The Preps : Girls’ Athlete of the Week : O’Brien Shuns Flash, Relies on Being Steady and Ready

Kelly O’Brien will never be singled out as a great leaper. There are no flashy moves and behind-the-back passes in her repertoire. And she is not a rabbit blazing up and down the basketball court.

That is not to say she’s a tortoise, though. She’s just steady. And her steady pace has helped the Mater Dei High School girls’ basketball team (21-5, 10-0) overcome injuries and win its seventh consecutive Angelus League title.

O’Brien, The Times’ athlete of the week, scored 34 points and collected 32 rebounds in Mater Dei’s victories over St. Joseph and Bishop Montgomery last week.

The 6-foot-1 center leads the Monarchs in scoring (18 points per game), rebounding (13 per game), field-goal percentage (49%) and free-throw percentage (70%).

“Basically, she is not a flashy player, just a good solid all-around player who is going to make a contribution to the team some way whether or not she is scoring a lot of points,” Coach Brenda Yecke said.

Those other ways include rebounding, scoring on inbound plays and helping break the press, which was necessary because of injuries to the team’s guards.

Guard Janet Austin was sidelined for the season after suffering a knee injury in the fourth game, Mary McCarthy missed games because of knee and ankle injuries and Trisha Thompson was injured early in the season.

With the constant changing of the guards, O’Brien’s steady senior hand has helped keep the Monarchs pointed in the right direction.

O’Brien said the pre-league portion of the season was a difficult time. “I think that is why nobody has noticed me,” she said, “because we have had so many injuries and really have not had our strongest team out there.

“I am not the person in the paper who scores 50 points to lead Mater Dei. I am just kind of an all-around player. You would have to really watch me play to see, and then you could judge if I was good or not.”

Yecke agrees: “You watch some kids jump and you say, ‘My God! She is a power leaper.’ You don’t say that when Kelly jumps, but you measure it and say, ‘Gosh! She got off the floor pretty good.’ She does a great job, she just doesn’t get the headlines.”

TOP PERFORMERS

Gina Alcosar scored 17 points and had 11 rebounds to help Kennedy High School upset eighth-ranked Rancho Santiago, 70-50, Friday, in a Garden Grove League game.

Krista Darin of Kennedy had three goals in a 6-0 soccer victory over Rancho Alamitos.

Fountain Valley guard Stacey Hisaka scored 41 points in Sunset League victories over Marina and Huntington Beach.

Amy Jalewalia had 57 points and 24 rebounds for La Quinta in two Garden Grove League victories.

Kelly O’Brien

Mater Dei High School

Position: Center

Height, Class: 6-1, Senior

Last Week: Had 34 points and 32 rebounds in two victories to help Mater Dei win its seventh Angelus League title in a row.

Season: O’Brien leads the Monarchs in every category, except steals and assists. She averages 18 points and 13 rebounds per game.