Lemoore Gets Rude Awakening at Brea

Lemoore High School Coach Karen Wood thought Brea-Olinda Coach Mark Trakh was inhospitable when he didn’t allow her team to practice in his school’s gym on the morning of their Southern California Division III regional girls’ basketball game.

But that was nothing compared to the welcome the Lady Cat players gave Lemoore later Thursday. For the second straight year, defending division champion Brea-Olinda eliminated Lemoore from the regionals, this time with a 78-50 trouncing at Brea in front of 1,300. The crowd included Wally Joyner and Dick Schofield of the Angels and former Angel Rick Burleson.

Brea-Olinda, which moved up to fourth in USA Today’s national rankings last week, will play Palos Verdes in the Division III final at 9:30 a.m. Saturday at the Los Angeles Sports Arena. The game will be a rematch of last Wednesday’s Southern Section championship, which Brea won, 50-33.

Wood, whose Tigers lost to Brea-Olinda in the regional final last year, was disappointed with her team’s welcome after its 250-mile trip. She had asked Trakh for practice time in the Lady Cat gym Thursday morning.

Trakh said no. “Sure, I’m going to let you practice in our gym at our school while our kids are in class?”

Brea-Olinda principal Jean Sullivan made arrangements for the Tigers to practice at El Dorado High School.

Still, Wood was not pleased. “I’ve never heard of this in college or high school playoffs,” she said. “You go away thinking they have a really class program here and they just can afford to be a little more friendly. I don’t know, maybe that’s why they’re 31-0.”

Make that 32-0. Brea-Olinda ran its school-record winning streak to 54 behind the inside domination of 5-8 center Jinelle Williams. The Lady Cats shot 60% from the field in the first half to take a 50-24 lead by halftime.

Lemoore’s only chance of upsetting Brea-Olinda, Wood said, was to shoot better than 50%, as it had in its past three games.

But the Tigers made only eight of 26 shots (30%). Amy Haire led Lemoore (21-8) with 13 points and Rachel Rossiter had 12.

“They shot the lights out,” Wood said of Brea-Olinda. “I never saw a team shoot like that.”

After pulling ahead 27-17 on McDaniel’s three-point basket at the end of the first quarter, the Lady Cats held Lemoore to three field goals in the second quarter, outscoring the Tigers 23-7.

Williams scored 16 first-half points and ended the game 10 of 14 from the field. Almost all of her baskets came on post moves.

“They really killed us inside,” Wood said. “We had no post players. And there was no use double teaming because they are all good.

“They have the inside game, the outside game--there is nothing lacking except friendliness.”

Said Trakh: “It’s not unfriendliness. We just want it to be equitable, we want all things to be equal. We worked for the higher seed so they had to travel down here. Why should we give them an advantage?”

Brea-Olinda forced Lemoore into 26 turnovers and led by as many as 41 points late in the fourth quarter.

Jody Anton scored 16 points, Tammy Blackburn 15 and Aimee McDaniel and Allison Bickell each scored 11 for Brea-Olinda.