Team looks for another strong season
By Hector Trujillo
The Scripps Ranch High School womens basketball team entered the sixth annual Valley Brave Winter Classic at El Cajon Valley High School starting on Dec. 13 in hopes that this will serve as a springboard for another successful season.
The Lady Falcons will kick off the tournament versus Central Union High School from El Centro, followed by a meeting against Fallbrook High on Dec. 15 before taking on Santa Cruz High School on Dec. 17.
“I think this will be good competition for us,” said head coach Roger DiCarlo. “Right now, it’s about getting better every day and then the goals of CIF will come.”
Scripps Ranch opened the season with a dominating 67-38 victory over La Jolla High on Nov. 22 before dropping the next three games against Carlsbad High on Nov. 25, Mater Dei High on Nov. 26 and Oceanside High on Nov. 28, all of which also came in tournament play.
The Lady Falcons are led by seven seniors in the 13-player squad, including the talents of forwards Katrina Purcell and Avarie Bristow, who missed part of last season due to injury.
“We definitely have some talent, so it’s about putting in the right system that fits their level,” DiCarlo said. “I’m going to have a similar system in place, but I will adjust to the personnel we have here at Scripps Ranch.”
DiCarlo is in his first year as head coach at Scripps Ranch High, having most recently served as an assistant coach at Saint Joseph Academy for one year and having been the head coach at San Marcos High School for more than 20 years.
The Lady Falcons will kick off regular season play on Jan. 3 versus Mira Mesa High, and Morse High on Jan. 9 before starting a four-game homestand versus Hillcrest High on Jan. 10, Cathedral Catholic High on Jan. 13, Lincoln High School on Jan. 16 and Torrey Pines High on Jan. 19.
Scripps Ranch High finished as the top-seed in league play last season with a 7-1 record along with an impressive 18-8 record overall, which included a playoff victory over Olympian High before falling to Mater Dei High in the following round. The Lady Falcons close out the regular season at home versus Christian High on Feb. 10.