It’s been a little while since Ocean View has been in the driver’s seat in the Golden West League.
But the league, controlled by Westminster and Segerstrom in recent years, is back in the Seahawks’ control after a 44-35 home victory over Segerstrom on Thursday night.
Ocean View coach Kim Morris has put a lot of trust into her junior class this season and the benefits showed against the Jaguars (8-12, 3-1), in what was a battle of unbeaten Golden West teams.
Star junior guard Treasure Robinson was outstanding throughout, with a game-high 23 points, four blocks and five rebounds. Forward Madisyn Newberry controlled the boards with 16 rebounds. Sally Morris scored six key points off the bench, and Danelle Almiranez banked in a 3-pointer with 1:24 remaining to extend the Ocean View (15-4, 4-0) lead to seven points and put the game out of reach.
“My junior class is the backbone and it has put us in a place where our program has a little bit of a reputation – we can play,” Kim Morris said.
Robinson dominated the first half with 17 of the Seahawks’ 23 points before the break and continued to have an impact throughout with her 6-foot-1 frame altering and blocking shots.
“She’s good now, but greatness awaits her,” Kim Morris said. “She could just own both ends of the floor and she does (at times), but that stuff is all in her arsenal. She really has no idea what ‘great’ is just yet.”
Segerstrom cut the Ocean View lead to 28-25 on a jump shot by junior forward Roxy Mejia with 2:31 left in the third, but got consistent scoring only from sophomore guard Caroline Jogwe (team-high 14 points) on a night when many of the Jaguars’ best scorers were off or injured.
Segerstrom never fully recovered from an early deficit after missing its first eight shots of the game.
“I thought a couple times, when we cut it to two or three points, ‘OK, we can get this,’ ” Segerstrom coach Jeff Watts said. “I thought the kids competed, but we just didn’t play very well.”
In the Orange Coast League:
Estancia 43, Godinez 40: Maya Van Den Heever carried the Eagles (12-7, 4-0) throughout with a game-high 25 points, but it was Slade Garnett’s six crucial points, including a 3-pointer with about a minute remaining, that put Estancia alone in first place in the Orange Coast League.
Tiona Jones led the Grizzlies (7-11, 3-1) with 12 points.
