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No. 7 Grizzlies overwhelm Chargers

Spring Valley girls basketball coach Billy Hemberger doesn’t like to alter his up-tempo style based on the opponent.

And with Clark missing three starters for Monday’s Division I-A Sunset League game, that played right into the Grizzlies’ game plan.

Freshman Kayla Harris had 24 points and six rebounds, and visiting Spring Valley forced 38 turnovers in a 72-24 victory over the Chargers.

Freshman Essence Booker added 12 points, 12 assists, seven steals and five rebounds for the seventh-ranked Grizzlies (10-0, 2-0 Sunset League).

“I’m a coach who believes if your team is good enough, you’re going to do what you do. You’re not going to change for anybody, and we walk into every game knowing exactly what our philosophy of basketball is,” Hemberger said.

Spring Valley never trailed and had nine of its 10 players score. Lynnae Wilds finished with seven points and eight rebounds for the Grizzlies, and teammate Myra Tadytin had seven points.

Clark (1-3, 1-1) was held without a field goal for the final 5:42 of the second quarter and went 0 for 5 from the floor in the fourth quarter. The Chargers missed 28 of their 34 shots overall.

Bobbi Floyd led Clark with nine points, while Shyanne Carter-Wade had seven points and nine rebounds for the Chargers, who were overwhelmed by Spring Valley’s full-court press without three of their best ballhandlers.

“We knew they struggled with pressure,” Hemberger said. “Teams have a tough time running with us, so we work on it hard. Our transition is a big thing. We want to get out and run.”

Spring Valley closed the second quarter on a 13-3 run and opened the second half on a 19-4 spurt capped by Harris’ three-point play. The game was played with a running clock for the final 6:45 after Booker went coast to coast for a layup that put the Grizzlies on top 64-23.

The Grizzlies, who went 1-24 last season, don’t play again until the Gator Winter Classic on Dec. 27.

“We’ve got the school behind us, and things are very exciting. We’re looking forward to winter break and working on things and then making that playoff push,” Hemberger said. “The sky’s the limit for them if they stay motivated. That’s the key. We’ve got to stay motivated and stay hungry. I’ve got a great group of girls who are students of the game.”

Contact reporter David Schoen at dschoen@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-5203. Follow him on Twitter: @DavidSchoenLVRJ.

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