DIVISION III-AA : It Wasn’t Pretty, but Brea Beats Newport Harbor

Brea-Olinda girls’ basketball Coach Mark Trakh is a “bottom line” guy, so he didn’t mind if the Ladycats’ 63-50 victory over Newport Harbor in the Southern Section III-AA semifinals was a little ugly.

The top-seeded Ladycats made only seven of 13 free throws in the fourth quarter, finishing 12 of 22 for the game, when they could have easily put Tuesday’s game at Sonora High School out of reach.

Also, Brea (27-2), which will face the winner of tonight’s El Dorado-Inglewood Morningside game on Saturday at the Bren Center, was forced out of its normal man-to-man defense and played a 2-3 match-up zone.

Newport Harbor (17-9) played without its head coach, Shannon Jakosky. According to Newport Harbor athletic director Eric Tweit, Jakosky was suspended indefinitely for violating a Southern Section rule by holding a team session to watch game films on Sunday.

Tuesday, Jakosky, who was forced to watch the game from the bleachers, said she was unaware of the rule.

Brea point guard Nicole Erickson sparked the Ladycats with 24 points and six assists. Teammate Jody Anton, who will attend USC next year, had 14 points and 11 rebounds, and Sarah Beckley added 10 points.

Brea’s zone managed to hold Newport center Maureen McLaren, an all-county volleyball player, to two points. But forward Kala Ross picked up the slack, scoring 22 points on a variety of off-balance jumpers.

It will be Brea-Olinda’s fourth consecutive trip to the Southern Section finals, and its eighth appearance in the past 11 years.