The Nike Tournament of Champions in Phoenix this week isn’t necessarily about winning for the three Orange County teams entering the elite tournament.
All three coaches – Mater Dei’s Kevin Kiernan, Brea Olinda’s Jeff Sink and Huntington Beach’s Russell McClurg – are stressing development, at this point of the season, over wins and losses.
“We come back from Arizona a different team,” said McClurg, who has taken the Oilers nine times to the tournament. “We’ve come back from Arizona five years in a row to win Costa Mesa’s holiday tournament. I attribute that to the TOC, because it’s a killer. Every game you play in is intense.”
Huntington Beach (4-2) is in the third tier of the tournament, Brea (5-0) is in the second and Mater Dei (7-1) is in the top bracket, seeking its third straight TOC victory at that level.
“It’s a different world,” Kiernan said of the top bracket, which will feature national powers Riverdale Baptist (Upper Marlboro, Md.) and Blackman (Murfreesbro, Tenn.), along with perennial California contenders Long Beach Poly, St. Mary’s of Stockton and Bishop O’Dowd of Oakland. “We could play really well and lose every game.”
Impressed with Brea’s early play, Sink asked to be moved from the third tier to the second tier to challenge his young team.
“I know we’re going to get thumped a couple of times,” Sink said, recalling moments when his teams have played future college and WNBA stars Diana Taurasi, Sue Bird and Maya Moore in previous TOCs. “This year, my goal is to go 2-2, play top-flight competition and let the kids understand what the next level is all about. You can learn a lot from a loss, too.”
Even for the Monarchs, who spent several weeks ranked as the top team in the country last season, development and improvement is key.
“When we get to the Open Division (playoffs) it’ll help us,” Kiernan said. “We know what (star forward Katie Lou) Samuelson is going to do. For us, it’s players three through 10. That’s who we want to develop.”
OLU FINDS BALANCE
What was most impressive about Orange Lutheran’s run in the Bill Kristinat Classic at Fountain Valley last week wasn’t that the Lancers won four games by an average of 27.3 points per game – it was how they did it.
In each game, Orange Lutheran had a different leading scorer and should bode well for the Lancers, who have just one senior on their roster.
In the first game against Cerritos, senior Brook Hutto led the way with 16 points. In the second game against Schurr of Montebello, it was sophomore Kylie Edwards on top with 14 points. Against host Fountain Valley, junior Gloria Bates paced the group with 18 points. Sophomore Jessi Matson wrapped the tournament with a team-high 13 points in the championship game against Orangewood Academy.
OC’S TOP SCORERS
Almost everyone is familiar with Connecticut-bound Mater Dei standout Samuelson.
The senior averages more than 31 points per game, but there are also plenty of under-the-radar Orange County players who have already proved they can light up a scoreboard.
Here’s a list of some of the county’s top scorers:
Kaitlyn Hsu (Northwood, 24.3 points per game), Gabrielle Carbajal (Rancho Alamitos, 19.3), Katherine Lawrence (Costa Mesa, 18.8), Alexandra Lewis (Laguna Beach, 18.6), Maddy Catalano (Esperanza, 18.1), Erin Scheftz (Tarbut V’Torah, 18), Vicki Vo (Westminster, 17.5), Estefania Giner (Orangewood Academy, 16.4) Chynna Autele (Tustin, 16.4) and Frankie Wade-Sanchez (Huntington Beach, 16.3).
Contact the writer: jbalan@ocregister.com
