January 1, 2013 > Lady Cougars Capture Newark Optimist Club Holiday Classic Lady Cougars Capture Newark Optimist Club Holiday Classic Submitted By Coach Darryl Reina The Newark Memorial Girls Varsity Basketball Team won three straight games over the weekend to win the 2012 Newark Optimist Club Holiday Basketball Classic title. The Lady Cougars beat Castro Valley 61-41 in the championship game. Senior guard Taylor Norman led all-scorers with 24 points. Teammates Mari Matos added 12 points, and Tarryn Clark scored 10 points. Norman was named the tournament MVP, while Matos and NiÕyesha Brown were named to the All-Tournament team. Newark Memorial opened the tournament by defeating Notre Dame-San Jose 45-30. Norman scored 17 points, with Matos adding 14 more in the winning effort. In the semifinal round, Newark beat Menlo-Atherton 57-31. Norman scored 14 points to lead the way, with Brown chipping-in 11 points more in the victory. The Lady Cougars are now 9-2 overall, with non-league games scheduled this week at Liberty and Terra Nova.