfect 3-0 prior to the championship game.
This is the Griffins’ second Millikan tournament championship in three years. They also were champions in 2022 and won a “consolation” game for a third-place plaque in 2023.
Back Row, left to right: Cloey Chau, Morgan Oropeza, Issabella Toney, Kara Townzen, Maryah Collier, Madi Real, and Coach Patrick Kennedy. Front Row, left to right: Sana Lam, Danira Jones, Ashley Matsumoto, Remy Hoang, and Mio Emi.