GIRLS' DIVISION I-AA: ROYAL SINKS HART WITH 3-POINT BARRAGE HIGHLANDERS REPRESENT MARMONTE LEAGUE WELL ROYAL 67, HART 61.

Byline: Rich Hammond  Staff Writer

SANTA CLARITA - The consensus seemed to be that, top to bottom, the best girls' basketball in the region was being played in the Foothill League.

Thursday night's game between Royal and Hart in Newhall showed that the folks in Ventura County have a right to question that thinking. Royal, the fifth-place team in the Marmonte League, dominated Hart for much of the game and won, 67-61, in a Division I-AA wild-card matchup at Hart.

The Highlanders (17-11) bombed the Indians (17-8) with 10 3-pointers, and sophomore Kinsley Mittel scored 19 points for Royal, which advanced to face Westminster of Garden Grove in Saturday's first round.

``Our league is like a playoff league, isn't it?'' Royal coach Mike Kohl said. ``Hart has a proud tradition, and I'm proud to say that we beat them in the playoffs.''

Royal succeeded in doing what Hart usually tries to accomplish: shoot well from the perimeter and play strong defense, although the Highlanders were helped by poor Hart passing for long stretches of the game.

The Highlanders missed their first five shots from the field, and trailed 17-10 midway through the second quarter, then began to blow out the Indians. Royal largely succeeded in limiting Hart to one shot per possesion, and the Highlanders' fast-break offense led to quick, open shots, which finally started to drop.

During the last four minutes of the first half and the first five minutes of the third quarter, Royal outscored Hart 30-6 to take a 42-26 lead.

``A Hart basketball team does not give up 67 points in a game, unless we are playing Buena,'' Munroe said. ``I don't think we had tremendous pressure.''

Mittel, Ashley Alderton (14 points, four 3-pointers) and Novey Woodard-Parker (12 points, two 3-pointers) led the Highlanders, who seemed to wear down the Indians with their fast-paced play.

The Indians' poor passing frequently prevented them from establishing any type of offensive rhythm. Amanda Patton scored a game-high 23 points, despite Kohl's intention to play tight defense on her, but the rest of the Indians were often stagnant.

Sarah McIntosh, usually a strong perimeter shooter, made just one field goal through the first three quarters and finished with eight points, and freshman Brandi Kimble didn't come on strong until the second half, when she scored all of her 11 points.

The Indians started the fourth quarter with a 16-point deficit, which even an exceptional effort could not erase. Hart outscored Royal 29-19 in the fourth, but every time the Indians threatened to take the deficit under double digits, Royal responded.

``I'm real proud of the kids,'' Kohl said. ``We don't have a real go-to player, but they had great teamwork, and that's the most important thing.''

The victory was all the more impressive considering that the Highlanders were coming off perhaps their worst effort of the season, when they scored six points in the second half of a loss to Simi Valley last Friday.

Then again, that's to be expected in a league that sent five of its seven teams to the playoffs.

``I know (Munroe) scouted us against Simi, but that wasn't how we play,'' Kohl said. ``This is a young team, but they played a great game.''

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Photo: Royal High's Kinsley Mittel, left, and Hart's Amanda Patton fight for the ball Thursday night. The visiting Highlanders, the fifth-place team from the Marmonte League, knocked off the Indians 67-61 in a Division I-AA wild-card game.

Eric Grigorian/Special to the Daily News