GIRLS’ BASKETBALL ROUNDUP : Marina Sees the Light in Victory Over Fountain Valley

Perhaps the Fountain Valley High School girls’ basketball game at Marina Monday was doomed to be a struggle from the beginning.

It was postponed minutes into the game Tuesday after a Marina player accidentally hit a fuse box while chasing a loose ball, causing the lights to go out in the Marina gymnasium. The lights were back on Monday, but what they revealed was not pretty.

Both teams shot poorly and had trouble with turnovers before Marina, the sixth-ranked team in the county, won, 49-43, and gained sole possession of second place in the Sunset League.

Second-ranked Ocean View, which beat Marina (15-5 overall, 4-1 in league) Thursday, leads the league with a 5-0 record.

Fountain Valley (13-8, 2-3), which made only 16 of 62 shots, was led by Jennifer Barbaro, who had 14 points. Marina made 22 of 61 shots from the field. Marina guard Melisa Sortino led all scorers with 23 points, despite a nine-for-28 shooting performance.

“I’ll take the ugly win,” Marina Coach Pete Bonny said.

Bonny said a key for Marina was moving Sortino from point guard to shooting guard in the fourth quarter. She scored nine points in the quarter.

“The good players find a way to win,” he said.

In Freeway League girls’ basketball:

Sonora 49, Sunny Hills 43--Casie Lozano had 13 points, Kris Kiel had 11 and Thalia Polley 10 for visiting Sonora (5-10, 2-3).