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  • Fountain Valley's Ari Jacobsen grimaces as she goes up for...

    Fountain Valley's Ari Jacobsen grimaces as she goes up for a shot during her team's Sunset League game against host Los Alamitos on Friday night.

  • Fountain Valley's Michelle Wu takes a shot to the mouth...

    Fountain Valley's Michelle Wu takes a shot to the mouth as she drives the lane during Friday night's Sunset League game against host Los Alamitos. Los Al won, 47-40.

  • Fountain Valley's Ashley Masuda is denied as she tries to...

    Fountain Valley's Ashley Masuda is denied as she tries to score during Friday night's Sunset League game against host Los Alamitos.

  • Fountain Valley's Ashley Masuda takes a shot during Friday night's...

    Fountain Valley's Ashley Masuda takes a shot during Friday night's Sunset League game against host Los Alamitos.

  • Los Alamitos head coach Richard Alvarez talks with his players...

    Los Alamitos head coach Richard Alvarez talks with his players during a timeout in Friday night's Sunset League game against Fountain Valley at Los Alamitos.

  • Los Alamitos fans reach out for foam fingers to display...

    Los Alamitos fans reach out for foam fingers to display their loyalty during Friday night's Sunset League game against Fountain Valley at Los Alamitos.

  • Fountain Valley's Michelle Wu, left, loses control of the ball...

    Fountain Valley's Michelle Wu, left, loses control of the ball as Los Alamitos' Bayley Hagino defends during Friday night's Sunset League game at Los Alamitos.

  • Fountain Valley head coach Cory Clarke waits for play to...

    Fountain Valley head coach Cory Clarke waits for play to resume after halftime of Friday night's Sunset League game against host Los Alamitos.

  • Los Alamitos' Bayley Hagino, right, attempts a shot around the...

    Los Alamitos' Bayley Hagino, right, attempts a shot around the defense of Fountain Valley during Friday night's Sunset League game at Los Alamitos.

  • Los Alamitos' Dani Iwami, right, is stopped by the defense...

    Los Alamitos' Dani Iwami, right, is stopped by the defense of Fountain Valley's Lisa Torres during Friday night's Sunset League game at Los Alamitos.

  • Los Alamitos fans celebrate a basket during Friday night's Sunset...

    Los Alamitos fans celebrate a basket during Friday night's Sunset League game against Fountain Valley at Los Alamitos.

  • Los Alamitos' Sarah Hermann dribbles around the Fountain Valley defense...

    Los Alamitos' Sarah Hermann dribbles around the Fountain Valley defense during Friday night's Sunset League game at Los Alamitos.

  • Los Alamitos' Bri Flynn reaches for a loose ball during...

    Los Alamitos' Bri Flynn reaches for a loose ball during the second half of Friday night's Sunset League game at Los Alamitos.

  • Los Alamitos' Sarah Hermann drives the lane during Friday night's...

    Los Alamitos' Sarah Hermann drives the lane during Friday night's Sunset League game against Fountain Valley at Los Alamitos.

  • Los Alamitos' Chanelle Crocker fights with a Fountain Valley defender...

    Los Alamitos' Chanelle Crocker fights with a Fountain Valley defender for possession of the ball during Friday night's Sunset League game at Los Alamitos.

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LOS ALAMITOS – Fountain Valley did as well as any team this season in shutting down Dani Iwami, the Sunset League’s leading scorer.

But the best scorers find a way.

After being limited to three points in the first half on 1-of-7 shooting from the floor, Los Alamitos’ standout junior guard scored 12 points in the second half (eight in the fourth quarter) to lift the Griffins to a 47-40 home win over Fountain Valley on Friday.

Both teams entered the game 2-0 in league play, and the Griffins (14-5, 3-0) now sit alone atop the Sunset standings.

“She was always going to get her points,” first-year Los Alamitos coach Rich Alvarez said of Iwami. “She was being patient, trying to get everybody involved and let the game come back to her.”

The Barons (15-4, 2-1) found success pressuring Iwami from the start, mostly with senior guard Michell Wu, but the left-handed guard scored eight of the Griffins’ 11 points in the fourth quarter, including two driving runners in the lane in the final 1:45 to put the game out of reach. Iwami also had five assists, five steals and a blocked shot.

“In the second half, when we needed to get stops, she was too good for us,” Fountain Valley coach Cory Clarke said.

Iwami’s second-half offensive effort put Los Alamitos over the top, but it was the Griffins’ defense that enabled them to sustain a lead for most of the game. Alvarez’s game plan stressed limiting Fountain Valley’s penchant and aptitude for shooting 3-pointers by pressuring the Barons’ shooters on the perimeter.

Fountain Valley made 10 3s in each of its first two league games, but Los Alamitos limited the Barons to just 3-of-13 shooting from beyond the arc.

Other than a pair of NBA-range 3-pointers by Andie Krisnat – who finished with a team-high nine points – in the second quarter, the Barons’ long-distance threats were neutralized by Iwami and fellow guards Chanelle Crocker, Bayley Hagino and Brianna Flynn.

“We wanted to stay extended on the 3 and make them put it on the ground,” Alvarez said. “A couple of times, when we did fall asleep, they made the 3s, so that was a quick reminder of what the game plan was.”

Despite the struggles on offense – Fountain Valley came into the game averaging 55.8 points per game – the Barons cut the Los Alamitos lead to a single point midway through the third quarter and tied the game, 36-36, early in the fourth, before Iwami took over.

“We’re very similar in style – guard-oriented, with girls who can shoot,” Clarke said. “We played a little scared here and there and let that get to us.”

In the Freeway League:

Troy 45, Sonora 31: The Warriors (10-5, 2-0) are a win away from tying the county’s record for most consecutive league wins – held by Brea Olinda at 183 – after a victory over the the Raiders (13-5, 1-1).

Contact the writer: jbalan@ocregister.com