Spring Valley girls roll to road victory over Bishop Gorman

Spring Valley senior co-star Kayla Harris was mired in foul trouble Thursday night, and watched from the sideline as her team tangled with Bishop Gorman.

But the Grizzlies didn’t crumble without her 3-point shooting and her defense. They succeeded without her.

And they’re still undefeated in Southwest League play.

Spring Valley star Essence Booker had 18 points and 12 rebounds, and the No. 2 Grizzlies’ girls basketbal team used a 10-0 third-quarter run to pull away from the Gaels and score a 59-45 road victory.

“We’ve got a deep team. We’ve got girls that are just ready,” Spring Valley coach Billy Hemberger said. “None of them look at it like ‘I’m a backup.’ They all roll in their role.”

Eight other players chipped in offensively for the Grizzlies (21-2, 8-0 Southwest League), who struggled to score against Gorman’s 2-3 zone in the first half and led 26-20 at the break despite three fouls and limited production from Harris.

Backup guard Deja McDonald started the second half in her place and sandwiched a pair of baskets around an assist to trigger the third-quarter run.

Hemberger employed different zone and man-to-man defensive looks to slow the Gaels (7-14, 4-3), and the Grizzlies led by double figures for most of the second half.

“(Switching defenses) really helped a lot,” said Spring Valley forward Alexus Quaadman, who finished with eight points, 14 rebounds and four blocks.

Kiana Turenne added nine points for Spring Valley, and Harris finished with seven points in limited playing time.

Shaira Young scored 16 points to lead Gorman.

Contact reporter Sam Gordon at sgordon@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BySamGordon on Twitter.