Elk Grove High School
Lady Herd Basketball
Elk Grove, California
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Elk Grove High School
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In the News
2008-2009
Published: Tuesday, January 27, 2009 11:40 AM PST Lady Herd falls short in comeback bid Without Khlok, Kennedy relies on inside play By John Hull - Citizen Sports Writer
They faced one of the best teams in the area, Kennedy, at Cartwright Gym last Friday and gave it a good effort but couldn't keep up with the Lady Cougars' shooters and dropped a 49-43 decision. "Those girls are 15th in the state. They are well-coached, well-rounded," Lady Herd coach Amanda Buck said of Kennedy. The Lady Cougars are playing without arguably their top player, Melody Khlok, for perhaps the rest of the season. The 5-foot-10 forward broke her hand in a 51-42 loss to St. Francis in the Hoops Classic 2009 on Jan. 19. Friday, Kennedy head coach Brandon Yung spread the wealth offensively with virtually every player on the roster scoring points, no one more than 10, and used the inside play of center Shanice Butler to keep Elk Grove off the boards. "She's really tough," Buck said of the 6-foot center. "I don't think we did the best job (defending Butler). We wanted to key on her. She's averaging eight offensive rebounds a game and we challenged our posts tonight to box her out. 'I don't care if you get a rebound, just don't let her get a rebound.' I don't think we executed that enough throughout the whole game, especially in the first half." Behind Butler's inside putbacks and sharp outside shooting by Leslie Leong and Cydni Matsuoka, Kennedy ran out to a 17-9 first-quarter lead. A pair of threes by Kirsten Shimizu gave the Lady Cougars their largest lead of the game, 27-11, midway through the second quarter. Yung said that run in the second stanza was the difference in the game. "We got consecutive defensive stops, worked hard on rebounding, then got out and beat people down the floor," he said. Elk Grove basically didn't recover, but did outscore the Lady Cougars 16-8 in the fourth quarter to make things interesting. "We did tighten things down on (Butler) and got within seven at the end but she got some key offensive rebounds and put them back up (in the fourth quarter)," Buck said. Yung, who admits he likes to distribute the scoring amongst all the players, said he wasn't pleased with his team's second-half offense. "I thought we got spotty in the second half," he said. "We weren't necessarily being deliberate about the shots we were getting." Butler and Deja Kinsey led the Lady Cougars with 10 points each. Point guard Samantha Schuring led Elk Grove with 16, including a three-pointer with 15 second left in the game that brought the Lady Herd to within five points. Kennedy, the defending Division I section champions, have now won 10 of their past 11 games. The Lady Cougars are 4-0 in the Delta Valley Conference and are tied with Davis for first place. Kennedy is 12-6 overall, but most of those losses came in December against top-flight competition around the state. "We played that kind of schedule early to get us prepared, tested, hopefully to show us some of our flaws early so that we can fix it as we move towards playoffs," Yung said. Davis and Kennedy faced off for the first time last night for sole possession of first place. They will meet again in the season finale. The loss put Elk Grove at 1-3 in the DVC, good for third place in the standings. But, Buck said she's confident they'll do much better this week when they faced Valley last night and have a rematch Friday against Franklin. "We lost to them in triple-overtime and I think we'll do much better," she commented about the previous Franklin meeting. "I think we're getting better." At least that seemed to be the case. Elk Grove Citizen Published: Thursday, January 15, 2009 5:59 PM PST Franklin survives triple-OT thriller By Jon Gudel - Sports Editor The transition to a new coach had been smooth for the Franklin High School varsity girls basketball team through summer and the first week of the regular season. That was until a season-ending injury has not only dampened the program's best start in school history, but also might put a kink into their plans of reaching the Sac-Joaquin Section Division I playoffs for the first time. At least that seemed to be the case.
