Sage clinches title

With a 44-22 win over host Capistrano Valley Christian High Tuesday

night, the Sage Hill girls basketball team clinched the Academy

League title with an 8-1 league record.

Sage has one league game remaining -- Thursday against visiting

Whitney at 7 p.m. -- before going on into the CIF Southern Section

Division IV-A playoffs.

Junior Haywood Wright led the Lightning (12-7) Tuesday with a

game-high 17 points, 10 rebounds, four steals and 10 blocks. Senior

Katie Puishys chipped in 11 points and eight rebounds, while junior

Rebecca Hembarsky added three points and six rebounds.

Brethren Christian handed Sage its only league loss earlier this

season.

Academy League

Sage Hill 44,

Capistrano Valley Christian 22

Score by Quarters

*--*

Sage Hill 13 11 13 7 -- 44 CVC 4 11 2 5 -- 22

*--*

Sage -- Schaefer 1, Hembarsky 3, Tyre 2, Gutierrez 8, Wright 17,

Puishys 11, Hidalgo 2, Raschti 0.

3-pt. goals -- None.

CVC -- Macare 3, Daichendt 6, Hakin 3, Haney 2, Doelz 3, McCrea 7.

3-pt. goals -- None.

Sea Kings advance

* SOCCER: The Corona del Mar High girls soccer team claimed a

must-win game Tuesday, defeating host Laguna Beach, 3-0, in Pacific

Coast League action to force a three-way tie for second place.

The Sea Kings (12-9-1, 6-3-1 in league) received a little luck

when University defeated Tesoro on Tuesday, which played a factor in

forcing the three-way tie between Tesoro, CdM and University for

second. Northwood remains in the top spot.

When it is broken down into head-to-head competition, CdM gains

the upper hand and will advance to the CIF Southern Section Division

II playoffs, beginning Feb. 18, as the No. 2 team.

Against Laguna Beach, Alex Tobiessen scored two goals for the Sea

Kings, while Rachel Yelsey chipped in one more. Hannah Rollins, Kelly

Morgan and Lexi Henson all tallied an assist.

Sage secures second

* SOCCER: Sophomore Conrad Whitaker scored twice to lead the Sage

Hill School boys soccer team to a 3-1 road victory over Capo Valley

Christian Tuesday in an Academy League match.

Whitaker placed the ball into the bottom right corner in the 12th

minute for Sage (7-8-1, 7-2 in league). Sophomore Tyler Ellis set up

the score with a centering pass that Whitaker one-touched for the

opening goal.

Beau Caillouette’s goal in the 33rd minute gave the Lightning a

2-0 lead at halftime.

Whitaker increased the lead to 3-0 in the 63rd minute when he

headed in a throw-in.

Curt Rolison scored in the 77th minute for Capo Valley Christian.

The win secured at least second place for the Lightning. There is

a chance Sage could end up in a tie for first in the league if St.

Margaret’s defeats Oxford.

Sailors sweep Los Al

* SURFING: The Newport Harbor High surf team shook off eight weeks

of rust and defeated Los Alamitos 89-26 Tuesday at 56th Street in

Newport Beach. The maximum points available were 90.

Nine contests had to be rescheduled because of unusual weather and

beach closures, but the two month hiatus did not slow the Sailors,

who swept first and second place in all six heats and took third in

five others.

Steve Farmer, Christian Morabito and J.J. Frei were winners in

boys short board. It was Farmer’s fourth first place finish this year

while Morabito registered the top wave score with a 4.8. Second place

finishers were Evan Hochwald, Bryan Doheny and Brett Catron. Colin

McElroy and Reagan Riley finished third.

Tanner Prairie finished first in the boys long board for the third

time this year. Christopher LoMenzo and Chas Smith completed the

sweep for the Tars by finishing second and third, respectively.

Lisa Turk, Mahea Hookwald and Taylor Simpkins took first, second

and third, respectively, in girls long board.

Devon Falasco took first in girls short board while Simpkins and

Turk took second and third.

Sage wins in OT

* WATER POLO: The Sage Hill School girls water polo team scored

three unanswered goals in two overtime periods to earn a 9-6 victory

over visiting Pacifica in a nonleague game Tuesday at Corona del Mar

High.

