BREA-OLINDA GIRLS’ BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT : Brea-Olinda Breezes Past Palmdale for Championship

The Brea-Olinda High School girls’ basketball team isn’t one to shy away from competition. In fact, the Wildcats are seeking it, desperately.

Palmdale was not the answer. In the final of the Brea Olinda Ladycat tournament, Brea breezed to a 69-49 victory over Palmdale, third-ranked in the 5-AA preseason polls.

The victory was Brea’s eighth this season and 30th in a row, setting a school record for consecutive victories. The old record of 29 was set by Trakh’s 1984-85 squad, which went on to the finals of the Southern Section 3-AAA.

The championship was the Ladycats’ first in their new gym, and though the banners touting eight years of Orange League dominance and basketball excellence were not on the walls yet, the proof was on the court.

“I’ve got to say this is my best team ever at Brea,” Wildcat Coach Mark Trakh said. “Experience-wise and the way they play together and everything else, I’ve got to say it is.”

Brea won its four tournament games by an average of 35 points.

In the final, the Wildcats started out a bit sluggish and had trouble penetrating Palmdale’s aggressive zone. Brea went 3 1/2 minutes without scoring and trailed, 3-0, before outscoring Palmdale, 16-4, to end the first quarter in command at 16-7.

Brea’s pressure man defense forced Palmdale into eight turnovers in the first quarter.

“I thought that press wasn’t going to hurt us, but it did,” Palmdale Coach George Corisis said. “We missed too many easy shots. That’s what pressure will do to you.”

Palmdale made only six of 21 shots in the first half to Brea’s 16 of 38 to trail 38-20 at halftime.

The Wildcats poured it on in the second half behind the penetration of Aimee McDaniel and the jump shot of tournament most valuable player Tammy Blackburn. Blackburn scored 20 points on nine-of-17 shooting.

“She has the ability to dominate a game,” Trakh said. “She is a great athlete and she has finally healed from all those injuries.”

Being named MVP had added significance for Blackburn. She was the MVP of every tournament she played in as an eighth-grader but back surgery her freshman season hampered her. Now, in her senior season, she has finally come full circle, Trakh said. “This is the first MVP she has won since the surgery,” Trakh said.

McDaniel finished with 10 points and Jinelle Williams added 11. Both were named to the all-tournament team.

Karee Bonde and Angela Arrington led Palmdale (6-2) with 12 points each.

Brea’s search for competition and its winning streak figure to come to an end this week when the Wildcats play in the Santa Barbara Tournament of Champions, which features Morningside, the No. 1-ranked girls’ team in the nation by USA Today, and Los Angeles Washington, which is ranked 14th.

“We would go crazy if we try to keep our streak there,’ Trakh said. ‘We open against Channel Islands and if we win, we play Oakland Fremont, a Division I finalist with Morningside last year. Then we would play the side , the No. 1 team in the nation.

“It will be a really good barometer for us. We will see how good we really are.”

Or get a little competition at least.

In other tournament games:

El Toro 62, Esperanza 40--Point guard Karie Yoshioka led the Chargers (6-2) to a third-place finish with 23 points. Center Kim Kordik scored 14 points for Esperanza (6-2).

Gahr 63, Tustin 45--In the consolation final, Shari Needham had 18 points, but Tustin (7-3) could not get past Gahr. Gahr took an early lead, 22-10, and kept going.