Barker’s Rantings Tempered by Coach

After Nordhoff’s emotional overtime loss Friday to Frontier League arch-rival Moorpark in girls’ basketball, Ranger senior forward Erin Barker cut loose with her tongue.

“It was the refs; they homered us,” said Barker, whose team has lost five of the last seven games to the Musketeers. “Next time [Moorpark’s] gonna get it.”

In reality, Nordhoff was assessed only three more fouls than Moorpark. But the Rangers had four starters foul out, while the Musketeers had only one.

Nordhoff Coach Ted Cotti dragged Barker away from reporters after the game and said he and the program’s career scoring leader had a heart-to-heart discussion.

“We had a little talk about how to respect opponents; she feels badly about her comments,” Cotti said.

New career: Former Royal High midfielder Ryan Gesell, who helped the Highlanders win the 1994-95 Southern Section Division I title as a junior, has moved on to college and the beginnings of an acting career.

Gesell has had bit parts on two television shows and appears in a pizza ad as a deliveryman whose wares bail out a stressed father with a pack of kids to feed.

“The doorbell rings, the door opens and if you blink you miss [Ryan],” said his younger brother Sean, a Royal senior and the team captain.