Crean Lutheran players and coaches celebrate the victory over San Clemente Monday. (Photos courtesy Crean Lutheran Shutterbugs, Howard Lyon and John Luciano).
Crean Lutheran High School’s girls basketball team ended 2024 with a bang, defeating San Clemente 61-56 Monday night in the championship of the Surf City Holiday Classic at Marina.
Micaela Hanning scored 21 points, Sydnee Norwood 16 points and Elise Randolph and Jane Hewitt had 10 points each for Crean Lutheran (14-2).
To see the slide show, click on the first photo:
The Saints’ Hanning and Elise Randolph were named all-tournament.
“Micaeala was in her first three games of the season after the (sit out period) and she didn’t disappoint,” said Crean Luthern Coach Kyle Rouse. “In the final she had a double-double with 21 points and 11 rebounds. Elise had her best tournament of the season and we could tell she found her stride, scoring in double figures in two of the four games and adding a huge presence in the paint.”
Norwood also had a big week for the Saints, reaching the 1,000-point career mark in the win over Yorba Linda and adding 19, 15 and 16 points in the remaining three games.Â
“The success this week was just about our girls ability to be coachable and to focus on the small details. They did a great job hitting our game goals against each opponent which focuses on intangibles (rebounds, hustle points, defensive stops, etc.),” Rouse said.
“All of those small things sure added up this week to some success. The best part about it right now is they don’t care who gets the credit, they just want to play well and give themselves a good chance at winning. We still have some work to do and have a tough challenge with Buena Park on Saturday, but we like where our group is heading.”
San Clemente (11-5) had victories over Fountain Valley (70-58), King Drew (61-40) and Pacifica Christian (61-39) to reach the finals.
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