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  • Brea Olinda's Shaylissa Jarrett charges towards the basket past El...

    Brea Olinda's Shaylissa Jarrett charges towards the basket past El Dorado defenders during a Crestview League game at El Dorado on Tuesday.

  • Brea Olinda's Reili Richardson, left, tries to shoot over El...

    Brea Olinda's Reili Richardson, left, tries to shoot over El Dorado's Brooke Salas during a Crestview League game at El Dorado on Tuesday.

  • Brea Olinda's Tyiona Watkins, top, and El Dorado's Miranda Martinez...

    Brea Olinda's Tyiona Watkins, top, and El Dorado's Miranda Martinez dive for a loose ball during a Crestview League game at El Dorado on Tuesday.

  • Brea Olinda's Sierra Bononi, front, wins a rebound over El...

    Brea Olinda's Sierra Bononi, front, wins a rebound over El Dorado's Jaylin Jones during a Crestview League game at El Dorado on Tuesday.

  • El Dorado's Brook Salas, center, tries to shoot under pressure...

    El Dorado's Brook Salas, center, tries to shoot under pressure during a Crestview League game against Brea Olinda at El Dorado on Tuesday.

  • Brea Olinda's Reili Richardson, center, throws a floater over El...

    Brea Olinda's Reili Richardson, center, throws a floater over El Dorado defenders during a Crestview League game at El Dorado on Tuesday.

  • El Dorado's Miranda Martinez shoots a jumper over Brea Olinda's...

    El Dorado's Miranda Martinez shoots a jumper over Brea Olinda's Reili Richardson during a Crestview League game at El Dorado on Tuesday.

  • El Dorado's Miranda Martinez shows her frustration during a Crestview...

    El Dorado's Miranda Martinez shows her frustration during a Crestview League game against Brea Olinda at El Dorado on Tuesday.

  • El Dorado's Jennifer Ventura tightly defends Brea Olinda's Shaylissa Jarrett...

    El Dorado's Jennifer Ventura tightly defends Brea Olinda's Shaylissa Jarrett during a Crestview League game at El Dorado on Tuesday.

  • Brea Olinda's Tyiona Watkins, right, shoots a layup past El...

    Brea Olinda's Tyiona Watkins, right, shoots a layup past El Dorado's Miranda Martinez during a Crestview League game at El Dorado on Tuesday.

  • Brea Olinda head coach Jeff Sink yells instructions to his...

    Brea Olinda head coach Jeff Sink yells instructions to his players during a Crestview League game against El Dorado at El Dorado on Tuesday.

  • El Dorado head coach Wayne Carlson gives instructions to his...

    El Dorado head coach Wayne Carlson gives instructions to his players during a Crestview League game against Brea Olinda at El Dorado on Tuesday.

  • An El Dorado fan cheers the team during a Crestview...

    An El Dorado fan cheers the team during a Crestview League game against Brea Olinda at El Dorado on Tuesday.

  • El Dorado fans cheer for the team during a Crestview...

    El Dorado fans cheer for the team during a Crestview League game against Brea Olinda at El Dorado on Tuesday.

  • Brea Olinda cheerleaders cheer for the team during a Crestview...

    Brea Olinda cheerleaders cheer for the team during a Crestview League game at El Dorado on Tuesday.

  • Brea Olinda's Sierra Bononi, right, grabs a loose ball before...

    Brea Olinda's Sierra Bononi, right, grabs a loose ball before El Dorado's Brooke Salas can get it during their Crestview League game at El Dorado on Tuesday.

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PLACENTIA – Brea Olinda’s greatest deficiency on the road against El Dorado appeared to be experience.

The Golden Hawks started five seniors, while the Wildcats countered with two seniors, two freshmen and a junior.

Those two seniors, however, carried more than their fair share of weight, leading Brea Olinda to a 59-48 win in the Crestview League girls basketball opener for both teams.

Seniors Shaylissa Jarrett and Sierra Bononi both had their best performances of the month for the Ladycats (15-2, 1-0).

Jarrett scored a team-high 20 points while alternating between guarding El Dorado’s two best players – Brooke Salas and Jaylin Jones. Jarrett scored 16 points in the first half on 6-of-7 shooting from the floor, including a buzzer-beating, 35-foot 3-pointer in the first quarter to cut El Dorado’s early lead to 16-15.

“The difference was Jarrett,” El Dorado coach Wayne Carlson said. “She’s been up and down all year, but she really had a great night.”

The last time Jarrett scored 20 points or more was a 26-point performance against Vanden of Fairfield in December.

“She’ like that,” Brea Olinda coach Jeff Sink said. “About every fourth game, she just goes crazy. I think she’s one of the best players in Orange County, but she’s up and down.”

Bononi also kicked in a season-high 12 points, including seven of the Ladycats’ 15 in the fourth quarter, while El Dorado (14-6, 0-1) was doing its best to mount a comeback from a 44-32 deficit after the third quarter.

“That’s what you want,” Sink said. “I still think, in a lot of ways, we’re still a year away, but you can’t win without seniors. You just can’t.”

Brea junior Reili Richardson added 15 points and freshman Tyiona Watkins chipped in 10, but no player had as complete a game as Salas. She scored half of the Golden Hawks’ points (24), doled out six assists, brought down five rebounds and blocked three shots, all while blanketing Richardson, the Wildcats’ leading scorer, for most of the game.

“Every time we play, we try to take her out of the game and she scores more,” Sink said. “I’m not going to even try to guard her next time.”

Contact the writer: jbalan@ocregister.com