GIRLS' BASKETBALL: NOW, CANYON KNOWS 'THEY ALL COUNT'.

Byline: Ramona Shelburne  Staff Writer

One victory.

That's all the Canyon High girls' basketball team needed last season to qualify for the playoffs. Canyon was 10-14, and a team needs 11 wins to automatically qualify for the playoffs.

What made it even worse was that the Cowboys played only 24 games, when teams are allowed to play 25. But this season, that shouldn't be a problem. Canyon already is 5-1, meaning they need only six more victories in the next 19 games to qualify for the playoffs.

``Right now, we're just trying to get every single game we can and scrap because we know they all count,'' senior Angelynn Dorotheo said. ``Last year, there were so many games we could've won, that we just barely lost. Our league is so tough that when we play someone outside the league, we've got to win.''

This year, Canyon and its eight seniors should contend with Burroughs of Burbank for third place in the Foothill League this season. Should the Cowboys make the playoffs, they will go for their first playoff victory since the school opened in 1968.

``We want to have fun this year, but we also want to make up for all the years that things went wrong and we should've won but didn't,'' Dorotheo said.

The challenge for Canyon will be matching up with Hart and Valencia, two relatively small, but very athletic teams with good ballhandlers. Canyon, in contrast, is taller, and relies on its half-court offense.

Junior Kayla Bastedo, who was named to the all-tournament team at the Canyon Classic last week, has been starting at point guard. Bastedo has shown the capability of scoring in bunches this year and has good shooting range.

However, the ballhandling duties are more by committee. Senior shooting guard Jasmin Pandy is the leading scorer thus far, averaging 12 points a game.

``Jasmin has really made an improvement this season as she can hit the three as well as go hard to the basket and draw fouls,'' second-year coach Troy Best said.

Dorotheo and senior guard Angela Hamilton can play point guard, shooting guard or small forward and are the emotional leaders of the team. Both have been splitting time with 5-foot-9 senior Alicia Thompson, who has emerged as Canyon's defensive stopper and will most likely matchup with the opponents top player.

Thompson sat out her sophomore year to concentrate on track, where she excels in the 200 meters and the hurdles. Best said she is the most improved player on the team.

``She's very athletic. On defense, she moves her feet very well and can shut down opponents best players,'' Best said. ``But she's also been a real surprise on offense. She's really developed her outside shot.''

Canyon's strength this year should be in the frontcourt with forward/centers Alexa Jahnke and Rachel Bates, both of whom are 6-foot-1. Jahnke led the league in blocked shots last season.

None of the other five teams in the league have players who can match Jahnke and Bates in terms of height.

Ramona Shelburne, [phone]

ramona.shelburne(at)dailynews.com