She will miss the rest of the season after having surgery last Monday. Manlangit led the varsity team in scoring last season at 16.1 points per game. She was averaging 10.5 when she stepped awkwardly in the first game of the Woodland-hosted Lady Wolves Classic in mid-December and fell to the floor in pain. Manlangit sat on the Franklin bench, with her crutches behind her chair, in last Tuesday's Delta Valley Conference opener and witnessed the varsity team's first-ever win over Elk Grove. Franklin, which had never won more than 10 games before this season, snapped a nine-game losing streak to the Lady Herd with a thrilling triple-overtime win, 52-48, at Cartwright Gymnasium. "This is our seventh year and this is the first time we beat Elk Grove," said Franklin head coach Robert Johnson, the school's former junior varsity coach who replaced Kay Parsons on interim basis. "I told them if this doesn't get us ready for Kennedy, I don't know what will." Franklin hosts perennial section contender Kennedy tonight in the first of two meetings. Before that, the Lady Wildcats had to dodge chances at the end of regulation and the second overtime for Elk Grove to extend its win streak over Franklin to 10 straight. Elk Grove's Natali Robards tied the score at 39 on a jumper late in regulation and, after Franklin's Gena Johnson missed two free throws with 11.2 seconds left, Samantha Schuring had a chance to win the game in regulation but hit the side of the backboard on a baseline jumper as time expired. "They played great," said Elk Grove first-year coach Amanda Buck of her team. "We should've closed it out at the end." Both teams scored just two points in the first three minutes of the initial overtime. Elk Grove missed two layups on the same possession with one minute left, allowing Franklin to eventually gain a 43-41 lead on Atalah Foster's offensive rebound and putback. Schuring's layup tied the game at 41 with 14 seconds left, and Johnson missed a runner in the lane to force a second overtime. Johnson, who missed four consecutive free throws late in the fourth quarter, split a pair with 16 seconds left in double overtime to tie the score at 46. Elk Grove added to its late-game misery by missing three of four free throws in the final two minutes and Ginelle Esperanza missed a jumper at the buzzer. It wasn't until Franklin had none of its top three scorers available late in the third overtime that they finally overcame a seemingly uphill climb the entire game. With Manlangit injured and Foster fouling out with 2:16 left in the second overtime, Johnson slowly walked off the floor after suffering leg cramps as she was fouled with less than two minutes left. Monalisa Santos replaced Johnson at the line and made one of two free throws to cut Franklin's deficit to 48-47. Evyn Gholson's two free throws regained the lead at 49-48 with 1:16 left, followed by Quinnine's rebound and putback for a three-point lead. Elk Grove was unable to respond as Chelsea Suitos missed a three-pointer and Schuring missed a layup with 9.1 left. Gholson was fouled and made one free throw to seal the win. "We did a great job of executing our game plan," said Buck. "Second-chance points for Franklin is what killed us." Manlangit's injury is the latest in a flurry of additions and subtractions to the Franklin program. Manlangit had formed one of the league's most feared combinations with the addition of Johnson, a Laguna Creek transfer, in the offseason. Johnson was the DVC's leading scorer last December before she tore her ACL in a preseason tournament and missed the rest of the season. Before Johnson's arrival, Parsons had decided to take a leave of absence and Robert Johnson was subsequently promoted from the JV team. Parsons is expected to return as coach next season. Despite the changes, Franklin is considered a legitimate playoff and league contender. "That's the way it's been all season. We've had girls step up all season," said Robert Johnson, no relation to Gena. "When Kim got hurt, other players have had to step it up. The same with tonight (last Tuesday)." While Franklin is adapting to its recent roster moves, Elk Grove is still trying to adjust to a new coach and offensive style. Buck has devised a plan to play a more inside brand of basketball, even with her guards posting down low. Referred to as "power basketball," Buck has avoided an outside approach because of the team's lack of consistent perimeter shooters. Elk Grove, which had lost four of its last six games, reverted back to its common motion style against Franklin. It worked, at times. The Lady Herd scored more points in the first quarter than the entire first half of a home loss to Pleasant Grove a week earlier. That offense fizzled in the second and fourth quarters against Franklin when they combined for just eight points. "We're trying to build on each week and see what happens," said Buck. "We'll just go with what works that week." Elk Grove Citizen Published: Thursday, January 8, 2009 4:14 PM PST PG rides defense to road win By Jon Gudel - Sports Editor Basketball is said to be a simple game: just put the ball in the basket. Tell that to the Elk Grove High School and Pleasant Grove varsity girls' basketball teams. Both averaged 42 points per game entering last Tuesday's non-conference meeting at Elk Grove's Cartwright Gymnasium. Neither hit that mark. But Pleasant Grove did execute enough offensively in the fourth quarter to seal one of the program's biggest wins in school history, a 37-29 victory at Elk Grove.
