At the forefront of Fairmont Prep’s evolution from small-school power to Orange County force have been seniors Cierra Hall, Tristen Rollon and Christina Li.
The veteran trio helped capture the school’s first CIF-SS championship in 2015 and have played the Huskies into the Open Division in the two years since.
As much as the three seniors have done for the program’s growth, the torch will now have to be passed.
In struggling to connect consistently from the field and unable to effectively rebound against a taller team, the Huskies’ season came to an end on Wednesday night with a 65-53 loss to Lakeside of Lake Elsinore in a CIF Southern California Regional Division I game at Fairmont Prep High.
The Huskies finished the season with a 21-9 mark, while the Lancers (24-5) advanced to Saturday’s second round against Alemany.
“They shot the lights out and unfortunately we weren’t able to connect in our own gym which is not characteristic of us,” Huskies coach Dave Esparza said. “It wasn’t for lack of effort and it wasn’t for lack of execution. Our shots just didn’t fall.”
Hall finished with a team-high 21 points and grabbed 12 rebounds. Anjali Ghadi was the only other Fairmont player to score in double figures with 15.
Four Lakeside players finished in double-digits. Sophomore guard Jazlen Green scored 21 points, while 6-foot-4 center Emma Merriweather dominated the glass and accounted for 13 points.
The Huskies and Lancers were tied 15-15 after the first quarter, but a 10-0 run early in the second gave Lakeside a lead it never relinquished. Fairmont Prep shot just 2 of 17 from the field in the second quarter and could never cut its deficit to less than five points in the second half.
Rollon and Li combined for nine points.
“This senior class is the foundation of what we’ve had and what we’ll be able to continue to do,” Esparza said. “Tristen and Christina will graduate as four-time league champions and CIF champs. And Cierra is the best kid we’ve ever had. They’re all winner. They came to us as winners and left as champions.”
In Division II:
Orangewood Academy 44, Carson 25: The Spartans (20-9) held the Colts (18-11) scoreless in the first quarter and outscored them, 18-3, in the fourth to advance to Saturday’s second round. Orangewood senior guard Carolina Montes finished with a game-high 17 points. The top-seeded Spartans will host No. 8 Canyon of Canyon Country on Saturday.
Mater Dei 75, Eagle Rock 33: The Monarchs (21-8) cruised to a victory over the visiting Eagles (22-8). Mater Dei will host Huntington Beach in Saturday’s second round.
Huntington Beach 52, Poway 43: Seniors Frankie Wade-Sanchez and Kaylyn Nakaji combined for 42 point as the Oilers (23-8) set up a Saturday showdown with second-seeded Mater Dei. Wade-Sanchez finished with 24 points and Nakaji added 18.
In Division III:
Rosary 58, Venice 40: The top-seeded Royals (26-5) outscored the Gondoliers (20-10), 34-12, over the second and third quarters to set up a second-round game with Righetti of Santa Maria on Saturday. Junior center Rebekah Obinma tallied a game-high 23 points, while senior guard Alli Iannone finished with 11.
In Division V:
Crean Lutheran 61, Pacific Ridge 27: The Saints (19-11) held the Firebirds (10-15) to single-digit point totals in all four quarters. Senior center Kylie Needham and freshman guard Shannon O’Malley each scored 14 points for Crean Lutheran.
