Charles Rich
If they want their string of Prep League championships to grow,
playing catch-up will be the focal point for the members of the
Flintridge Prep girls' basketball team.
And something they will need to master quickly.
The Rebels had a good place to start, but took a step back after a
58-51 league road loss to Westridge on Thursday night.
Flintridge Prep's lack of experience and the scrappiness of
Westridge's Madeline Weissman proved to be two large factors in
giving the Tigers (12-5, 7-0 in league) a 2 1/2 -game lead in the
league standings over the Rebels (11-5, 4-1).
The squads shared the league crown last season prior to Flintridge
Prep copping the league championships outright in 2002 and 2003 under
the guidance of Coach Kenny Fisher.
Fisher didn't mince words on Thursday. He said the Rebels can
regroup because they have two league games in hand and another
contest against the Tigers on Feb. 4 at Flintridge Prep.
"We could have taken care of our opportunities," Fisher said. "We
just missed some easy baskets, and [Weissman] had a great game.
"We are a pretty good team, and we need to let go of our mistakes
and go forward."
The Rebels -- ranked No. 8 in CIF Southern Section Division IVA --
trailed, 40-29, with 1:29 left in the third quarter. They cut
Westridge's lead to 44-43 on a pair of free throws by Chloe Wayne
with 5:47 remaining.
Weissman finished with 25 points, eight rebounds, six steals, six
blocks and four assists.
Flintridge Prep got 14 points from Laurel Myers.
The Rebels, who had their nine-game winning streak snapped,
competed without starting freshman guard Courtney Robinson.
Robinson has been bothered by a left ankle injury.
* CHARLES RICH covers sports. He can be reached at (818) 637-3228
or by e-mail at charles.rich@latimes.com.
