Ocean View Holds Off Pesky Pacifica

Pacifica gave second-seeded Ocean View all it could handle for three quarters in a second-round Southern Section Division II-A girls’ basketball playoff game Wednesday at Ocean View High.

Ocean View pulled away to win, 53-40, but the final statistics didn’t tell the entire story as the Mariners (21-7), champions of the Garden Grove League, made the Seahawks (25-4) sweat it out after the teams were tied, 36-36, through three quarters.

Heather Green had 14 points and five assists to lead Pacifica’s upset effort, but the Mariners finally stumbled in the fourth quarter. Pacifica made only one of 12 shots from the field and committed seven fourth-quarter turnovers to score only four points in the quarter.

Green missed 10 games earlier this season because of a knee injury, and although she wasn’t 100%, she helped the Mariners open up the game with an 8-0 run when they built an early, 12-3 lead.

“I’m proud of the girls because they didn’t back down,” Pacifica Coach Matt Murphy said. “We thought we could play with them, although they were Division II-A finalists last season and a lot of the same players were back.”

Ocean View’s Jennifer Tuiolosega was a key player on last season’s team, and Wednesday she scored a team-high 17 points for the Seahawks, who advanced to the quarterfinals to play the Compton Dominguez, a 57-56 winner over Bellflower.

But Tuiolosega had plenty of help from her teammates.

Sophomores Sharon Shelton and Tracy Lindquist and junior center Anna Lembke did the little things throughout the game and made key plays down the stretch.

Shelton finished with 14 rebounds and she made four free throws in the fourth quarter. Ocean View made 11 of 12 free throws in the fourth quarter.

When Ocean View got the ball to Lembke, she scored 15 points, making six of eight shots from the field. Tuiolosega, who had an off-shooting night, made only four of 18 shots from the field and missed a three-pointer with 1 minute 30 seconds remaining. But Lembke rebounded the miss and scored to give the Seahawks a 46-40 lead.

Lindquist had seven points and six assists and her blocked shot on Jaymee Pendergast’s three-point attempt with 1.20 seconds remaining helped to preserve that six-point lead.

Another key for the Seahawks was their defensive pressure on Pacifica’s Pendergast, who entered the game averaging 18.4 points.

Pendergast finished with five points, making only two of 17 shots from the field.

“They knew who they had to stop and they did a great job focusing their defense on Jaymee,” Murphy said. “That’s why they’re champions.”

In Division II-AA:

Cerritos Gahr 56, Woodbridge 54--Two-time defending state champion Woodbridge (22-5) was stunned by a second-half rally by Gahr (18-8). Woodbridge lost an 11-point halftime lead. The Warriors, who got 16 points from Cathy Joens, had won the last three section titles and reached the state finals on each occasion. Krissy Duperron had 12 points.

Gahr, a wild-card team, will play Torrance North Torrance in the semifinals on Saturday. North Torrance beat Santa Barbara, 51-48.

Laguna Hills 57, El Dorado 47--Tayyiba Haneef scored 25 points and had 15 rebounds as the top-seeded Hawks advanced to the semifinals against Norco. Tamara Inoue added 15 points and 10 assists for Laguna Hills (24-3), which is ranked No. 2 in the state rankings. The Hawks also got an 11-point effort from Mandy Mayfield. Stephanie Patten scored a team-high 22 points for El Dorado, whose leading scorer on the season, Jamie Nebeker, was held to seven points. El Dorado finishes the season 16-10.

Norco 75, Santa Margarita 64--Fourth-seeded Santa Margarita (20-8) lost on the road to Norco (19-7).

In Division II-A:

Brea Olinda 91, Sonora 39--Rochelle Anthony and Stephanie Wettlin each scored 12 points to lead top-seeded Brea Olinda (24-3). Anthony also had 12 rebounds. Jennifer Saari added nine points and eight assists for Brea Olinda. The Ladycats face Newport Harbor in Saturday’s quarterfinals. Sonora finishes 15-11.

Newport Harbor 50, Troy 47--Colleen Eadie scored 19 points for the second game in a row.

Eadie made two three-pointers and scored seven points in the second quarter when the Sailors outscored Troy, 14-9, to take an eight-point lead into halftime. Eadie also had eight rebounds and three steals for Newport Harbor (18-10).

Breanna Badorek contributed 13 points, five rebounds and three assists and M.E. Clayton scored 10 points for the Sailors.

Heidi Hardeman, who averages 20.2 points, was held to just eight. Sarah Spencer led Troy (22-4) with 12 points.