BREA-OLINDA GIRLS’ TOURNAMENT : Brea Stops Alemany to Advance to Final

It could have been a blowout. But it almost ended in a blowup for the Brea-Olinda High School girls’ basketball team.

The Lady Cats, the 1989-90 Division III state runners-up, had to hold off Alemany to escape with a 49-40 victory Friday night in a semifinal game of their own tournament.

The Lady Cats (7-0) will play Gahr at 7:30 tonight in the championship game.

“We were flat. We played poorly,” said Brea-Olinda Coach Mark Trakh. “We’ve played better.”

Neither team could find the range until Alemany forward Brenda Garcia hit a jumper 2 minutes 4 seconds into the game.

The Indians played Brea-Olinda tough in the first quarter until the Lady Cats went on a 10-0 spree at the end of the period and early in the second quarter to take an 18-6 lead with six minutes to play before the half.

Brea-Olinda held a 28-11 lead at the half even though it made only four of 13 shots in the second quarter. But its five free throws in seven attempts, and Alemany’s poor shooting in the quarter (one of seven from the field), helped the Lady Cats increase the margin.

Williams and freshman guard Nicole Erickson (11 points) each scored six points in the third period to give Brea-Olinda a 42-25 lead after three quarters.

Things got more interesting after that. Williams got into foul trouble and sat out most of the fourth quarter, and the Indians outscored Brea-Olinda, 13-2, in a five-minute span to close the gap to 46-40.

“That hurt us,” Trakh said about Williams’ foul trouble.

Senior guard Cathy Lewis had 10 points for Brea-Olinda. Alemany was led by junior guard Rachel Corelli with 17.

In other tournament games:

Tustin 66, Katella 45--Christine Garner had 19 points and 19 rebounds and Sheri Needham had 18 points and 16 rebounds for Tustin (6-2) in the consolation semifinal game.

Chaffey 66, Costa Mesa 63 (OT)--Despite 34 points by guard Olivia DiCamilli, the Mustangs fell in a semifinal game for fifth place.

DiCamilli had an opportunity to give Costa Mesa the victory at the end of regulation but she missed two free throws with no time left on the clock to send the contest into overtime.

Forward Rachel Ward had 14 points for Costa Mesa. Center Tamika Phillips led Chaffey with 28 points.