GIRLS' BASKETBALL NOTEBOOK: ROYAL RELOADS FOR ANOTHER RUN.

Byline: Lauren Gustus Staff Writer

Though Royal of Simi Valley lost Daily News All-Area selection Kinsley Mittel to graduation, it still will be difficult for a Marmonte League team to pry the title from the Highlanders.

Royal, which lost in the Southern Section Div. I-A quarterfinals last season, is working over the summer to fuse talented returning players with up-and-comers and a sophomore transfer.

Valerie Quinn, a freshman at Camarillo last year and an all-Pacific View League selection, will start her sophomore year at Royal. She'll play with Cassie Suffolk, a 6-foot-3 senior who should provide a strong low-post presence, and power forward Becca Heteniak. Royal also has Jessica Selleha and Tedra Clark, winners of the Hotshot Tournament the University of San Diego's team basketball camp last weekend.

``Both Selleha and Clark are going to be outstanding players,'' Royal coach Mike Kohl said. ``If they can continue to improve and we can work Valerie in, then we'll compete for the league championship.''

And there is Kelly Winther, the player who most often has been mentioned as the replacement for Mittel.

``I know some of my coaches come to me and tell me I'm now the one,'' Winther said. ``I want to be the one to score, the one to get the ball.''

Kohl has his team playing a full summer schedule so it will get as much experience together as it can.

``We're in two summer leagues, we do a tournament at the end of the summer and most of the team plays travel ball,'' Kohl said. Royal returned from a three-day team camp at USD on Sunday.

Winther already has played against Newbury Park, Simi Valley and Westlake in summer leagues and predicts success for Royal.

``I've been looking at the teams,'' Winther said. ``I think we have a chance to win it again next year.''

--It wasn't pretty: Sylmar defeated Alemany 34-30 in the championship of the Sylmar Summer Showdown in a game played at Staples Center before a Los Angeles Sparks game.

``A win is a win, right?'' said Sylmar coach Michelle Chevalier, the Daily News Co-Coach of the Year after the Spartans went to the City Section final. ``We got to play a lot of our young players and get them experience. And, it was great to play in an arena like Staples.''

This week, the Spartans are one of several area teams training at the Fellowship of Christian Athletes team camp at UC Santa Barbara.

Since last season, three players have transferred to the school, but the only one expected to contribute this season is senior LaChristian Taylor from Cleveland of Reseda. The other transfers are sophomore Eja Wong from Viewpoint of Calabasas and Ilda Llamas of Chatsworth.

Staff Writer Ramona Shelburne contributed to this report.

Lauren Gustus, [phone]

lauren.gustus(at)dailynews.com