ROYAL MARKS MITTEL HAS NAME WRITTEN ALL OVER RECORD BOOKS.

Byline: Ramona Shelburne  Staff Writer

Mike Kohl knew it from the start, even before Kinsley Mittel showed up on the first day of tryouts for girls' basketball as a freshman at Royal of Simi Valley.

``She was special,'' Kohl said. ``I had a lot of seniors that year and decided to let them start and play more of the minutes. But when Kinsley went in there, it was hard to take her out of the game.''

Since then, Mittel has written her name into the school record books at such a pace, Kohl barely can keep up with her. Entering the Southern Section Division I-A playoffs Saturday, Mittel has school records for career scoring, scoring average, free-throw percentage and single-game points total. When the season is over and Mittel goes off to play at The Master's College, Kohl probably will find a few more records she's broken.

Despite all that success, there's one thing Mittel will not accomplish at Royal: a victory over Marmonte League rival Newbury Park.

Fourth-ranked Royal won the league title with a 10-1 record after a 63-43 victory over No. 10 Moorpark on Thursday, the Highlanders' first league championship in six seasons. But that one blemish on their league record came courtesy of Newbury Park, which heading into this season had not lost a league game until the 1998-99 season.

That game, a 56-55 loss Jan. 29, was perhaps Royal and Mittel's worst game of the season. The Highlanders committed 21 turnovers as Newbury Park unveiled a halfcourt trap it never had used against Royal. Mittel, the point guard, faced much of the pressure.

``She took it all on her shoulders and went into those traps, but the loss was my fault for not preparing her for that,'' Kohl said. ``No one has been able to press us for four years while Kinsley is bringing the ball up the court. But she learned from that game, and when Moorpark tried that same trap against us on Thursday, she broke it in two passes and we got a layup out of it.''

Even so, Royal had hoped to get a rematch with Newbury Park in the league title game. But the Panthers lost twice to Moorpark and fell into the third-place game against Simi Valley.

The loss to Newbury Park was disheartening, but Mittel did not crumble or pout. Instead she went on a tear, leading Royal to five consecutive victories, highlighted by her 26 points in the championship game.

``All of us were upset the next day at practice, but we knew we had to refocus and win the next game or we'd blow our shot at winning the league,'' said Mittel, who is averaging more than 22 points a game.

It was a mature response Kohl and Mittel's teammates say is typical of the senior.

``Kinsley is such a good role model for us because she's so down to earth,'' sophomore guard Kelly Winther said. ``If we're ever goofing around in practice or feeling sorry for ourselves, she's the one who gets us back in line. But she never has to raise her voice.''

That poise will be key to Royal's playoff chances this season. Last season, the Highlanders advanced to the Division I-A quarterfinals by beating regarded Bell Gardens - in a second-half comeback led by Mittel - and upsetting third-seeded San Bernardino in the second round at home.

This year, Royal received a favorable draw that could lead to a semifinal matchup with Hart of Newhall, the top-ranked team in the Daily News poll. The Highlanders open at home Saturday against the winner of a wild-card game between Littlerock and California.

Mittel committed to The Master's in January and accepted a scholarship because of her strong religious background and a desire to be close to her family.

``I got letters from other schools but never really talked to any coaches,'' Mittel said. ``Master's is a school where I think I can grow and learn more about God and grow closer to him.''

Kohl, though, said he gets calls from Division I schools asking about Mittel.

``She can play at a much higher level than The Master's because she's a Division I-caliber shooter, but I think she made a great choice, and Master's will be a great fit for her,'' Kohl said. ``I expect she's going to have a lot of success there.''

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Royal's Kinsley Mittel is averaging more than 22 points a game for the Highlanders,

Joel P. Lugavere/Special to the Daily News