La Salle Lady Lancers Sink Mary Star of the Sea

By Corey Kwok

(Pasadena) – La Salle snapped a three game losing streak with a 54-33 win over Mary Star of The Sea Tuesday to conclude the first round of Camino Real League play.

  La Salle improved its mark to 14-6 overall and 2-2 in the league. Mary Star remained winless in this conference at 0-4 and fell to 7-11 on the year. Both teams combined for 41 fouls.

  The Lady Lancers dispatched a powerful one-two punch that combined for 42 of the team’s 54 points in workhorses Itos Aikhionbare and reigning league MVP Kimi Takaoka.

  Aikhionbare scored 22 points, grabbed 15 rebounds and had 3 steals. Takaoka penciled in 20 and also had 6 steals, four of which came in the first quarter.

  La Salle led 11-3 after one and 23-11 at halftime.

  Mary Star began to pick up steam and match strides with the Lady Lancers late in the third. Trailing by 18, the Lady Stars scored eight unanswered points in the last 90 seconds of the quarter to cut La Salle’s cushion down to 10, (37-27). When Stephanie Gilstrap dished to Natalie Lauro for a 15 foot jumper Mary Star cut the lead to eight 24 seconds into the fourth.

  Mary Star never got closer however as La Salle locked down on defense and went on a game clinching 15-1 run during the final 5:27 of the fourth quarter, sinking 7 of 8 free throws in the process. The Lady Lancers finished the night having downed 18 of 25 freebies. On the flipside, the charity stripe was anything but kind for the Lady Stars, who went 4 for 29.

  For the Lady Stars, Sydnee Watanabe (12 points, 4 steals) drilled her first four 3-pointers and led Mary Star in scoring with a dozen. Rikki Sena added five and picked up eight caroms and six thefts.

  The Lady Lancers out rebounded their opponent 51-29, aided by a terrific contribution from the bench. Amalea Sideropoulos picked up seven, and Diamond Ridley-Pierce snatched another eight before recording a block with 1:30 to play.

  Both teams open up the second round of league play Thursday. La Salle takes a road trip out to Playa Del Rey to take on St Bernard, while Mary Star returns home to their San Pedro campus to host Cantwell.

MS   3   8  16   6 – 33

LS  11  12  14  17 – 54

MS – Watanabe 12, Lauro 7, Jenna Dibernardo 6 (4 steals), Sena 5, Gilstrap 2, Lindsey Colbert 1

LS – Aikhionbare 22, Takaoka 20, Ridley-Pierce 4, Belinda Mercado 2, Jackie Pacheco 2, Stephanie Payne 2 (3 steals), Sideropoulos 1, Billie Rude 1

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