The top 10 O.C. players to watch during the CIF-SS girls basketball playoffs:
Natalia Bruening, Corona del Mar: At 6-foot-4, the Sea Kings center is a matchup nightmare for almost any team she faces. Bruening is a walking double-double, and she even has one 20-20 game under her belt this season (she scored 27 points and grabbed 20 boards against Rancho Cucamonga earlier in the year). As the No. 5 seed in Division 3AA, CdM is plenty capable of reaching the semifinals. If Bruening continues to wreak havoc in the post, the Sea Kings can be the division’s bracket buster.
Samantha Clement, Fairmont Prep: She was on the court a season ago when the Huskies fell just short in capturing a CIF championship. As a senior this year, look for Clement to be even more assertive in the postseason, knowing this is her last shot at a CIF title. With the addition of post player, Cierra Hall, opposing teams will be forced to key in on the 6-foot post player. That should create more space for Clement, the Huskies sharpshooting guard. While she’s only hit four 3-pointers in her last six games, Clement is a player who can catch fire in big games. She’s hit two or more 3’s in 14 games this season.
Estafania Giner, Orangewood Academy: The Spartans lost by 20 points in their CIF championship game last year mainly because it was manhandled on the boards. This season, Giner and fellow freshman Jaqueline Sauecedo hace entered the fold, solidifying Orangewood’s frontcourt. Giner leads the teams in scoring at a little more than 13 point per game and is second with eight rebounds. There’s a good chance the Spartans see Ribet Academy in the finals again this year, but they’ll surely be more prepared for the challenge the Fighting Frogs throw at them down low.
Taelor Griffin, Orange Lutheran: The Lancers are one of three Trinity League teams to earn a top seed in their respective division. As the class of Division 3A, look for Griffin to be OLu’s go-to in crunch time. Looking back on her season, the junior guard had her best outings against some ofer her toughest competition. Griffin scored 22 against a quality Bishop Montgomery team, and dropped a season-high 25 against Mater Dei. Look for a few more 20-plus point performances in the coming weeks.
Kaylani Maiava, Foothill: You can count on the Knights senior center getting you around 15 points a night with her post-game. But because she’s surrounded by a roster full of capable outside shooters, Maiava’s vision and passing ability could make Foothill a legitimate threat in Div. 1A. Maiava will see double teams down in the block, and it’ll be her job to kick the ball out to the open shooter. If Ryann Garcia, Blaysen Varnadoe and Daija Black can knock down their 3’s, Foothill will be a tough out.
Coco Miller, JSerra: It’s amazing were even talking about the Lions senior captain being back on the court, let alone the high-level she’s been playing at. It was just in July when Miller tore her ACL. By January, she was back on the court, and here we are on the cups of the postseason and the Lions have reeled off five straight wins thanks in part to five double-digit outings from the UC Santa Barbara-commit. What makes JSerra even more dangerous this year is the fact it has four players other than Miller who have scored at least 20 points in a game this season.
Reili Richardson, Brea Olinda: The Ladycats junior is on the verge of becoming the county’s next girls basketball star. Richardson has had some of her best showings in Brea’s higher-profile games. Against Centennial of Corona back in December, she scored a game-high 26 points. If Richardson can lead the Ladycats past the Huskies once more in the first round of the Open Division, it potentially sets up a heavyweight showdown against Mater Dei and Katie Lou Samueslon. Who wouldn’t want to see that?
Brooke Salas, El Dorado: Alongside Jaylin Jones and Miranda Martinez, the Golden Hawks have one of the best senior trios you’ll see throughout the postseason. Salas will be under the microscope, though, being the team’s primary ball handler. Now that we’re in the part of the year where it’s one-and-done, possessions are at a premium and turnovers always come back to haunt you at the end of the night. We know Salas can score. If she can limit the turnovers and get the ball down low to Jones and Martinez, the Golden Hawks figure to be playing well into March.
Katie Lou Samuelson, Mater Dei: It’s hard to believe the Monarchs haven’t won a CIF title since 2012. That could very well change in a few weeks with one of the country’s very best players playing out her mind of late. After missing two games with a knee injury in late January, Samuelson ended the year with scoring efforts of 31, 29, 32 and 32. If she continues to be lights out, Mater Dei will be playing for a state title at the end of March.
Barbara Sitanggan, Troy: No one plays with more effort for 32 minutes than the Warriors guard. On a deep Troy team, Sitanggan is one of the squad’s leading scorers (11.3 points per game) and is widely considered one of the county’s best on-ball defenders. In a Freeway League game in mid January, she totaled 10 steals against La Habra, and routinely had between five and seven steal a night. Sitanggan will be a nightmare matchup for opposing point guards, and you can count on her for a few easy buckets off of steals every night.
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