LLA Girls Basketball Fought but Came up Short

The Loma Linda girls’ varsity basketball team ended their season last week with a 55-35 loss to Campbell High School in the first round of CIF playoffs.

“The girls can keep their heads up because they came out and gave it their all. (Campbell) was just the better team tonight,” said LLA head coach Brianne Carroll.

It was a little like David taking on Goliath in the Roadrunners’ gym Friday night, without the triumphant ending. The taller, stronger, faster and more experienced Vikings out muscled and out played the smaller, less experienced Roadrunners.

 The Roadrunners were as prepared to face the Vikings as they could be, given their opponent’s feature talent — Lauren Holiday, kid sister of Jrue Holiday of the Philadelphia 76ers.

“We knew Holiday was coming and we knew she was going to be athletic, but no matter how much you plan if you get outplayed, you get outplayed,” Carroll said.

To further complicate matters, Holiday was surrounded by a plethora of other shooting talents.

“With someone like Holiday you have to decide whether or not to double team her and leave someone else open,” Carroll said. “Unfortunately they had plenty of girls ready to step up.”

The Vikings were also an extremely physical and aggressive team. By the end of the game nearly every player in their starting line up was in foul trouble. LLA senior center Nicole Strauss drew several of those fouls and was a real workhorse for the Roadrunners against the Vikings.

“I just had to get into it. I knew we were probably going to lose, but I just wanted to work for it, make it reasonable and have fun in my last game,” Strauss said.

The Roadrunners put up quite a fight through the first quarter and only trailed 11-5, but LLA was scrapping for every basket. By the end of the second quarter the Vikings had warmed up. They took a lead 13-30 and the game had largely been decided. Things did not improve after the halftime break and going into the fourth quarter the Roadrunners trailed 20-47. But as was characteristic of Loma Linda this season, they just kept right on fighting, right down to the last second of the game when senior Brooke Stimmel hit a parting shot.

“They wouldn’t stop. They sweated it out the entire game,” Carroll said. “We had (Elizabeth) Yeo foul out with just a minute left, so they certainly don’t ever give up.”

The highlights of the game were outside shooter Brooke Stimmel’s team-high scoring and sophomore guard Aurriel Fenison’s offensive rebound, which she turned into a successful lay up that drew a foul in the fourth quarter. Stimmel earned eight points for the Roadrunners.

 “It was really fun and amazing. I figured it was my last game I just wanted to make it count,” Stimmel said. “I don’t really score a lot. I’m really more of a defensive player.”

And Fenison’s points are hopefully a good sign of things to come next season.

“Aurriel’s getting better and better. I’m excited for her,” Carroll said.

The Roadrunners ended their season with a 16-8 overall record, which earned them a second place finish in the Ambassador League. Sophomore post Alexandra Stream led LLA in scoring with 9.1 points per game. She was also the Roadrunners’ leading rebounder with 6.2 rebounds per game. Junior shooting guard Kisha Colegado led LLA in steals and assists.