What a Trip: Agoura's Mahlknecht Gets a Triple Double in Girls Hoops Win

Camille Mahlknecht had always wanted to do it, and on Wednesday she finally recorded a triple double.

The Agoura High girls basketball standout scored 14 points with 10 rebounds and 11 blocked shots in a 41-32 win over Thousand Oaks in a Marmonte League game.

Mahlknecht , a 6-foot-2 senior, was at her best in the fourth quarter when it counted, and it's especially impressive to record a triple double on a night when your team scores just 41 points and even more impression when one of the categories is blocked shots. Who does that? She even blocked three shots on one Thousand Oaks possession.

"I was just trying to do what's best for my team," Mahlknecht said. "We were getting in some offensive ruts. Some of our shooters haven't hit their stride yet. So I was trying to do what I can. I'm pretty excited. It's been a goal of mine to try and do that."

Mahlknecht had help from her teammates. Kylie Cunningham also had impressive stats: 11 points, six assists, six steals and six rebounds. Noam Leead had nine points and nine rebounds. And Alyssa Kogel chipped in seven points.

After Thousand Oaks (6-4, 1-1) closed out the third quarter on a 9-2 run to build a 28-26 lead, Agoura's defense took over, holding the Lancers scoreless in the first 6:02 of the fourth quarter.

The Chargers (5-1, 2-0) went on an 11-0 run during that time as Kogel, a junior guard, scored five and Mahiknecht added four to give Agoura a 37-28 lead.

Finally, with 1:58 left in the game, Jessi Sager (six points, five rebounds) ended Thousand Oaks' drought with a field goal. But the Lancers only scored two more points.

"We didn't execute our open shots and we didn't make our free throws" Thousand Oaks coach Rick Cromwell said. "And that's the big difference in the game."

Thousand Oaks shot only 23 percent from the floor (13-57) and 25 percent from the free throw line (3-12).

"Of course having our best player (Kendall Frisoli) go down with an ankle injury when it's a close game in the fourth quarter doesn't help either," said Cromwell.

Frisoli, a sophomore guard who had nine points, six rebounds and two steals, had to be carried off the court after injuring an ankle early in the fourth quarter.

Kara Kelly, a senior center, pulled down 10 rebounds and had four steals for Thousand Oaks. And Katherine Reaves had seven points and four boards. But Mahiknecht proved too formidable inside.

"She's tough," said Cromwell. "Playing her man-to-man down low in the post, she's a little bit too big for us."

Agoura coach Steve Scifres also said he thought his team could play better offensively.

"We need to find a little bit better rhythm on offense," he said. "But credit Thousand Oaks for taking us out of that rhythm."

But because the Chargers, who didn't lose a game until the CIF finals last year, lost six players off last year's squad, Scifres knows there will be some growing pains as the younger Charger players gain experience.

"I don't think we played our best game," he said. "But defense and rebounding wins championships. And we were able to do that. When it really mattered most, I think we really buckled down on defense."