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STATE PREP BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIPS : County Teams Have a Perfect Day : This Time, Brea-Olinda Gets It Right

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TIMES STAFF WRITER

This time, nothing was left to chance by the Brea-Olinda High School girls’ basketball team.

Not by center Jinelle Williams, who got the Ladycats off to a fast start. Not by forward Jody Anton, who took matters into her own hands in the fourth quarter. And certainly not by Coach Mark Trakh, who said he had learned from past mistakes.

Brea, which lost the State title game a year ago, returned to the top Saturday with a 54-46 victory over Hayward Moreau in the State Division II championship game.

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It was the Ladycats’ second title in three seasons and their 16th consecutive victory.

It also removed the bad taste of a 54-43 loss to Auburn Placer in last year’s title game, the Ladycats’ only defeat in 1989-90.

“Things will be a little different tonight.” Anton said. “We’re going to celebrate. We were thinking about last year a lot all week. There was no way we were going to let that happen again.”

Anton, a junior, helped make sure of it. She pushed and pulled Brea to the finish line by quelling Moreau’s fourth-quarter rally.

The Mariners, who trailed by as many as 15 points, got to within nine twice in the fourth quarter. Both times, Anton put the Ladycats back up by 11.

In fact, Anton scored all eight Brea points in the final quarter. She finished with 22 points, 13 rebounds, four blocked shots and four assists.

“Anton is a clutch player, there’s no doubt about that,” Trakh said. “She may not get 20 points every game, but that’s because we don’t let her play against teams like Anaheim. But in games like this, she’s great.”

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Last year, Trakh didn’t send a scout to watch Placer in the Northern California Regional.

But you don’t win 99 games in three seasons by repeating mistakes. Last Saturday, when Moreau played Sacramento El Camino in the regional, a Brea scout was present.

“We got a very good report,” Trakh said.

The Ladycats packed in their defense, daring the Mariners to shoot from the outside. They did, but not well.

Moreau, which made one three-pointer in its final three games, shot 35.1% from the field.

“We knew Moreau got a lot of points on second and third shots,” Trakh said. “We tried to be physical and then blocked out.

“Contain, close out, seal and rebound. That was the plan.”

And it was well executed.

Brea (33-1) outrebounded Moreau, 43-23. The Ladycats had 14 offensive rebounds, compared to the Mariners’ nine, three of which were team rebounds.

Anton had five offensive rebounds, three of which she converted into baskets. Williams had three offensive rebounds and 11 total.

“They were the most physical team we’ve played all season,” Moreau Coach Paul Phillips said. “No one has played us like that. They pounded us on the boards.”

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The Ladycats got physical from the outset. They went inside repeatedly to Williams, who responded by scoring eight of Brea’s first 17 points. She scored the first two baskets of the game and the Ladycats led, 17-6, six minutes into the game.

“Getting the ball to me wasn’t the game plan, it just happened,” Williams said. “They were giving it to me, so I had to score.”

Williams, suffering from the flu, faded in the second half. She finished with 16 points.

Nicole Erickson, the Ladycats’ freshman point guard, also had the flu, which limited her playing time. She appeared fatigued in the fourth quarter and the result was a sloppy series of plays.

With 5 minutes 38 seconds left, Anton scored off an offensive rebound to give Brea a 48-33 lead. The Ladycats then turned the ball over on their next five possessions.

Moreau (30-3), which had won 24 consecutive games, pulled to within 48-39 on a 15-foot jumper by Denise Noleroth.

“I think we got a little excited when we were up by 15,” Anton said. “We kind of let it go to our heads.”

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Anton solved that problem with a 17-foot jumper and four free throws.

“I think we worked harder this season than anybody has ever worked,” Anton said. “We wanted to go out on a winning note.”

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