Girls Basketball: Verduzco leads Reavis over Queen of Peace

Updated: December 12, 2011 9:46PM

Making the varsity team as a sophomore, Stephanie Verduzco has been a fixture in the Reavis starting lineup this season, averaging a team-high 13 points.

That is until Monday at least.

“My undershirt wasn’t the same color as my jersey,” Verduzco said with a laugh.

Missing the opening minutes of the nonconference game with Queen of Peace, Verduzco returned and powered the Rams to a 46-31 win for the Battle of Burbank.

She finished with 18 points and 14 rebounds.

“(On the varsity) I just have to push myself a little more to improve and play at a higher level,” Verduzco said. “I’m doing good, but I can always do better.”

Yasmine Ballout added 10 points with Donna Mierwa and Chanel Koepke scoring eight apiece for Reavis (4-5).

“(The rivalry) is always a fun game because you never know what will show up,” Reavis coach Maggie Miskowicz said. “Our kids played with a lot of heart offensively and defensively, and that’s what you love to see as a coach.”

Forced to the bench while she found a white undershirt, Verduzco made her presence felt right away upon entering the game, scoring four baskets as part of a 9-0 Reavis run that put the Rams up 11-2. Queen of Peace trailed by as many as 16 points at 27-11 late in the third but never went quietly.

Hannah Lipman single-handedly kept the Pride (2-9) in the game with 11 second half points. Allison Janozik’s three-pointer cut the deficit to 10 points at 37-27 in the fourth, but Ballout answered with a baseline jumper for Reavis.

Lipman finished with 18 points and 13 rebounds.

Trying to build a consistent winner, Queen of Peace coach Mike Valente is focusing on the basics.

“It’s all about the fundamentals right now,” Valente said. “We’re getting good looks. It’s getting the girls comfortable from practice to the game. We do have glimpses. It’s just sustaining it.”

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