Girls Basketball: Castro Valley Falls to James Logan

James Logan 58, Castro Valley 50

The Star: Castro Valley's Arianna Posey, who scored a team-high 14 points.

The Turning Point: When James Logan went on a 7-0 run in the fourth, it turned a one-point Castro Valley deficit into an eight-point deficit with 3:13 left in the game.

The Quote: "We just killed ourselves," Castro Valley coach Jim Lemmon said.

What's next? Castro Valley plays at Mission San Jose on Thursday at 6:30 p.m.

Bottom Line: The Trojans missed too many open layups and turned the ball over in key situations.

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girls basketball coach Jim Lemmon doesn't shy away from any opponent. His goal each year is to play some of the North Coast Section's tougher Division I teams.

So, sometimes you're going to suffer a loss as opposed to a win against a more feeble opponent.

That's what happened Tuesday in a non-league game against visiting James Logan. The Trojans lost 58-50.

"It makes you better as the season goes on," Lemmon said of playing Division I teams. "Even if you have to sacrifice your record, it's better in the long run."

That theory held true in last year's run through the postseason. The Trojans, as the No. 14 seed in the NCS Division I playoffs, advanced to the semifinals with a pair of upset victories.

"I think last year our record before (Hayward Area Athletic League) was around .500 and that's fine, it made us better as the season went on," Lemmon said.

The Trojans recently won the San Ramon Valley Classic with wins over College Park and San Ramon Valley. Jazel Talauta was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player.

They also have a win over Foothill.

But losses to Dougherty Valley and Campolindo — two of the section's best teams — and now Logan, drops Castro Valley's record to 3-3.

Arianna Posey scored a team-high 14 points. Teammate Elena Ala added nine and Talauta poured in eight.

It wouldn't be enough in a back-and-forth battle against the Mission Valley Athletic League's Logan.

Castro Valley found itself down 12-4 early in the game after a Logan 8-0 run. A 7-4 run gave the Colts a 16-11 lead after the first quarter.

"We just keep getting off to slow starts," Lemmon said. "We seem to fall down 10-12 points every time."

The Trojans closed to within 30-26 at the half after closing out the second with four straight points.

Castro Valley took a 32-30 lead with 5:40 left on a give-and-go layup by Talauta.

The third ended with a 3-pointer by Michelle Miyamoto that tied the game at 41-41.

But what did the Trojans in was a 7-0 Logan run in the fourth quarter that put Castro Valley down 53-45 with 3:03 left in the game.

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James Logan 58, Castro Valley 50

Logan (4-0)                16 14 11 17 – 58

Castro Valley (3-3)   11 15 15  9 – 50

INDIVIDUALS

Logan (fg ftm-fta tp) – Icban 1 0-0 2, De Leon 3 1-2 10, Salom 3 2-2 8, Reed 5 0-0 10, Correia 6 2-3 16, Tahaafe 4 2-2 10, Ioramo 1 0-0 2. Totals 23 7-9 58.

Castro Valley – Miyamoto 3 0-0 8, Talauta 3 2-2 8, Powey 6 2-5 14, Ala 3 2-4 9, Matsui 1 0-0 2, Bell 1 0-0 2, Appleby 3 0-0 7. Totals 20 6-11 50.

3-point goals: Logan 5 (De Leon 3, Correia 2); Castro Valley 4 (Miyamoto 2, Ala, Appleby). Fouled out: None.