GIRLS’ DIVISION I-A BASKETBALL ROUNDUP : Buena’s Big Front Line Pummels San Clemente

It didn’t take long for San Clemente to find out how things would go against Ventura Buena in the Southern Section Division I-A girls’ basketball playoffs Wednesday night.

Buena, with four starters 5 feet 10 or taller, got three shots and a basket on its first trip down the floor.

From there, the third-seeded Bulldogs dominated the boards and cruised to a 65-25 second-round victory over the Tritons at San Clemente.

Buena (23-2) advances to Saturday’s quarterfinals against the Cerritos (21-7), a 57-50 winner over Huntington Beach Wednesday night, at a site to be determined.

San Clemente (18-7) couldn’t stop Buena’s front line. Forwards Julie Hardy (16 points) and Michelle Giordano (14 points) each scored inside effectively and controlled the rebounds.

Giordano finished with a team-high 12 rebounds, while Hardy added nine. Buena had a 67-35 advantage on the boards.

The Bulldogs opened a 14-0 lead at the 3 minute, 30 second mark of the first quarter. By halftime, Buena had a 34-11 lead, with Hardy scoring 10 consecutive points in the second quarter.

San Clemente committed 18 turnovers against Buena’s 2-2-1 press in the first half. When the Tritons did get shots, Buena’s defenders were there. The Bulldogs finished with 10 blocked shots in the game.

Buena’s inside strength took San Clemente center Kristin McOwen, the Tritons’ leading scorer, out of the offense. McOwen took only four shots and finished with two points.

In other games:

Cerritos 57, Huntington Beach 50--Clare Walker had 18 points and 11 rebounds and Deana Itow 14 points and six assists for host Huntington Beach (16-10).

Edison 62, Perris 38--Joan Paje had 18 points, including four three-pointers, and Melanie Iwamasa had 16 points, 13 rebounds and five assists for host Edison (15-10), which advanced to Saturday’s quarterfinals against top-seeded Thousand Oaks (25-1).

Marina 65, Inglewood 47--Jessica Trippet scored 20 points and Aimee Periolat had 18 points and six assists for visiting Marina (23-4). The Vikings play fourth-seeded Pasadena (22-3) in the quarterfinals Saturday.

Ocean View 63, Arroyo Grande 46--Center Nikki Vivion, who scored a season-high 25 points, blocked eight shots and grabbed 11 rebounds for visiting Ocean View (21-6). Ocean View will meet second-seeded Coachella Valley (22-1) in the quarterfinals Saturday.