The county’s newly minted No. 1 squad looked every bit the part Thursday evening, closing out the regular season in emphatic fashion.
Top-ranked Brea Olinda outscored visiting Foothill by 20 points in the third quarter, riding a lockdown defensive effort to a 76-39 victory that wrapped up a perfect Crestview League campaign at Brea Olinda High.
The Ladycats extended the county’s longest winning streak to 17 games, suffering its last loss on Dec. 21 against La Jolla Country Day.
With Brea Olinda improving to 23-2 overall, Coach Jeff Sink believes his team has made a compelling a case to garner one of the top seeds in the Open Division when the bracket is released Saturday.
“I think we’re two or three,” Sink projected. “We’ve beaten six teams that’re being considered (for the Open Division). No one else has done that. No one.”
Of the 19 teams listed on the most recent Open Division watch list, Brea owns wins over Cajon, Fairmont Prep, Gardena Serra, St. Anthony, Troy and Windward.
“They have to show us some love,” he continued.
Ladycats senior guard Reili Richardson continued making her case for O.C. player of the year honors Thursday. Richardson scored a game-high 19 points, while accounting for six rebounds, five steals and five assists. Tyiona Watkins was the game’s second leading scorer with 18, Jasmine Rachal added 10, and Iyree Jarrett’s 9 points were secondary to her stellar defensive work on Foothill’s Sydney Sharp.
After the county’s leading scorer put up nine points in the first quarter, Jarrett limited Sharp to four points over the final three quarters, giving her 13 on the night.
The Knights (20-7, 4-2) scored just five points in the third quarter, turning the ball over nine times and shooting 2-for-11 from the field. Foothill trailed by 34 points headed into the fourth.
In the North Hills League:
Yorba Linda 54, Esperanza 51: The host Mustangs (11-15, 5-1) earned a share of the North Hills crown after handing the Aztecs (17-9, 5-1) their lone league loss. Yorba Linda senior guard Katlyn Ramos scored a season-high 20 points in the win.
In the Empire League:
Kennedy 50, Cypress 40: Behind Ariana Conant’s 12 points and 10 rebounds, the Fighting Irish (20-6, 9-1) went on the road and handed the Centurions (17-9, 8-2) a 10-point defeat in the de facto league championship game.
In the Pacific Coast League:
No. 10 Woodbridge 42, University 38: The Warriors (21-5, 9-1) claimed sole possession of the league title after holding off a late Trojans (15-10, 4-6) rally in the fourth quarter. Anjali Ghadi (16) and Lauren Baffo (14) combined for 30 of Woodbridge’s points.
In the Freeway League:
No. 3 Troy 72, La Habra 37: The Warriors (20-5, 10-0) broke open a one-point halftime affair by outscoring the visiting Highlanders (18-8, 6-4), 45-11, in the third and fourth quarters. Troy’s win gives it 200 consecutive Freeway League triumphs. Kianna Smith led all scorers with 20 points.
