Ellenberg, Gaels run past Green Valley girls

In the eyes of Green Valley girls basketball coach Lorenzo Jarvis, Thursday’s matchup between the No. 3 Gators and host Bishop Gorman came down to tempo.

The top-ranked Gaels controlled it. And Green Valley didn’t.

“If you’ve watched us play this year, there’s a certain way Green Valley plays,” Jarvis said. “We get up and down and control the tempo. And I thought we let them set the pace.”

Three-time defending Class 4A champion Gorman used two big scoring runs on either side of halftime and beat the Gators at their own game in a 75-43 nonleague victory.

“Our goal was to take them out from the tip,” Gaels coach Sheryl Krmpotich said. “We wanted to take them out of the flow of what they like to do, which is run and shoot and drive. ... It was good to see how we adapted to a team that is pretty tall, athletic and had skill.”

Junior guard Aaryn Ellenberg scored a game-high 22 points for Gorman (2-0) and spearheaded its defensive effort with her play on the perimeter. The Gaels forced Green Valley (6-2) into 21 turnovers and 16-for-48 shooting from the floor.

“Last game we didn’t hustle as much, and we knew we had to pick up the intensity,” Ellenberg said. “We were scrappy and got all over the place.”

Green Valley’s Jazmine Jarvis hit for two of her team-high 16 points to cut the Gaels’ lead to 20-15 before Gorman went on a 14-2 burst. Dannielle Diamant started the run, and Ellenberg capped it after a nifty give-and-go on a fast break with Mackenzie Butler as Gorman eventually took a 34-21 lead into halftime.

The Gaels had three steals — two by Ellenberg — during the run and turned them into six points.

“They had a game plan, and we allowed their game plan to change our philosophy and the way we play,” said Jarvis, who saw 6-foot-2-inch senior center Vajae Robinson saddled with early foul trouble. “Our decision process wasn’t the best tonight, but we’ll be fine.”

Sarah Pickus had 13 points and Aja Flippen seven rebounds for Green Valley.

“We wanted to make a point,” Ellenberg said. “Most people think we’re not going to be very good. We wanted to establish from the beginning that we’re going to be the best.”