RANCHO SANTA MARGARITA – At first, they didn’t say a word to each other.
When Tori Anderson found out she had to go to Morgan McMullen’s house after Santa Margarita’s summer practices while her parents were at work, she resisted. The freshmen knew little about each other but got off on the wrong foot when they found out the schools each dreamed of playing at – Connecticut for Anderson, Stanford for McMullen.
Anderson didn’t want to be there. McMullen felt the same.
“It was awkward at first,” McMullen said. “We’d just sit there on the couch and not talk to each other and watch TV.”
The silence lasted about a week. But since they got to know each other, Anderson and McMullen have been inseparable. Santa Margarita has reaped the benefits. Anderson and McMullen helped lead the Eagles into today’s CIF Southern California Regionals Division 3 final against Santa Barbara, two weeks after helping them capture a CIF-SS Division 3A crown.
Anderson is the Eagles’ leading scorer, averaging 14.4 points per game. McMullen has three double-doubles this year and has reached double digits in scoring in four playoff games.
The Eagles (21-13) have just one senior, point guard Zaire Williams. The growth of their youth has helped a team that started the year 5-7 reel off eight straight wins since Feb. 20.
Anderson and McMullen said they are together every day now, whether for basketball or not. The two guards have talked about the potential for a historic four-year run at Santa Margarita and the leadership roles they are bound to take on in the future.
In the first month of the season, Santa Margarita lost games to Beckman, Esperanza, Canyon and Irvine, teams Coach Matt Houser believes the Eagles would beat now. Back then, the team struggled to grasp the offense and play together.
The guards were not able to get the ball in to the post, where the Eagles have 6-foot-3 sophomore Taylor Donahue and 5-10 junior Sheldon Cornwell. The post players were still learning how to finish.
The Eagles’ regional semifinal win over Lakeside of Lake Elsinore shows evidence of the progress. Four players scored in double figures, including a team-high 20 from Anderson.
“All those losses, all that stuff, is just practice,” Houser said. “If you have sponges that want to learn and want to grow, sooner or later it’s just – now they got it.”
By learning to play together, Anderson and McMullen can execute a two-man game at times. McMullen said she knows if she is stuck with the ball she just has to get it to Anderson, who can create offense by driving.
Anderson said she knows McMullen can shoot.
“If I drive into the paint, kick it out,” Anderson said, “I just know she’s going to finish it.”
Neither Anderson nor McMullen anticipated Santa Margarita achieving so much success with such a young roster. Houser said advancing to the state semifinals is “all a shock.”
But the expectations have been set for the next three years.
“They’re going to make their mark,” Houser said. “You’ve already seen what they’re trying to do now.”
Contact the writer: mcooper@ocregister.com
