Girls’ Basketball: Marina steps up against Edison
It has been a while since the Marina High’s girls’ basketball team could lay claim to experiencing the feelings they have now.
In the thick of a playoff race for the first time in three years, the Vikings now know what it is to control their own destiny.
They are enjoying themselves unabashedly right about now.
Courtney Suruki and Sadie Atwood each scored 18 points, and the Vikings defeated Edison, 58-46, Thursday night in a Sunset League game at Marina High.
The victory marks Marina’s first win over Edison (11-8, 2-3) since Jan. 30, 2014.
“It feels amazing,” Atwood said of ending the Chargers’ reign in the series. “It feels great. It’s Edison, and we came out with a ‘W.’ We played hard.”
Entering the game, Marina (8-13, 3-2) was afforded all the anxiety and excitement that a team can handle.
The Vikings could have allowed their minds to wonder what being in third place all by themselves would feel like. That was all that was at stake – sole-possession of the final automatic playoff bid through the first round of league.
“It feels very good,” Vikings Coach Kirk Iwami said.
Short and sweet. Really, what else could the Vikings’ second-year head coach say? His team surprised many, probably even themselves, in dispatching the deep and talented Chargers.
Iwami was right in thinking that his team would have its hands full in overcoming the size of Edison. For a time, Ashley Niemand (13 points, seven rebounds) wreaked havoc on the offensive glass, scoring on back-to-back putbacks in the third quarter.
“There’s no substitute for height,” Iwami said. “Ashley is amazing. She has such control of her game. She can shoot the ball outside, she’s pretty strong inside, and she can run the floor well.”
The teams were tied, 37-37, when Finley Garnett converted a reverse layup for Edison with 2:11 left in the third quarter.
Niemand got into heavy foul trouble, and she exited the game with her fifth foul in the early stages of the final period.
What was a tie game late in the third became a 55-41 lead for Marina with exactly four minutes left to play. Suruki and Atwood combined for 16 points during the run.
A side story to Thursday’s matchup was that both teams have benefited greatly from transfer players. Suruki came to Edison from Huntington Beach, and Garnett transferred to Edison from Estancia.
Both have been eligible since the start of league, and each delivered solid performances.
As mentioned, Suruki matched the team lead in points with 18. She had a layup and a three-pointer from the right wing to open the fourth quarter, taking the Vikings’ lead to 48-37.
“When she’s going on all cylinders, it’s hard to guard her,” Iwami said of his point guard. “She has the speed to get around you, she has the vision, and she can take it outside.”
“It just really worked out well for us having her play aggressive today.”
Garnett, on the other hand, had 10 points and 16 rebounds to complement Niemand’s inside presence for the Chargers.
Still, Marina came out ahead. The Vikings have proven themselves to be a gritty team that will go into the tough areas, and they managed to bother the Chargers enough to overcome the mismatch in the paint.
Gina Gordon and Atwood had a big part in that. Gordon had eight points, three rebounds, and three steals.
“They get the adrenaline going, and we’re tough to stop,” Iwami said of his team. “That was one of those games today.”
Suruki said she came to Marina to just play and have fun. That doesn’t mean that she wants the opposition to experience the same thrills that she is.
On the subject of the Vikings making life difficult for their opponents, Suruki said, “It’s our court. We want to play hard and just go for it.”
Andie Kristinat reached double figures with 10 points for Edison. Gianna Luna added seven points, and Siena Ontiveros chipped in with six.
Katie Nguyen had eight points and seven rebounds for Marina.
Sunset League
Marina 58, Edison 46
SCORE BY QUARTERS
Edison – 9 - 17 - 11 - 9 – 46
Marina – 17 - 14 - 12 - 15 – 58
Ed – Niemand 13, Garnett 10, Kristinat 10, Luna 7, S. Ontiveros 6.
3-pt. goals – Kristinat 2, S. Ontiveros 1.
Fouled out – Niemand.
Technicals – Brown (Coach).
Mar – Suruki 18, Atwood 18, Gordon 8, Nguyen 8, Esparza 3, Lin 3.
3-pt. goals – Suruki 2, Esparza 1, Lin 1.
Fouled out – None.
Technicals – None.
