AT CENTER OF ATTENTION NEWBURY PARK'S HARRIS TO REJOIN THE FUN.Byline: Rich Hammond Rich Hammond Los Angeles Daily News sports writer. Instrumental in bringing the Los Angeles Kings hockey organization closer to the fans. He is the atypical "what a guy" to Kings fans everywhere. Rich Hammond on himself. Staff Writer Bridget Harris sat in a hospital room, unable to join her Newbury Park High girls' basketball teammates as they attempted to go undefeated in the Marmonte League The Marmonte League is a high school sports league primarily made up of schools from Ventura County. The Marmonte Leauge is part of the CIF Southern Section. Click here to view the league schedule. last winter. Her phone rang. On the other end was Jamie Dirksing, Harris' best friend and team co-captain. The Panthers had just defeated Thousand Oaks Thousand Oaks, residential city (1990 pop. 104,352), Ventura co., S Calif., in a farm area; inc. 1964. Avocados, citrus, vegetables, strawberries, and nursery products are grown. to finish 12-0 in league, and her teammates didn't want Harris to feel left out. ``It was so funny,'' Harris said. ``Jamie called me, and I was pretty emotional because I was still kind of doped up from the surgery. We were crying and everything.'' This year, Harris, who missed the final six games of last year and the playoffs because of a torn anterior cruciate ligament anterior cruciate ligament n. Abbr. ACL The cruciate ligament of the knee that crosses from the anterior intercondylar area of the tibia to the posterior part of the lateral condyle of the femur. in her left knee, intends to be right in the middle of the action. Newbury Park returns the six starters with whom it began last season, and the Panthers could contend for their first Southern Section championship since 1995, when Harris was a Newbury Park ballgirl. If the Panthers are to succeed in the postseason, Harris' play will be crucial. The 5-foot-9 senior has the ability to play anywhere but center and is at her best when on the move, creating plays for herself and her teammates. The knee is 100 percent, which is bad news for opponents. And Harris, who was not able to play during the summer as she underwent rehabilitation rehabilitation: see physical therapy. , is understandably anxious to get back. ``At first I was really tentative,'' Harris said. ``I had absolutely no hopes of re-injuring that knee. If somebody even came within a foot of my knee, I would just jump back and say, `You're not going to hurt me, I'm not going to sit on the bench again.' ``I talked to people who have suffered that injury, and they said they felt like that at first, too. Physically, it's fine, but the mental part was much more difficult.'' The Panthers missed Harris' shooting and open-floor abilities, but more than anything, they missed her leadership. Even with the injury, coach Nori Parvin said Harris attended every practice and game up until the day of the surgery. ``She had the surgery on Thursday, and we played on Friday,`` Parvin said. ``She wanted to come to the game in a wheelchair, but the doctors wanted to keep her in the hospital another night. ``I think it might have been a little hard for her because of the team we had. But if Bridget couldn't play another game in high school, I know she would still be there at every game, supporting the team.'' Harris, a four-year starter who is also one of the Marmonte League's toughest defenders, will be tested early. The Panthers play an aggressive schedule that includes a nonleague game against Chatsworth and trips to the Buena tournament and the Santa Barbara Santa Barbara (săn'tə bär`brə, –bərə), city (1990 pop. 85,571), seat of Santa Barbara co., S Calif., on the Pacific Ocean; inc. 1850. Tournament of Champions. ``I think we're setting our goals high this year, especially since we know what we can do,'' Harris said. ``It's going to be tough because everything is going to be gunning for us. GIRLS BASKETBALL OUTLOOK LEAGUE PREDICTIONS FOOTHILL 1. Hart 2. Saugus 3. Burroughs 4. Valencia 5. Canyon 6. Burbank GOLDEN 1. Antelope Valley This article is about the Los Angeles County region. For the census-designated place in Wyoming, see Antelope Valley-Crestview, Wyoming. The Antelope Valley 2. Quartz Hill 3. Littlerock 4. Palmdale 5. Highland 6. Lancaster MARMONTE 1. Newbury Park 2. Simi Valley Simi Valley (sē`mē, sĭm`ē), city (1990 pop. 100,217), Ventura co., SW Calif. in an oil, fruit, and farm region; laid out 1887, inc. 1969. 3. Agoura 4. Royal 5. Moorpark 6. Thousand Oaks 7. Westlake MISSION 1. Harvard-Westlake 2. Louisville 3. Notre Dame Notre Dame IPA: [nɔtʁ dam] is French for Our Lady, referring to the Virgin Mary. In the United States of America, Notre Dame 4. Chaminade 5. Flintridge-Sacred Heart 6. Alemany PACIFIC 1. Muir 2. Glendale 3. Pasadena 4. Crescenta Valley The Crescenta Valley is a small inland valley in Los Angeles County, California. Its name derives from its crescent-like shape, with the convex portion facing roughly northeast and the concave portion southwest. 5. Hoover 6. Arcadia SUNSET SIX 1. North Hollywood 2. Grant 3. Canoga Park 4. Poly 5. Verdugo Hills 6. Hollywood VALLEY MISSION 1. Kennedy 2. Monroe 3. Sylmar 4. San Fernando San Fernando, city, Argentina San Fernando (săn fərnăn`dō), city (1991 pop. 144,761), Buenos Aires prov., E Argentina. It is a district administrative center in the Greater Buenos Aires area. 5. Reseda 6. Van Nuys WEST VALLEY 1. Chatsworth 2. Taft 3. El Camino Real El Camino Real (Spanish for The Royal Road or The King's Highway) was the name of a series of pre-automobile highways linking the various New World colonies of Spain:
4. Granada Hills 5. Birmingham 6. Cleveland DAILY NEWS TOP 10 1. Newbury Park 2. Harvard-Westlake 3. Chatsworth 4. Antelope Valley 5. Hart 6. Camarillo 7. North Hollywood 8. Louisville 9. Simi Valley 10. Saugus TOP 15 PLAYERS 1. Bridget Harris, F, Newbury Park 2. Jennifer Lacy Jennifer Lacy (born March 21 1983) is a professional basketball player for the Phoenix Mercury of the WNBA. Lacy graduated from Agoura Hills High School in Agoura Hills, California in 2001. , F, Agoura 3. Crystal McCutcheon, G, Antelope Valley 4. Liz Sun, G, Chatsworth 5. Sierra Hauser-Price, G, Notre Dame 6. Eshaya Murphy Eshaya "Shay" Murphy (born April 15 1985, in Canoga Park, California) is an American professional basketball player in the WNBA, currently playing for the Minnesota Lynx. Murphy attended college at USC and graduated in 2007. , G, Montclair Prep 7. Amanda Patton, G, Hart 8. Karina Siam, F, Harvard-Westlake 9. Sarah Kelso, F, Louisville 10. Gillian Lillich, G, Camarillo 11. Megan Wiser, G, Louisville 12. Alex Mallon, G, Newbury Park 13. Alexis Weatherspoon, G/F G/F Girl Friend G/F Ground Ball/Fly Ball Ratio (baseball; used for batters and pitchers) , Grant 14. Erica Doyle, G, Canyon 15. Richelle Sherman, C, North Hollywood CAPTION(S): photo, box Photo: Newbury Park's Bridget Harris missed out on last season's undefeated run in the Marmonte League with a torn ligament in her knee. She returns as the team's center for her senior season. Tina Burch/Staff Photographer Box: GIRLS BASKETBALL OUTLOOK LEAGUE PREDICTIONS (see text) |
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