Sports
Former Friends
Lighthouse qualified for State playoffs with a good run in its league. A former friend sank them.
By Michael Ashcraft --
The friendship is off.
University High volleyball star Naryah Burton buried Lighthouse's shot at State playoffs. The junior exploited her intimate knowledge of the playing skills of Lighthouse's four stars against them. She had played with them as a club teammate.
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The Wildcats tore open the Saints 25-22, 25-12 and 25-20.
Hmf. What kind of friendship is treachery?
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"It was very bittersweet. I played with them for a year in club," Naryah says, feeling sorry for her friends but happy with her own performance. "I know how they play, so I kind of used that to my advantage. I didn't want to beat them bad."
Allie Scribner, Roxy Photenhauer, Clara Czer and Dahlia Gonzalez went home with no spoils.
Like a spy embedded deep in enemy territory, Naryah utilized espionage of her adversaries' (former friends') strengths, weaknesses, strategies, emotional resilience -- everything.
It was a hacker's haul, like the time when North Korea breached the Pentagon's computers and downloaded top secret military plans of South Korea and the United States against it.
Dirty and devastating.
But as Coach Jessica Scribner points out, not all the blame can be pinned on enemy reconnaissance. As not all the blame can be assigned to notably taller players.
Lighthouse Christian Academy of Santa Monica entered the Uni High gym with saucer eyes -- like country girls visiting Chicago for the first time and gazing upwards amazed at the skyscrapers. It's been 10 years since Lighthouse has advanced to semi finals in playoffs.
"We could've done it," Jessica says. "I think we could've at least fought harder than they did. They're not sweating. Sure, we started a little slow. They were so wanting to do good that they didn't actually do it. They didn't get down and dirty. Some of them were sweating, but I didn't see them fighting for it like they normally do. I think some of them were a little lazy."
Not all was bad. Frida Macías played at a higher-than-normal level. Rally Allie never gave up. Her push in the third game raised the Saints from losing 17-9 to nearly come-from-behind win of 17-17.
Roxy wreaked havoc upon the Wildcats in Game 1 and 2 with difficult serves.
"She was an amazing player," says Uni Coach Emilio Alvarado. "We couldn't read the ball coming out of her hand and it had so much movement. We couldn't get it under control."
In Game 3, Wildcats concentrated and fared better with Roxy serves.
But Lighthouse needed more.
Without it, the insider trading knowledge that Naryah passed on to her teammates meant they made bank.
Not fair.
Now Naryah's only hope is that her Saints friends dig deep into their Christian hearts and find the grace to forgive her.
As soon as the sting wears off.
Note to Naryah: This is all facetious hyperbole. Of course your friends are still your friends.
Read about LCA's other games:
Claramente
Thou Shalt Know the Wrath of Dahlia
She Flies like a Butterfly and Stings like a Bee
Should that be illegal, like doping?
She's Pho Real
Poker Face
War of the Battleships
Four more inches, please
God save the Queen!
Is Tuesday the 13th a Thing?
Zeus Showed Up
Michael Ashcraft teaches journalism at the Lighthouse Christian Academy of Santa Monica.
