Girls Roundup : Beer Leads Loara By Riverside

Riverside Poly High School held Loara center Shana Beer in check for a half, but it wasn’t enough as Beer broke loose in the second half to lead the Saxons to a 51-39 win in the championship game of the Cypress Tournament Saturday night.

Beer, a 6-1 senior center, scored 24 points, 11 in the decisive third quarter, to rally Loara, which trailed until late in the first half.

“I have to light a fire under her sometimes,” Loara Coach Gary Blate said of Beer. “We had a height advantage underneath, I thought we should use it.”

Poly’s tough man-to-man defense slowed Loara (11-3), and the Bears led by as many as eight points in the first half.

Susan Osato, named the tournament’s most valuable player, also played a significant role in Loara’s win, scoring 17 points.

Sandy Utterback scored 13 points and Stacy Hunt added 10 points for Poly.

In other Cypress Tournament action:

Foothill 79, Huntington Beach 29--The Knights were too much for the Oilers, building a 44-19 halftime advantage, then coasting to the third-place victory. Point guard Felice Geddy and forward Jennifer Osur scored 22 points each for Foothill.

Millikan 60, Ocean View 47--The duo of Patty Porter and Connie McGiffert, 25 and 22 points respectively, led the Rams past the Seahawks in the fifth place game. Ocean View (10-3), which shot 19 of 65 from the field, was led by Trina Vlachos’ 12 points.

Lakewood 43, Kennedy 41--Cynthia Robinson’s 25 points led the Lancers to the consolation championship. Robinson made a free throw and a basket in the last 40 seconds to seal the win for Lakewood.

In the Costa Mesa Tournament:

Fountain Valley 63, Mark Keppel 45--Four players scored in double figures to lead the Barons (9-4) to the championship victory. Melissa Handley’s 12 points and Kerri Clower’s 10 led the Barons, who were too quick for Mark Keppel. Clower, a junior point guard, was named the tournament MVP.

North Torrance 51, Garden Grove 46--Center Cindy Paulson (12 points) and Gail Kato (11 points) paced North Torrance in the third-place game. Karen Caries and Kathy Lorenz both had 12 points for Garden Grove (7-4).

Tustin 74, Saddleback 38--Cortney Hamberg scored 15 points, while Joy Fuller had 14 points and Ann Jeffries added 12 to lead the Tillers (5-5) to the consolation championship.

In nonleague action:

Edison 62, El Toro 57--Edison was led by Denise Ogburn’s 17 points and forward Kristen Wilson’s 14 points and 9 rebounds.

Savanna 45, Marina 35--Marina led, 23-16, at halftime but went cold in the third quarter, scoring just four points.