WALNUT CREEK – Absent their star player, Berean Christian simply had no chance against Ygnacio Valley. And the key Warrior girls all had strong games in a 73-31 rout of the Eagles on Tuesday night in Berean Christian.
By night’s end, Ygnacio Valley remained tied atop the Diablo Athletic League - Valley Division standings with Benicia, who defeated Mt. Diablo 53-40, and officially knocked Berean Christian out of the running as the Warriors swept the season series with the Eagles.
Freshmen Niamey Guillory and Darolonie Sykes scored 21 and 20 points, respectively, and Auxarine Beugre chipped in 13 points, 14 rebounds, and six steals for Ygnacio Valley (19-6, 7-2 DVAL). Faith O’Brien led Berean Christian (16-9, 6-3 DVAL) with 12 points, but Berean Christian sorely missed Macy Woodworth, who watched from the sidelines wearing a sling. The senior post leads the team in scoring (25.0), rebounding (10.1), blocks (4.6) and steals (3.4) per game in 23 contests.
“We were anticipating (Woodworth) playing,” Ygnacio Valley coach Rae Jackson, Sr., said. “I thought we could win it at the guards. I wasn’t expecting a large margin, but I was at least expecting double digits. (Guillory and Sykes) played exceptionally well.”
Ygnacio Valley had a modest 16-9 lead after the first quarter, and had doubled up the Eagles by halftime, 35-17, using a 12-2 run to end the second quarter that ignited a momentum that continued into the third.
Sykes’ great aunt, Mazzetta Garrett, played at Cal and is now a NCAA referee. As a Golden Bear, she set a record for career steals (eventually surpassed by Brittany Boyd), earned a conference Honorable Mention in 1983-84, and was part of several successful campaigns.
On Friday, the DAL-Valley teams conclude their regular season. Ygnacio Valley hosts Concord (the Warriors won the first match, 45-35), while Benicia plays at Benicia Christian (the Eagles won the previous head-to-head 56-50 on the strength of a 30-point performance by Woodworth).