It was the second win in 48 hours for Pleasant Grove and inched them closer to the .500 mark. Pleasant Grove, which improved to 7-8 overall and has two more road games - including last night at Bear Creek - before opening Delta River League play against Florin on Jan. 20, failed to score more than 44 points for the fourth consecutive game. Even so, Pleasant Grove is 3-1 in those four games. "We picked up on our defense," said McKeever, as Pleasant Grove outscored Elk Grove 13-8 in the fourth quarter and led by as many as 11 points. "We've really played good defense all season. We try not to let them score that much so we don't have to score that much." Playing just 24 hours after a 35-28 win over Center, Pleasant Grove notched its first road win of the season in a venue typically uncomfortable for opposing teams, especially for a youthful roster that has just three seniors. McKeever has also had to deal with injuries in the preseason. One of those seniors, Cassandra Williams, along with freshman Marissa Wimbley, recently returned after missing five games apiece. Sophomore guard Carrie Adams is expected to miss the rest of the season with a stress fracture in her foot. "Pleasant Grove played great," said first-year Elk Grove coach Amanda Buck, who replaced Brian Benson in the offseason. "They were hitting their outside shots, their post play was good.
Elk Grove, which has lost four of its last five games and is now 6-8 overall, has not reached the 50-point plateau since a season-opening 59-46 win over San Luis Obispo at the Elk Grove-hosted Bill Cartwright Classic. The Lady Herd averaged 35 points per game in three previous games prior to Pleasant Grove. Starting point guard Samantha Schuring, the team's leading scorer at 12.2 points per game, returned to the lineup after missing four games while on a family vacation. Her return failed to spark the offense. The Lady Herd scored only two points in the initial six minutes of the first quarter, and totaled only six in that quarter. It didn't get much better from there. Elk Grove scored seven in the second, and eight in the third and fourth quarters. Buck pointed to the team's offensive inconsistencies for the recent struggles. "Some days our post will do well and our guards struggle, and other games our guards do well and then our post struggles," she said. "Right now it's whichever is doing well we're going with it. It's frustrating because we're getting good shots and we're just missing them." While the offense has been sluggish through the first month of the season, Elk Grove's defense has yielded just 38 points per game. Pleasant Grove scored one point below that average, yet won by eight. Elk Grove is in the midst of a three-game homestand. They will host Monterey Trail tonight in the preseason finale and Franklin in Tuesday's Delta Valley Conference opener. "Our defense is playing good," said Buck. "We're holding teams below 40 points. If we can get our offense in syn...we just need to be more consistent. We're not being aggressive, we're not getting to the foul line." Buck estimated her team attempted only five outside shots of the team's 47 total. Elk Grove is developing what Buck described as "power basketball," where even her guards are posting in the paint or near the baseline. So far nothing has worked offensively. As the frustrations mount for Elk Grove, McKeever is hoping his team can reach the .500 mark and beyond before Pleasant Grove initiates the DRL schedule. The Lady Eagles could get to 9-8 by winning the next two games prior to the league opener. "Right now we're 7-8 and we're trying to get to .500 and then get into the positives from there," said McKeever. A road win at Elk Grove was the ideal start for that quest. Elk Grove Citizen Published: Wednesday, December 10, 2008 11:41 AM PST Girls reach final, lose to Lincoln By Bill Poindexter - Citizen Sports Writer Amanda Buck liked what she saw from her Elk Grove High School girls basketball team last weekend. The Thundering Herd moved into the championship game of the Cartwright Classic with two double-digit victories, and that 55-39 loss to Lincoln of Stockton on Saturday in the final? Well, the Delta Valley Conference won't be a walk in the park either.
Elk Grove performed well defensively in wins over San Luis Obispo (59-46) and Napa (46-25), particularly guards Samantha Schuring, Chelsea Suitos and Lauren Chetner, according to Buck. "They got after it early. That set the tone for all three games," she said. "We pressured the ball really well." Schuring, a senior, capped an impressive tournament with a game-high 18 points against Lincoln, including 10 of Elk Grove's 12 in the first quarter and a three-pointer from the top of the key at the halftime buzzer to keep the Herd within 29-25. Schuring totaled 44 points in three games and was named all-tournament. She was the only Herd player to average in double figures, an area the team will focus on when it tips off against Bakersfield today in the San Luis Obispo/Morro Bay Tournament. "We need another offensive threat," Buck said. Suitos, a junior, scored 10 each in the first two games but was limited to three on 1-of-6 shooting against Lincoln. "She didn't have it (Saturday), which is going to happen, but nobody was there to pick her up," Buck said. "Our post game is non-existent. We're relying too much on our guards."