The Lightning (9-11) have one game remaining Thursday against Los

Amigos at 6 p.m. at CdM, but fell one win short of qualifying for the

postseason.

Sarah Wesley made numerous plays and drew multiple ejections for

Sage.

Nonleague

Sage Hill 9,

Pacifica 6

Score by Periods

*--*

Pacifica 1 1 2 2 0 0 -- 6

Sage Hill 1 2 2 1 1 2 -- 9

*--*

Pacifica -- Price 2, Hesse 3, Winn 1. Saves -- Steinbeck 9.

Sage -- Bennett 2, Tooma 4, Gaglio 2, White 1. Saves -- Bishop 5.

Eagles win battle

* SOCCER: Estancia High’s girls soccer team prevailed, 1-0,

against visiting Santa Ana Tuesday in a Golden West League contest

after two players were ejected in the 54th minute.

An Estancia player and a Santa Ana player got into a physical

altercation in the second half, were both red carded and ejected.

Both teams played with 10 players the remainder of the game.

Denise Castellano scored the Eagles’ lone goal of the game in the

second half off an assist from Taylor West. Marci Kirchberg had five

saves in goal for Estancia (6-7-4, 2-6-3 in league), which plays its

last game of the season at 3 p.m. Thursday against Costa Mesa at

Orange Coast College.

Lightning back again

* SOCCER: One game back after suffering its first loss of the

season, the Sage Hill School girls soccer team pillaged visiting

Capistrano Valley Christian, 10-0, in an Academy League game Tuesday.

With one league game remaining at Whitney Thursday at 3:15 p.m.,

the Lightning (17-1-1, 7-1-1 in league) will likely clinch the second

league spot after a loss to St. Margaret’s last Thursday. St.

Margaret’s will clinch first.

Against Capo Valley Christian Tuesday, Claire Josephson racked up

four goals, Kellee Kim and Amy Werblin each had two, and Sara

Montazami and Ali McLaughlin each tallied one goal. In the assist

category, Josephson, Werblin, Kim and McLaughlin each had two.

Coast defeats Mesa

* BASEBALL: Robbie Blauer was 5 of 5 with three runs scored and

two RBIs to lead the Orange Coast College baseball team past visiting

San Diego Mesa, 11-5, in a nonconference game Tuesday afternoon.

Coast starting pitcher Daniel Cooper was credited the win after

pitching 3 2/3 innings while giving up no runs and two hits with

five strikeouts. Coast improved to 4-1 on the season, while Mesa

dropped its season opener.

The Pirates play at Grossmont College in San Diego Saturday at 2

p.m.

Nonconference

Orange Coast 11,

San Diego Mesa 5

Score by Innings

*--*

Mesa 1 3 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 -- 5 6 3

OCC 3 0 3 1 0 0 4 0 x -- 11 17 3

*--*

Owsley, Ramirez (4), Silvas (7) and Cunningham; Rizor, Cooper (5),

Gagne (8), Beck (9) and Banda. W -- Cooper, 2-0. L -- Owsley, 0-1. 2B

-- Blauer (OCC), Schneider (OCC), Gattis (OCC), Jasper (OCC). 3B --

Johnson (Mesa), Cline (OCC), Beck (OCC).

Lions split twinbill

* SOFTBALL: The Vanguard University softball team split a double

header against host Cal State San Bernardino Tuesday in a

non-conference showdown.

The Lions rebounded from a 3-2 loss in the opener with a 7-5

victory in the second game.

Ashley Mauro went 2 for 3 with two runs scored and two RBI in the

second game for Vanguard (1-3). Noelle Navarette also went 2 for 3

for the Lions, with one run scored and one RBI.

Shortstop Rachel Bomgren, who finished the double-header for

Vanguard with five hits in seven at-bats, including a 3 for 3 display

in the second game.

Lindsay Emmel (1-0) picked up the win for the Lions, while Lindsay

Halladay (1-3) pitched both games for San Bernardino.

