THE PREPS : Freeway League : Girls’ Basketball : Good Plan Can’t Stop La Habra

La Habra High School’s high-scoring Robin Seabrook had only eight points Thursday night, just as Fullerton Coach Vernie Ford had hoped.

Ford also wanted to keep the Freeway League game at La Habra a slow-paced, half-court game.

The plan worked, but La Habra still won, 45-32.

La Habra is 11-6, 2-0 in league play. Fullerton is 7-5, 1-1.

Seabrook, a senior center, came into the game averaging more than 22 points and scored 32 points in the Highlanders’ 79-42 victory over Buena Park Tuesday.

But with Fullerton playing a box-and-one defense designed to slow Seabrook, she rarely handled the ball. The Indians’ Benna Kennedy and Jennifer Comstock took turns shadowing her.

So Seabrook passed to open teammates for easy shots and had a game-high 15 rebounds.

“Robin played one of the best games she’s ever played,” La Habra Coach John Koehler said. “It took awhile for our girls to adjust. They’re used to Robin scoring 20-25 points a game for us.”

La Habra’s Kris Kelly had a team-high 14 points, 8 in the third quarter, when La Habra opened a 30-16 lead. Freshman forward Ana Kritich and guard Michelle Reeves added nine points each.

Forward Sabrina Welch scored 16 points for Fullerton, which cut La Habra’s 14-point lead to four, 32-28, early in the fourth quarter.

But Seabrook made four free throws in a 45-second span, and Fullerton couldn’t get closer than six thereafter.

“We did just what we wanted to,” Ford said. “We did an excellent job on defense. When Seabrook got down low we tried to sandwich her.”