LJ g BB: Aftermath

Dave Westhem, LJHS girls basketball

coach, has put a new stride into the

program in the last two years. (Sophie
is cracking up in the background--??)

(Photo by Ed Piper)

"Aftermath" was an early, great album by the Rolling Stones. It included the cuts "Under My Thumb", "Paint It Black", and others. Come to think of it, as I write these song titles, it was kind of a dark album.

Leading me to segue to the aftermath of the La Jolla girls basketball season. Nothing dark about that. A lot of light. What a fun season. I told Coach Dave Westhem today, "Thank you. It was fun watching the team this season." There is nothing like healthy, constructive teamwork. Dave, through long hours beginning two summers ago, the girls' first substantial summer league experience, began to build the program.

I have to be honest, when I first happened to see Sophia Sowers in taking photos of the boys team, I kind of dismissed her. She was lofting up the same long, high-arc shot that she still puts up today. The shots were from a long way out. I thought, There's no way a high percentage of those are going in. What are they thinking in letting her lob those shots up there?

Well, after she made 81 three-point shots her next season, as a sophomore in 2011-12, she was on her way to what has to be a school record of over 200 three-pointers in her career. Her dad, Tom, is a proud historian of her achievements, and rightly so.

Captain Sierra Westhem (right), a three-year

varsity starter for the Vikings, has been kind

of like a coaching assistant on the floor

for her dad this season. (Photo by Ed Piper)

Dave on the narrow 51-48 loss in the CIF Division III Finals March 8: "The turnovers killed us. We had 24. Central only had 15. Their number-21 (Nettie Williams) had zero."

That may be true, and I respect the coach, who knows a lot about basketball. I'm just an observer. But when the game was tied 46-46 with 2:43 left, either team could have won. Maddy Gates had 22 rebounds (as credited by the UT--her dad counted 20). Sophie had 20 points and put the dagger in repeatedly driving down the lane for teardrop layups. The Vikings played a fantastic game.

When time started to wind down and I realized it looked like LJHS wasn't going to win, I thought of crying. I checked the thought, but I could have. When you follow a team this much, and you get to not only take photos of them from a few feet away during the game, but also interview them (generally not after losses--they clam up!), you start to feel attached.

Dave said the team could have been picked to advance to the CIF Regionals this week. But Mount Miguel dropped down from the Open Division. Bishop's goes in as San Diego CIF's top representative after winning the Open Division title March 8. "We picked the wrong year. It kind of alternates years," he said. "But it has still been a great year. We made it to the title game. Next year we'll finish (the task)."

Dave, reviewing the core group returning next year: "Maddy's young. Helen Lee is going to handle the ball. Amanda (Polcyn) is coming back. Jenna (Harmeyer) will be there. It's a good group. We have some young girls coming in." Work starts this summer, when the girls can again group together and play in some summer league camps.

The UT cover story on Sophie's 1,000 points talked about the girls youth basketball league assistant coach Johnnie Horne is going to be involved in. That will give girls a chance to dribble the basketball, practice some of the basic skills and enjoy the game before they get to high school.

Guard Amanda Polcyn (3) drives

under the basket to try a reverse

layup in the first round CIF playoff

win over Oceanside Feb. 25.

(Photo by Ed Piper)

Giant Maddy Gates (33) made life

awfully unpleasant for Jalyn

McClain of Central and many

other opponents this year.

(Photo by Ed Piper)

Hustling Jenna Harmeyer (on the floor during CIF

Finals) will be back for more bball next season.

Right now, she's got sprints to attend to for the

Viking varsity women's track team.

(Photo by Ed Piper)

Copyright 2014 Ed Piper