Sports
Archer Girls Fall to #2 St. Paul, Finish Season 18-9
St. Paul will advance to CIF quarterfinals will they will face St. Bonaventure High School of Ventura. Archer completed the season with an 18-9 overall record.
The Archer School for Girls (Brentwood) varsity basketball team battled St. Paul High School (Santa Fe Springs) to the end, but came up short in the second round of the CIF 4A playoffs Monday night, losing 43-35. Archer trailed by three points with three minutes remaining, but was not able to get any closer before a packed gym on the campus of St. Paul. St. Paul will advance to CIF quarterfinals will they will face St. Bonaventure High School of Ventura. Archer completed the season with an 18-9 overall record.
Sophomore standout Maia Barnett, the best player on a court of very good players, led Archer with 15 points. Junior Mariah Davis pulled down 13 rebounds while sophomore guard Adrianna Bass came away with three steals. In their final basketball game for Archer, seniors Leslie Baker (6 points and 5 rebounds) and Coco Maurice (10 points and 16 rebounds) left it all on the court, leading an extraordinary effort by Archer.
Archer was short-handed heading into the playoffs, especially after starting junior guard Ciena Lennon had dislocated her shoulder February 6th against the Paraclete High School Spirits (yes, "Paraclete" does mean " holy spirit" and therefore they are the "Holy Spirit Spirits"). Archer was still able to win the game and clinch the Delphic League championship that night against Paraclete, earning a first round "home" game. In the first round on February 17th, Archer faced the Big Bear High School Bears (no, I am not making the nicknames up). Archer played a dominant second half at Santa Monica College that night to win going away 57-35. That set up the second round showdown with the St. Paul Lady Swordsmen (no comment).
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Based on new CIF legislation, Archer had moved this year into the 4A section for CIF basketball. Division 4 is highly competitive for both boys and girls teams (see the links for Los Angeles Times coverage below) and Archer was given no chance against the #2 seeded St. Paul team, especially in their gym. Archer, however, had played an ambitious regular season schedule, including top flight tournaments and non-league game against highly rated schools. Falling back on lessons learned not only on the court but also through the teachings of John Wooden (not to mention the team viewing of the movie "Hoosiers"), Archer played its best game of the season at St. Paul. They stayed composed throughout the game despite a team that played with great aggression and a crowd that reined insults upon them from the stands (all in good fun, of course). It was, in the gym of a legendary catholic high school athletic powerhouse, a classic "David vs. Goliath" match-up. David, however, came up short this time. Archer had battled to the end, and the team along with its dedicated fans were proud of their effort.
Seniors:
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Leslie Baker and Coco Maurice have enjoyed three seasons of success playing basketball for Archer. Together their teams have won 46 games against 26 losses, including two tournament championships, along with a second place and two third place finishes in tournaments. Archer has qualified for the CIF playoffs each year, reaching the quarterfinals of the 5AA in 2011. The 2012 team won the schools first ever league championship.
Season Highlights:
- 3rd place (Black Division) at Inglewood City of Champions Tournament
- 5th place (Diamond Division) at West Coast Holiday Classic in Oakland, CA
- Participant in Martin Luther King Public vs. Private Showcase, Beverly Hills, CA
- Delphic League Champions (9-1) *
- 18 wins **
- CIF 4A 9th place (Tie) ***
* School's first ever basketball league championship
** Ties 2011 team for most wins in a season
*** School's first ever win in CIF division 4
Team Roster:
Kirsten Avila, Leslie Baker, Maia Barnett, Adriana Bass, Mariah Davis, Ciena Lennon, Rachel Magnin, Coco Maurice, Allie Simon, Emily Ward, Chanel Williams
Links:
http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-0220-sondheimer-column-20120220,0,4737012.column
http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-0213-sondheimer-southern-pairings-20120213,0,3017051.column
