Titans girls struggle in huge summer tournament

By: TOM SHANAHAN - For the North County Times | Thursday, July 19, 2007 11:45 PM PDT ∞

LA JOLLA ---- When the 352 teams came together for the 21st annual San Diego Classic, players competed in practice jerseys in various shades of bright-to-faded colors and with or without the usual school logos or markings.

But there was no mistaking Poway High's girls team when the Titans took the floor for the first day of games Thursday at UC San Diego's RIMAC Arena. The Titans wore dark green jerseys and shorts, with bold white letters that read P-O-W-A-Y.

Trouble was, Poway didn't look like the team that is projected to be a contender for Palomar League and CIF San Diego Section Division I titles in the 2007-08 season. The Titans played well only in spurts while losing to Pacific of Garden Grove 51-47.

"We stressed that the first game of this tournament is the most important game of the summer," Poway coach Jay Trousdale said. "If you win, you get on the winners' side of the bracket and you play all the good teams in pool play. I felt this team was capable of playing against the best teams, so I'm very disappointed."

The San Diego Classic bills itself as the largest high school girls basketball tournament in the nation among events featuring only high school teams. Teams are entered from throughout the West and as far away as Oak Harbor, Ohio.

Trousdale, embarking on his 21st season at Poway, has entered his club in the San Diego Classic most of those 21 years because he considers it a good test of competition.

"All summer we play to this tournament," he said. "I'll coach and allow playing time more like a regular-season game than any other time in the summer. The competition is good, and it's the last thing we do for the summer, so it's a 'Let's see where were at' tournament. When you add all that together, I'm big-time disappointed."

Vanessa Jamison, a senior returning All-Palomar League pick, led the Titans with 20 points, and sophomore Mariah Horvath added 19. But the Titans received only eight points from the rest of a team that was missing two of its regulars. Point guard Emily Lowe is injured, and forward Katie Holiday is out of town for a camp.

The tournament continues through Sunday at various sites around San Diego. Schedule information can be found at www.sandiegoclassic.com.

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