Victory Over Artesia Has Narbonne Smiling

Jamie Funn couldn’t remember the last time she and her teammates smiled so much.

After a brutal schedule in which Harbor City Narbonne lost three times and fell from No. 1 to No. 2 in The Times’ rankings, the Gauchos finally got a victory they needed to boost their morale, 65-39 over sixth-ranked Artesia in a nonleague game Saturday at Lynwood High.

“You see how happy we looked on the floor?” asked Funn, who shared scoring honors with teammate Willnett Crockett with 11 points. “Wins are wins, but I can’t tell you the last time we were that happy.”

Happiness comes easily when a team makes 27 of 61 field-goal attempts, including 10 of 12 in the third quarter to turn a 22-13 lead into a 47-21 blowout.

Narbonne stretched the lead to as many as 30 points in the fourth quarter as it improved to 10-3.

Artesia (7-3) played without one of its posts, Cacie Pope, who was suspended one game after being ejected from the Pioneers’ loss to Long Beach Poly.

Pope’s absence made it difficult for 6-foot-4 Lauren Ervin, who had eight points and nine rebounds.

Christian Jackson led Artesia with 10 points.

Lisa Willis had 10 points for Narbonne.