Cranford's 34 sparks Williams past Princeton

Abby Cranford from Williams High is quickly establishing herself as one of the major offensive forces in girls basketball in the Northern Section. On Tuesday, the 5-foot, 4-inch junior point-guard cracked the 30-point plateau for the third time this season — scoring 34 — and the Yellowjackets needed every one of them as they held on for a 47-42 road win over Princeton. It was the second win in a row and second of the season for the Lady Yellowjackets.

As much a threat from the perimeter as she is when she drives the lane, Cranford dropped two from three-point range and was 4-of-10 from the line.

The Jackets opened up a 17-8 lead after one period of play, and led 24-18 at the break, with the Lady Eagles holding a one-point scoring advantage in the second half at 24-23.

Cynthia Pineda contributed eight points to Williams' victorious effort.

Proving that rebounding can be as much about positioning as it is about height and technique, Princeton's Kodi Gimblin nailed down a double-double by adding 10 rebounds to her team-leading 18 points. She also stole the ball six times. Carol Rodriguez poured in another 14 points for the Eagles, with Mindi Perez collecting 11 rebounds and scoring four points.

Williams upped its record to 2-7, and returns to the court Jan. 12 at Maxwell.

Princeton 36, Redding Adventist 33

Princeton was able to get away with turning the ball over 25 times Wednesday, using a 17-10 first-quarter scoring advantage to earn a victory over visiting Redding Adventist.

Carol Rodriguez led the way with 10 points for the Eagles, followed by Perez's nine, and six each by Gimblin and Gaby Rodriguez. Perez also patrolled the paint for 15 rebounds.

The Eagles (3-3) are in action in the weekend's Elk Creek Holiday Classic.