The 52-31 triumph over visiting Aptos on Feb. 22 was the Lady Firebirds' 20th victory of the season. And it came less than a week after they captured the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League El Camino Division championship, their first division crown since 1996.

But three nights later, in a quarterfinal game against No. 1 Archbishop Mitty, the eighth-seeded Firebirds were in over their heads. The Monarchs (26-2) easily advanced to the semifinal round, 72-33, while Fremont finished its season with a fine 20-10 record.

After going 11-1 in El Camino play, the Firebirds were sharp in their playoff opener against Aptos, outscoring the Mariners in every period. Fremont put the game out of reach with an 18-6 blitz in the fourth quarter.

Juniors Carol Hoang (16 points) and Alison Bushnell (15) paced Fremont's offense. Seniors Victoria Cunha (eight) and Marylin Avila (seven) provided scoring support. Marissa Cabana tallied four and Menna Araya had two. Bushnell hauled down 10 rebounds, and Avila grabbed nine. Amy Chwa did not score, but chipped in three assists and two steals.

Knights split

In Division V, The King's Academy experienced a similar fate as Fremont. The Knights, after walloping overmatched Anchorpoint 74-14 in the first round, were no match for No.1 Pinewood in the quarterfinals. A 79-40 defeat to the powerful Panthers made TKA's final record 12-16.

Blair Campisi's 14 points and Taylor Scott's 12 led the scoring against Anchorpoint. Kady Garcia and Nicole Morris both scored nine. Hannah Henderson and Nicole Decker tallied eight each, Jessica Butelo added seven, Kristen Butelo six and Lisa Walker three.