GIRLS' GOLF NOTEBOOK: SAUGUS' FOOTHILL STREAK AT 46.

Byline: Dave Shelburne Staff Writer

Defending Foothill League champion Saugus High ran its regular-season undefeated streak to 46 matches Wednesday, defeating league rival Burroughs of Burbank 218-248 in a nonleague match at El Cariso GC in Sylmar to improve to 10-0.

Junior Melanie De Leon, the Centurions' season scoring leader and returning league MVP, led Saugus at 1-under-par 30. Jill Shatkus and Stephanie Aston, two other returning junior starters from last year's 36-0 Saugus team, both shot 36.

The Centurions, who averaged 48 strokes from their five scoring players in sweeping the opening league tournament last week at Vista Valencia, will take a 5-0 league record into the second Foothill tournament Tuesday at El Cariso GC in Sylmar.

--Hart warming up: Hart coach Renee Onori believes her 10-4, 3-2 team is progressing, despite a third-place finish in the opening Foothill League tournament, when Hart trailed Saugus and Valencia in the six-team competition.

Junior Stephanie Ponek and sophomore Christina Sandnes both have been scoring well, and Onori said returning Southern Section finalist Keshia Peris is just an improved short game away from breaking through for some solid golf.

``Keshia is playing OK,'' Onori said. ``She's not playing great, but she just needs to work on her short game, because that's where she's losing her shots. Off the tee, she is just booming the ball, hitting really long drives.''

Ponek has been scoring consistently from 39 to 42, and Sandnes has been in the 42-45 range.

``I think it's getting better,'' said Onori, who also got some encouraging play from newcomers Krystal Pierraci, Eleanna Tan and Ashley Redmond in Wednesday's 49-stroke nonleague victory over defending Golden League champion Highland.

``They helped us shoot 221 and that's just only four more strokes than we shot in league last week,'' the Hart coach said.

--Barber medalist: Sophomore Diane Barber was medalist in Wednesday's third Western State Conference tournament of the season, shooting 75 to lead a first-place College of the Canyons showing of 313 that gave the Cougars (22-1, 15-0) a 31-point margin over runner-up Santa Barbara.

Jasmine Koehler (77), returning conference MVP Desiree Banlowe (79) and Janet Richards (83) joined co-medalist Barber to give Canyons four of the top seven scores in the competition at par-71, 5,500-yard Marshall Canyon Golf Course in La Verne, where Santa Barbara's Rachel Byers shared medalist honors at 75.

Dave Shelburne, [phone]

dave.shelburne(at)dailynews.com

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Photo:

Freshman Jasmine Koehler shot a 6-over-par 77 Wednesday to help COC sweep its third conference tournament of the season.

Evan Yee/Staff Photographer