One day after grabbing 18 offensive rebounds - and 30 total - against Napa, the Herd was outrebounded by Lincoln 28-20. The Trojans offset a 4-of-18 effort on three-point tries by hitting 18 of 30 inside the arc, including several baskets inside. Elk Grove trailed 34-31 after Schuring recorded her fourth assist by finding all-tournament selection Natali Robards open underneath for an easy basket with 4:04 left in the third quarter. It ended there. Lincoln sophomore Alexus Green-Tillman hit back-to-back three-pointers to finish the quarter, then tournament MVP Nyre Harris, a freshman, scored six consecutive points as Lincoln pulled away to a 49-33 lead in the fourth. Elk Grove committed four turnovers during the 8-0 run. The Trojans swarmed the Herd on defense, picking at the ball and going for steals, and Elk Grove committed 22 turnovers. The Herd shot 40 percent against Lincoln. "This was a great test. This is what Kennedy is going to be like and Franklin, just like Lincoln," Buck said of DVC play. "We have to realize we aren't always the quicker team." . . . Elk Grove Citizen Published: Thursday, August 28, 2008 3:11 PM PDT Elk Grove hires familiar face for girls hoops By John Hull - Citizen Sports Writer Last week, Elk Grove High School officially hired Amanda Fitzgerald as its new girls' varsity basketball coach. With that move, something quite unique happened. When Fitzgerald accepted the offer to coach at her alma mater it was as if Bill Cartwright was hired to coach boys' basketball or Lance Briggs to coach football or Stephanie Lopez, now Stephanie Cox, to coach girls' soccer or Buck Martinez to coach baseball for the Thundering Herd. Fitzgerald is arguably the best girls' basketball player to ever wear the navy and gold and she has to be placed in the list of one of the finest female athletes to recently graduate from Elk Grove, which would include Cox, Jenna Alexander, Jennifer Enos and Allie Crump. She has seven school records in basketball. She's the all-time leading scorer at EGHS and holds three free throw and three assists records as well. Fitzgerald was on the All-Metro first team in 2000, her senior year, and was a two-time All-Delta League team selection. She was honored as the Delta League's player of the year in 2000. Add to that impressive resume the fact that Fitzgerald was equally talented at softball, too. She was on the Delta League's first team both her junior and senior years and was also a first teamer on the All-Metro team. She won the Golden Glove award four times in softball. Fitzgerald earned an athletic scholarship to play basketball at Cal State-San Bernardino and started there her last three seasons. She returned to Elk Grove to assist Brian Benson in basketball and Jeff Alexander in softball, but was an obvious selection to replace Benson when he resigned at the end of the playoffs this past winter. "I am very excited to have this opportunity to coach at the high school that did so much for me," Fitzgerald said. "I want to thank all the parents that have given me their support in taking over this great program. I also want to thank Brian who is still helping me adjust to all this. He has been great. I look forward to a great season and can't wait to get started." Something else happened in Fitzgerald's life during the month of August. She became Mrs. Zachary Buck on Aug. 2. "We met about 4 years ago through a friend in college," she said. "He is actually from Oklahoma." But he's willing to trade an "OU" hat for an "EG" one. The newlyweds are making Elk Grove their home. Zach is an assistant manager at Wal-Mart, and Amanda has prepared for what she hopes will be the continuation of a solid girls' basketball program. "I already believe we are one of the best programs around," she said. "I will just continue to do my best in keeping the tradition we have here. I plan on working my girls very hard and demanding they give me their best effort everyday we are together. If they do this I know each and everyone of them will get better." So, call her "Mrs. Buck" when she's teaching Physical Education (she's the department chairperson) and "Coach Buck" when she's on the hardcourt of the Cartwright Gym. She says on the floor the Lady Herd won't look much different. "We are putting in a new system that involves attacking the basketball a bit more. Defensively you will see us getting after it a bit more and maybe even some full court D when the time is right," she said. Elk Grove loses only four-year starter Kara Boyles this winter and returns a solid core of players. "Sam Schuring is going to have a huge role this year," Buck said. "She had a great summer and really improved her game, as did Mariah Bruce, Megan Rodriguez, Sam and Ginelle Esperanza, Kelly Wallace and Janelle Wisdom. I also have my JV MVP Lauren Chetner, who will see some minutes, and with the help of Natalie Robards, we will be able to compete with anyone." And, Buck will continue to assist Alexander with varsity softball. "Yes, I plan to still be out there as much as I can," she said. "I really enjoy coaching with Jeff and John (Baker) and enjoy being out there with the girls." She's hoping that some of her own personal success at Elk Grove will rub off on her players as well. "I want my players to work harder than any other team out there," she said. "I want them to know that you will be respected if you always work and play as hard as you possibly can."
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