SOUTHERN SECTION BASKETBALL PLAYOFFS : 4-A GIRLS : Orange Wears Down Esperanza to Win, 59-56

With a 59-56 overtime victory over visiting Esperanza Saturday night, Orange High School advanced further in the Southern Section 5-A playoffs than any school basketball team since the 1958 boys’ champion.

“We’ve gone 14-2 since Dec. 20,” Orange Coach Ed Prange said. “We just wore them down with our pressure defense.”

It took a while for the Lady Panthers’ pressure to take full effect, however. Esperanza (21-5) built a 51-41 lead after three quarters behind a team-high 19 points from Jennifer Harney and and 12 points from Michele Fujioka.

But the Lady Aztecs would score only five points in the final 11 minutes, as Orange (18-6), which has an 8-1 record at its home gym “The Dome,” staged a frantic rally with Ginnie Hall scoring 14 of her season-high 23 points, in the second half.

“Esperanza did a great job of holding Nicole Champion (11 points) down tonight,” Prange said. “She scored 28 in our first-round win, but Hall hit some big shots for us tonight.”

Guard Laurie Sallinger also made key free throws for the Lady Panthers, sinking both ends of a one-and-one with 1:49 left in overtime for a 57-55 lead.

Orange only made 23 of 38 free throws (61%) and Esperanza went to foul line only 18 times. Orange was assessed six fouls in the second half to 16 for Esperanza.

“You figure it out, they’re the one’s pressing and reaching, and we only get to the line 18 times.” Esperanza Coach Mac Hill said. “But you’ve got to give them credit, we didn’t go out and execute tonight while they did.”

In other 5-A games:

Ocean View 47, West Covina 43--Ocean View trailed, 30-19, at halftime as Jenny Sullivan and Fabiola Nunez each sat out most of the second quarter with three fouls . Tracy Wolfe, who had nine points in the first half to keep Ocean View (25-2) in the game, finished with 19 points, 18 rebounds and six blocked shots.

Ontario 66, Marina 57--Ontario (27-0) outscored Marina, 14-9, in the third quarter to take control. Marina pulled within three points with a minute and a half remaining but could not get closer. Marina missed eight fourth-quarter free throws. Melisa Sortino had 19 points, including school record 15 of 18 from the free throw line, to lead Marina. Colleen Hatch scored 13 points and 10 rebounds for Marina. Ontario’s Chrissy Sweeney scored 22 points.

Capistrano Valley 56, Santa Barbara 50--Alisa Farr had 24 points and nine rebounds to pace the Cougars (18-9) at Capistrano Valley. Farr, a sophomore guard, made three three-point baskets and 11 of 13 free throws. Kristin Knapp had 22 points for Santa Barbara (23-6). Teresa Doesberg had 11 points and Erin Grondzik 10 for Capistrano Valley.