El Camino Real girls basketball too strong for Garfield in Division III regional semifinals

WOODLAND HILLS — The El Camino Real girls basketball team relied on its defensive intensity and adjustments to produce its biggest win of the season Saturday.

The Royals advanced to the CIF Southern California Regional Division III final by beating visiting Garfield 64-47 in the regional semifinals Saturday.

After building a lead in the first quarter, El Camino Real (16-14) stumbled into a back-and-forth game before bulldozing ahead in the second half.

The Royals held the Bulldogs without a point for the first five minutes of each quarter in the second half.

“My focus is always defensive intensity, and that’s how we win basketball games,” said Royals coach Mia Moore. “The less they score, the better for us. So we just want to focus in on defense and capitalize on our opportunities with our size and that’s what we did.”

El Camino senior Laila Bowens led all players with five steals, which helped fuel her game-high 25 points.

Bowens went into halftime with eight points before dominating in the second half. She didn’t force shots, and was able to find easy buckets.

“I love steals so I just look wherever the ball is,” Bowens said, “and I just try my best to get the ball and do everything I can to help my team.”

El Camino takes on Palisades on Tuesday at 7 p.m. in the Division III regional final. Palisades defeated El Camino Real in the CIF LA City Open playoffs, 58-47.

Garfield (22-6) has solid size but struggled on the interior against El Camino center Taryn Watrin, who collected 20 rebounds and added eight points.

The Royals were playing well in the third quarter but suffered a tough blow when forward Amirah Smith went down with a knee injury. Smith was vital on both sides of the court, as she totaled nine points, three boards, three steals and a block before exiting.

The injury left Moore with just one player on the bench.

El Camino Real guard Sophie Levy-Wright checked into the game and immediately hit a huge 3-pointer that reignited the Royals. The junior’s play helped spark a 15-4 run for El Camino Real.

“Sophie actually just started playing basketball two years ago, Moore said, “and her development has been immense. This is my first year here with her, and her growth has really shown. She’s a great defender for us.”

Levy-Wright finished with 10 points and three rebounds.

El Camino Real might be without Smith for the regional championship game, but Moore thought her team showed grit in the way it finished the game Saturday without her.

“A big part of that comes down to the culture,“ Moore said. “You build a culture where that next number up, next player up. We’re playing a ‘we over me,’ type of basketball. And with that comes being ready when you can, and just cheering your teammates on if you’re not the one that’s in the game. It’s always going to be a team win, there’s never just one person and that’s how we’ve been making this playoff run.”

Garfield was in it the contest until the final buzzer. Impressive play from the Bulldogs backcourt carried the team throughout the battle.

Senior Jada Barnes led Garfield with 18 points and tallied four assists, seven rebounds and three steals.

El Camino Real has won six of its last seven games. With a victory in the regional final against Palisades, El Camino Real would be headed to the state championships in Sacramento on March 14-15.

The Royals are looking forward to the matchup.

“I believe we are (playing our best basketball), and we’re only going to better from here,” Bowens said. “Our goal is to win state. We’re just doing everything we can. Every practice, we’re taking advantage and we just want our season to continue.”