Bulldogs Have Look of Champs. . .Again

VENTURA —  His girls’ basketball teams have a 506-52 record and five Southern Section titles in 21 seasons, yet Buena High Coach Joe Vaughan’s No. 1 goal this season is simply to win the Channel League title.

“Obviously, we would like to win another [Southern Section] title and get back to the state championship game, but winning league is always first,” Vaughan said.

With UC Santa Barbara-bound Nicole Greathouse back for her senior season, the defending Southern Section Division I-A champion Bulldogs (6-1) will be favored to win their ninth consecutive league title when they open play against visiting Ventura at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday.

“It will be very difficult to unseat Buena,” Ventura Coach Glenn Gray said. “But I think that the next three or four teams should be much improved over last year.”

Gray says Oxnard (5-3), Santa Barbara (5-6) and Ventura (7-2) should battle for second place behind Buena, which has won three of the last four Southern Section Division I-A titles.

Greathouse, a 6-foot-2 center who was a Times’ All-Ventura County selection last season, is averaging 17.7 points and 10 rebounds in her third varsity season.

In addition, junior guard Renae Hofmann and forward Stephanie Kinnear, a 5-10 senior, are averaging 14.9 and 10.1 points.

Hofmann played a key role in Buena’s drive to the section title last season. She started the last nine games in place of all-state guard Eboni Conley, who suffered a season-ending knee injury.

Ashley Jackson, a 5-10 senior forward, and Kelly Murray, a sophomore point guard, round out the starters for Buena, which has played in seven consecutive Southern Section I-A finals.

Despite high expectations, Vaughan says he feels little pressure to top or equal past accomplishments.

“To me, my biggest job every year is to put together a proven team and to get them to play together,” Vaughan said. “There’s some pressure because of the high expectations based on what we’ve accomplished in the past, but I don’t worry about it.”

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AT A GLANCE

* THE PROVEN: Buena senior center Nicole Greathouse is a 6-foot-2 Times’ All-Ventura County selection who is averaging 17.7 points and 10 rebounds. Junior teammate Renae Hofmann is averaging 14.9 points as a starter after replacing injured Eboni Conley last season. Jaline Bradley of Oxnard averaged 12.8 points, 3.8 assists, 3.6 rebounds and 2.6 steals last season. Ventura’s Rhiannon Potkey, a junior point guard, averaged 10.2 points and 4.9 assists last season.

* THE PROMISING: Ventura freshman Alex Gientke is averaging 13 points. Buena sophomore point guard Kelly Murray has averaged five points and five steals.

* FAST FACTS: Buena has appeared in the last seven Southern Section Division I-A championship games, winning titles in 1993, ’94 and ’96.