Crescenta Valley Chases Elusive Championship

LA CRESCENTA —  Where do Marc Ward and the Crescenta Valley High girls’ basketball team go from here? To their only remaining destination: a Southern Section championship game.

Ward, in his fifth season as coach, has transformed Crescenta Valley from a mediocre program into one of the region’s best. The Falcons, after winning only 56 games from 1978 to 1992, are 101-22 since Ward took over, winning three league titles and advancing as far as the quarterfinals three times.

Last season, the Falcons (28-2) advanced to their first semifinal during Ward’s tenure, a Division I-A matchup with perennial power Buena. However, the Bulldogs sent them home with a 78-50 score tattooed on their shorts.

This year, Crescenta Valley, led by junior forward Michelle Greco, Cal Hi Sports’ state freshman and sophomore player of the year, clearly is the favorite to hold off talent-rich Pasadena Muir and repeat as league champion.

But Ward is aiming even higher.

“I’m kind of predicting that we win the league,” Ward said. “We’re going to be pretty tough. But I’m tired of just rolling through the league and not being ready for the playoffs.”

Greco, who is averaging 21.8 points and leads the Falcons in nearly every offensive category, assuredly will be the focus of opposing defenses. But Crescenta Valley’s depth is most responsible for the team’s success.

The Falcons lost three-point specialist Amirah Leonard--co-player of the league with Greco last season--to graduation. But junior guard Tara Gregory has returned from a team that finished 10-0 in league last season and is complemented by several talented newcomers.

Crescenta Valley’s junior varsity was 20-0 last season, the freshman team 18-0. This season, eight players have scored in double figures for the Falcons, who are 12-2 entering Friday’s opener against Glendale.

“Everyone will say, ‘When Greco and Gregory graduate, you won’t be as good,’ ” Ward said. “But we’ll always be really competitive. I have my pick of [talented] players.”

Ward learned first hand the importance of building a program from the ground up while serving as an assistant to Coach Frank Scott at Morningside High from 1985-90.

With Ward pitching in, the Monarchs won four Southern Section Division I championships and two state titles. Ward became a head coach for the first time two years after moving to Crescenta Valley in 1990. He has no aspirations to coach a boys’ team and wants only to improve his record at his current post.

“I prefer to coach the girls game,” Ward said. “You need to teach fundamentals to win. With guys, you have to have great athletes to win.”

Muir appears to be the only team capable of challenging the Falcons for the league title. Despite the departure of all-league players Kyla Johnson and Shannon Lee, Muir (22-4 last season) has a nucleus of talented seniors.

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AT A GLANCE

* THE PROVEN: Junior forward Michelle Greco of Crescenta Valley, who is averaging 21.8 points, was Cal Hi Sports’ freshman and sophomore player of the year. Teammate Tara Gregory, who averaged 8.8 points and 4.8 assists last season, will play an increased role. Seniors Chevon Winters, Cherrell Bailey and Taiana Sanders of Muir, each all-league selections last season, should make the Mustangs legitimate contenders with Crescenta Valley. Glendale senior point guard Victoria Oganyan averaged 7.7 points last season.

* THE PROMISING: Freshman guard Sinnammon Garrett of Crescenta Valley is averaging eight points and six rebounds. Junior guard Alina Markari, was Glendale’s most valuable junior varsity player last season.

* FAST FACT: Glendale last won the league title in 1991.