Sea View League Girls’ Basketball Roundup : University Beats Saddleback to Lock Up a Playoff Spot

Denise Gandara scored 17 points, and freshman Tara Wolff came off the bench to add 12 points to lead University High School to a 52-34 Sea View League girls’ basketball victory over Saddleback Tuesday at University.

The victory, which assured University (17-5, 6-1) a spot in the Southern Section 4-AA playoffs, gave the Trojans a 1-game lead over second-place Tustin with three games to play. The Trojans, who play at Tustin on Thursday, close out the regular season next week Tuesday at Newport Harbor and Thursday at home against Estancia.

Saddleback (12-10, 3-4), which came in a game out of second, remained in fourth place with the loss. The Roadrunners are one game behind third-place Estancia.

“Our primary objective has been to get into the playoffs, but it sure would be nice to win the league championship as well,” said Doug Sorey, University coach. “We just have to take our remaining league games one at a time and play our very best each time.”

University led 16-10 early in the second quarter before Saddleback outscored the Trojans, 12-6, to tie it at 22-22 with 2 minutes left in the half. Wolff, who entered the game with 4 minutes left in the first quarter, scored 6 of her points in the last 1:22 of the second period to give University a 28-22 halftime lead.

Melody Mayfield, who kept Saddleback in the game with 12 first-half points, managed only two more in the second half as University changed into a 2-3 zone defense aimed at stopping her.

Saddleback cut the deficit to four points three times in the third quarter, but the Trojans extended their lead to 38-30 at the end of the period on field goals by Sandy Johnson and Noelle Sase in the last 2:14.

Gandara then scored seven of her points in the fourth quarter as University outscored the Roadrunners, 14-4, to put the game out of reach.

“The difference in the game is when we went into a zone and held Mayfield to two points in the second half,” Sorey said. “((Mayfield) tried to get inside against the zone, but her doing that made it easier for us to pick her up and defend her.”

Shelley Davis, who entered the game as University’s leading scorer with a 12-point average, scored 6 of her 8 points in the first half. She also had 14 rebounds. Johnson, who scored her only two points in the third quarter, also had 9 assists.

In another Sea View League game:

Tustin 62, Estancia 61 (OT)--Tanya McGuire made 2 free throws with 8 seconds left in the second overtime to pull out the victory for Tustin (13-10, 5-2).

Teresa Perkins led Tustin with 19 points. Melody Earle had 20 points and Patrice Lumpkin 19 for Estancia (4-3 in league play).