GIRLS’ BASKETBALL ROUNDUP : Tustin Downs Woodbridge for Sea View Title

Christine Garner had reason to be tentative Thursday night as she and her Tustin High School teammates entered the fourth quarter tied with Woodbridge. Having accumulated four fouls midway through the third period, Garner could have backed off in fear of foul No. 5.

But this was no time to hold back.

Garner scored two quick baskets to open the quarter and break open the game, helping Tustin to a 61-56 victory at Woodbridge High.

The victory gave the Tillers (23-2, 10-0 in league and the county’s third-ranked team) their third Sea View League title in as many years. Sixth-ranked Woodbridge (20-5, 8-2) finishes second in the league.

“Very intense!” was how Garner, a junior forward, described the final period, one that began with a 46-46 tie. “All we had in our mind was winning. Even though we’d have been co-champions if we lost, we didn’t care. We wanted 10-0.”

That was most evident in the fourth quarter, when Tustin’s patience and precision outdid Woodbridge’s hurried efforts.

Garner opened the quarter with a close turnaround jumper and followed with an inside shot off a line-drive pass by Wanda Sequeira. Shari Needham’s 15-foot jumper and subsequent free throw helped Tustin pull away, 53-46.

Woodbridge cut the lead to three (59-56) when point guard Florencia Luppani hit a left-handed scoop shot from under the net--her second such shot of the night--with 12 seconds remaining. But Needham sank two free throws and Garner smothered a rebound on Woodbridge’s final shot attempt.

Garner (20 points), Needham (16) and Nancy Vinh (10) scored in double figures for Tustin.

In other Sea View League games:

University 45, Saddleback 24--Karman Cheng scored 10 points for visiting University (12-11, 5-5) and teammate Christie Loud added nine.

Newport Harbor 57, Corona del Mar 56--Kristi Izumita made one of two free throws to give visiting Newport Harbor (11-12, 4-6) a 57-54 lead with 11 seconds left.

In the Century League:

El Modena 50, Orange 39--Melizza Benitez scored 12 points and grabbed 14 rebounds and Myhanh Nguyen scored seven points and had seven assists for visiting El Modena (15-4, 9-1), which won the league title after having an 0-22 record two seasons ago.

In the Empire League:

Cypress 70, Los Alamitos 34--Alyson Kosaka scored 12 points and Joanna Humphrey had 11 points and 13 rebounds to lead host Cypress (19-6, 9-1) to its first league title in 10 years.

Loara 54, Katella 44--Center Tracy Titus made 11 of 18 shots, had 21 rebounds and finished with 23 points as Loara (14-10, 7-3) tied Esperanza for second place.

In the Orange League:

Magnolia 70, Anaheim 19--Yolanda Hearvey scored 17 points and grabbed 13 rebounds to lead visiting Magnolia (13-7, 4-6). Joyce Pe’a had 16 points and six assists for Magnolia and teammate Joya Walach had 13 points.

Brea-Olinda 83, Western 29--Jinelle Williams scored 29 points for host Brea-Olinda (24-1, 10-0). Cathy Lewis scored 13 and Leigh Flores scored 11 for Brea-Olinda.

Valencia 52, Savanna 49--With 50 seconds left and Savanna leading, 49-47, Judy Hlavac scored a basket and was fouled and made two free throws to give Valencia a 50-49 lead. Savanna missed a shot at its end of the floor and Sommer McLane, who scored 13 points and grabbed 13 rebounds, made two free throws with five seconds left for Valencia.

In the Pacific Coast League:

Laguna Hills 45, Laguna Beach 26--Andrea Nelson scored 18 points and Tanya Stevens scored 16 for Laguna Hills. Cole Stephens scored 12 for host Laguna Beach (4-14, 2-8).

Trabuco Hills 72, Century 54--Holly Warnick scored a school-record 30 points to lead visiting Trabuco Hills (6-4, 12-13). Yessenia Cota scored 17 points and Lucy Guerrero had 11 for Century (4-16, 0-10).

In the South Coast League:

Capistrano Valley 49, Mission Viejo 40--Angie White scored 18 points and Lisa Farr added 13 to lead visiting Capistrano Valley (16-6, 7-3) to a third-place finish in the league.

San Clemente 57, Dana Hills 45--Adara Newidouski of host Dana Hills (13-10, 4-6) led all scorers with 16 points.

In the Sunset League:

Huntington Beach 63, Ocean View 54--Amber Ambrose and Deana Ito each scored 14 for host Huntington Beach (19-7, 8-4). Dana Jahr and Claire Walker each scored 10 points for Huntington Beach.

Marina 63, Fountain Valley 39--Gillian Bean scored 14 points and Colleen Hatch added 11 for league champion Marina (21-4, 12-0) at Fountain Valley. Shanna Wilson scored 10 points for Fountain Valley (17-9, 9-3).

Santa Ana 37, Westminster 27--Carmen Payan scored 12 points for host Santa Ana (7-14, 2-10). Alicia Pacheco had nine rebounds and two points and Cynthia Trotter had 10 steals and six points for Santa Ana.

In the Olympic League:

Orange Lutheran 47, Valley Christian 45--Becky Pearson scored 20 points, including nine during the fourth period, as host Orange Lutheran (9-9, 7-5) outscored Valley Christian, 18-7, for the come-from-behind victory.