GARDENA Brea Olinda girls basketball coach Jeff Sink said he hadn’t talked with his squad about offense in roughly two weeks.
The emphasis had been on defensive activity.
If Ladycats senior guard Reili Richardson continues to score like she did Monday, he won’t need to talk about the ‘O’ for quite some time.
Richardson dazzled with a game-high 25 points, and second-ranked Brea Olinda frustrated No. 3 Troy on the defensive end, easing past the Warriors, 61-47, in the MLK Shootout at Serra High.
“If we play 10 times, it will probably go 5-5,” Sink said of Troy. “They’re tough. But it was a big win for us because they’re ranked so high now. We wanted to play well. And to beat them by 17, 20 points most of the game – I think we’re a pretty good team.”
Brea Olinda (14-2) trailed for less than two minutes in the opening stages and seized control late in the first quarter. A 10-0 run over the final two minutes of the second gave the Ladycats a 29-13 lead headed into the half.
The Warriors (11-5) received zero points from leading scorer Rebecca Lazuka in the first three quarters. Ladycats forward Krislyn Marsh was assigned to follow and put a body on Troy’s talented post player on each possession.
Unable to get any easy buckets in the lane, the Warriors’ deficit reached 23 points in the third and fourth quarters.
Richardson scored 18 of her points in the second half, and she nailed four 3-pointers on the evening. Tyiona Watkins added 18 points and 10 rebounds, and Jasmine Rachal finished with 11 points. Marsh pulled down 11 rebounds.
Lazuka and fellow forward Naomi Hunt combined for just two points. Kianna Smith (17 points) and Barbara Sitanggan (16) led Troy in scoring.
Contact the writer: kconnolly@ocregister.com