Nonconference

San Bernardino 3,

Vanguard 2

Score by Innings

*--*

Vanguard 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 -- 2 9 0

CSUSB 1 0 0 2 0 0 x -- 3 5 0

*--*

Rynda and Benson; Halladay and Fraijo. W -- Halladay, 1-2. L --

Rynda, 0-1. HR -- Butler (CSUSB), Balderama (CSUSB).

Nonconference

Vanguard 7,

San Bernardino 5

Score by Innings

*--*

Vanguard 1 1 2 1 0 2 -- 7 13 1

CSUSB 3 0 2 0 0 0 -- 5 5 0

*--*

Ketler, Willis (3), Emmel (5) and Benson and Bell; Halladay and

Topper. W -- Emmel, 1-0. L -- Halladay, 1-3. HR -- Mauro (V), Bell

(V), Hernandez (CSUSB), Vaughn (CSUSB).

Eagles fall at line

* BASKETBALL: The Estancia High girls basketball team shot 21%

from the free-throw line and fell to visiting Santa Ana, 37-34, in

Golden West League action Tuesday.

Ailed with an illness, junior Be Diep did not start and scored two

points for the Eagles (6-18, 3-8 in league), who remain in the sixth

spot out of seven teams in the league standings.

Santa Ana hit five mandatory free-throws in the fourth quarter and

Estancia missed its free-throws down the stretch. Sophomore Yasmin

Arroyo led the Eagles with six points.

Estancia hosts Costa Mesa Thursday at 7 p.m.

Golden West League

Santa Ana 34,

Estancia 37

Score by Quarters

*--*

Santa Ana 10 7 6 11 -- 37

Estancia 4 4 10 9 -- 34

*--*

Santa Ana -- Richards 10, Eva 14, Love 4, Martinez 2, Yanez 4.

3-pt. goals -- Eva 2.

Estancia -- Diep 2, Arroyo 6, Niel 5, Barrerra 4, Flores 4, Wilson

6.

3-pt. goals -- None.

Panthers pounce Mesa

* BASKETBALL: Senior Heather Cluff hit a three-pointer with nine

seconds remaining to pull the Costa Mesa High girls basketball team

within two points of host Orange, but the Panthers pulled away and

won, 50-46, in a Golden West League game Tuesday night.

Junior Judie Akansel paced the Mustangs (8-17, 4-7 in league) with

10 points before fouling out, while senior Bethany Vergara added

eight points.

The Mustangs, who remain in fifth place in league, play at

Estancia Thursday at 7 p.m.

Golden West League

Orange 50,

Costa Mesa 46

Score by Quarters

*--*

Costa Mesa 8 9 9 20 -- 46

Orange 15 6 12 17 -- 50

*--*

Mesa -- Akansel 10, Bjelland 4, Cluff 3, Courtney 2, Enesi 8,

Evans 4, Sanchez 7, Vergara 8.

3-pt. goals -- Akansel 2, Sanchez 1, Vergara 1.

Fouled out -- Akansel, Bjelland.

Orange -- Mahi 8, Passano 2, Galvez 13, Kilroy 27, Duenes 0.

3-pt. goals -- Kilroy 1.

VU rally falls short

* BASEBALL: The Vanguard University baseball team battled back

from a 10-4 hole, but still lost, 11-8, to visiting Cal State

Dominguez Hills Tuesday in a nonconference game.

Nik Crouch belted his second home run of the season, a two-run

blast in the seventh that made it 10-6. The Lions (2-4) scored twice

in the eighth to pull within two runs, but Dominguez Hills scored in

the top of the ninth and reliever Elmer Rivas allowed one hit in the

ninth to pick up the save for the Toros.

Vanguard plays host to UC San Diego today at 2 p.m.

Nonconference

Dominguez Hills 11,

Vanguard 8

Score by Innings

*--*

DH 1 0 1 4 1 0 3 0 1 -- 11 11 2

VU 0 3 0 0 0 1 2 2 0 -- 8 7 2

*--*

Merz, Riddle (4), Franco (6) and Grant; Owen, Gober (3), Scott

(6), Leyva (7), Romero (8), Medina (8), Rivas (9) and Cnde. W --

Gober, 1-0. L -- Riddle, 0-1. S -- Rivas (1). 2B -- Hopps (D). HR --

Conde (D), Crouch (V).