There was a four-and-a-half minute stretch in the third quarter that saw Los Alamitos and Edison go bucket for bucket.
Eighteen consecutive possessions resulted in some sort of points, a fitting back-and-forth for a pair of squads duking it out atop the Sunset League girls basketball standings.
Demonstrating a consistent ability to break down the Chargers 2-3 zone, the seventh-ranked Griffins survived its trip to Edison with a 67-58 win Thursday night to remain unbeaten in league.
With four league games to play, Los Alamitos (17-5, 6-0) leads the Chargers (9-12, 4-2) and Huntington Beach (18-5, 3-2).
“We knew they were pumped up being one game out, so tonight was playing for first place,” Los Alamitos coach Rich Alvarez said. “The first time around, we played well and were up on them by 30, but they cut it to 20. So I told the girls, ‘This is a brand new game, in their home and they’re fighting us for first. We can’t think about that first game.’”
The Chargers sank five 3-pointers in the first half and trailed by one point, 28-27, at halftime.
Griffins center Sarah Hermann scored 14 points in the first half, proving to be incredibly effective against the zone. Consistently flashing in the high post, Hermann knocked down several 15-footers, and when the defense began collapsing on her, the 6-foot senior drove the lane for easy layups.
She finished with a season-high 22 points and pulled down 14 rebounds.
Los Alamitos made nine of its first 10 shots after the break and outscored Edison, 25-18, in an up-tempo third quarter. The Griffins kept the Chargers at arms length for much of the fourth, securing the road win for its eighth straight victory.
In the Pacific Coast League:
Woodbridge 32, Corona del Mar 23: Sophomore forward Anjali Ghadi scored a game-high 15 points, and the Warriors (17-5, 5-1) held the host Sea Kings (16-5, 4-2) to eight points or less in all four quarters to seize sole control of first place in league.
In the Trinity League:
No. 1 Mater Dei 52, Rosary 24: The Monarchs (20-2, 5-0) outscored the visiting Royals (14-7, 2-3), 20-2, in the fourth quarter. Ally Rosenblum led all scorers with 19 points, while Jayda Adams finished with 16.
Contact the writer: kconnolly@ocregister.com
