SOUTHERN SECTION BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIPS : 3-A GIRLS : DiCamilli’s Late Surge Gives Costa Mesa Its Championship

It seemed as if nobody wanted to hang onto the ball in the Southern Section 3-A girls’ championship game between Rancho Alamitos and Costa Mesa high school Wednesday at Cal Poly Pomona.

“Here, you take it,” top-seeded Rancho Alamitos seemed to say on its way to 25 turnovers.

“Oh no. You take it,” replied Costa Mesa, not to be outdone with 25 turnovers of its own.

Finally, someone stepped forward to take the ball, her shots and the game. Freshman Olivia DiCamilli hit four of five shots in the fourth quarter to lead unseeded Costa Mesa to a 51-49 upset of Rancho Alamitos and giving Costa Mesa its first basketball championship, boys or girls, in the school’s 30-year history.

DiCamilli, who scored only one point in the first three quarters, scored eight of her team’s 10 fourth-quarter points.

She had missed five shot attempts and sat out much of the second and third quarters with foul trouble. Her teammates picked up the scoring slack while she was on the bench.

But in the fourth quarter, with four fouls and her team ahead, 41-39, DiCamilli took control.

“I was just thinking I had to shake all my fouls off,” she said. “I was thinking we’re the better team. I shook off my attitude and I just tried as hard as I could and it worked.”

DiCamilli hit her first field goal 30 seconds into the quarter, a 16-foot jump shot from the wing. She added another from the same spot and then a baseline drive to keep the Mustang’s ahead, 47-45.

Rancho Alamitos tied the score, 47-47, with two and a half minutes to play on Francis Inomata’s basket.

Michele Bryant hit two free throws to put Costa Mesa ahead and then, as it had several times in the game, Costa Mesa threw over the top of Rancho Alamitos’ full court pressure. A streaking DiCamilli caught the long pass for the layup to put Costa Mesa ahead, 51-47 with two minutes to play.

Rancho’s Jenny Newsome cut it to 51-49 with a layup with a minute to play, and after a Costa Mesa turnover she was called for an offensive foul with 39 seconds to play.

Costa Mesa (17-11) stalled on its next possession until DiCamilli shot to beat the 30-second clock. She missed, and Newsome picked up her fifth foul trying to get the rebound.

DiCamilli missed the front end of the one-and-one giving Rancho Alamitos (21-4) six seconds and the ball. But Melinda Lira’s three-point attempt from the top of the key was off the mark as time expired.

“We knew they were going to want to go to her,” Vaquero Coach Bob Becker said. “She got her hands on it too many times for us. Maybe it was my fault. Maybe I should have gone to a diamond-and-one.”

Said Costa Mesa Coach Jim Weeks: “They were just playing great defense. We finally got her out to the wing and she got a couple of shots. Their press is awesome. It’s the best press we played against all year.”

Both teams played pressure defense. Costa Mesa’s got it in trouble early. Leading scorer DiCamilli, second-leading scorer Rachel Ward and third-leading scorer and point guard Thuy Nguyen sitting out with foul trouble, especially in the second quarter. But Rachel Thomas (8 points), Michele Bryant (6 points) and Robin Nichols (6 points) picked up the scoring slack.

“I have said all along we are a total team,” Weeks said. “We proved that tonight.”

Nguyen led Costa Mesa in scoring with 12 points.