SOUTHERN SECTION BASKETBALL PLAYOFFS : Costa Mesa Freshman Gets 24 Points, 23 Rebounds

Freshman Olivia Dicamilli scored 24 points and had 23 rebounds Wednesday night, leading the Costa Mesa High School girls’ basketball team to a 56-44 victory over Sherman Oaks Notre Dame and into the Southern Section 3-A semifinals for the first time.

Costa Mesa (15-11) continued its most successful season in the school’s history with Dicamilli dominating play inside and consistently hitting soft jump shots outside. Dicamilli made 12 of 24 shots.

Her rebounding total was one short of the 24 she had last Saturday in a 47-45 victory over third-seeded Bellflower.

“We’ve been playing really well the last week,” said Jim Weeks, Costa Mesa’s coach. “I think we’ve peaked at the right time. The players and the student body are really into this. This school had never won a quarterfinal game.”

Notre Dame (11-11) had problems defending Costa Mesa’s outside shooting as Dicamilli, Rachel Ward and Thuy Nguyen took advantage of a soft zone. Notre Dame made one offensive run, trimming a 34-20 deficit to 38-32 late in the third quarter.

But Dicamilli and Nguyen finished the quarter by making jump shots that pushed Costa Mesa ahead, 42-32, and the Mustangs were never threatened again.

“I don’t think Notre Dame was played against the man pressure that we gave them tonight,” Weeks said. “I’ve got three girls who shoot really well, so I don’t think a zone is going to stop us. We started slow, but it was just a matter of time before we started hitting.”

Ward, Costa Mesa’s best outside shooter, missed her first six shots and was scoreless in the first quarter. She finished with 12 points. Nguyen made three three-point shots and finished with 15 points. Then, there was the play of Dicamilli. “She’s a miniature Joni Easterly,” Weeks said. “She’s a strong rebounder with great instincts inside. She’s got some future, doesn’t she?”