Taub’s Journey Back Is Nearly Complete : Girls’ basketball: Woodbridge High forward’s effort to come back after injury culminates tonight at county all-star game.

When she heard the pop, Woodbridge High forward Belinda Taub suspected something was wrong with her left knee. When she couldn’t move it sideways, she knew .

“Jody Anton (Brea-Olinda forward) got a steal and I went back on defense, trying to stop her,” Taub said before a recent practice with the South all-star basketball team at Marina High. “I just twisted it, I guess perfectly enough to tear everything. I sat out for a couple of minutes and went back in. But I just couldn’t turn the knee.”

The injury, torn anterior cruciate ligament and meniscus, occurred Dec. 1, 1990, at a tournament, in only the third game of the season. She underwent surgery a few weeks later and missed the rest of the Warriors’ games.

That frightful moment remains engraved in Taub’s memory, a reminder of how her high school basketball career collapsed along with her knee and how hard she worked to piece it back together.

Those efforts culminate for Taub at 5 today in the 15th Orange County girls’ basketball all-star game at Cypress College.

Taub, a 5-foot-11 senior, made a remarkable comeback this season. She led Woodbridge in scoring (12.3-point average) and rebounding (9.9), and was second on the team in field-goal percentage (45.5%). Her play helped the Warriors reach the Southern Section II-AA semifinals and earned her a spot on the All-Sea View League team.

But there were times when Taub couldn’t see all that happening.

“I didn’t think I was going to be able to play,” Taub said. “But everyone was so supportive and helped me through it.”

Estancia Coach Russ Davis, then at Woodbridge, was one of the people in Taub’s support group.

“We had a lot of long talks,” said Davis, who will be an assistant on the South team in today’s game. “She had a few down moments, but she fought through it. It was tough for me, too, because I really was looking forward to coaching her.”

To accelerate a rehabilitation process that doctors told her would probably take as long as 10 months, Taub worked with physical therapists for 2 1/2 hours a day, six days a week. Five months later, she was cleared to play. But Taub then decided not to test the knee in summer league games and instead took a vacation.

Taub, who was born in Durban, South Africa, and moved with her family to Boston in 1986 and to Irvine the following year, visited her homeland. When she returned 1 1/2 months later, she was a ready to play but with few expectations.

“My only goal this year was to have fun,” Taub said. “This has turned out to be much more than that.”

Taub, who plans to attend UC Santa Barbara and major in physical therapy, said today’s game could be her last.

“I have mixed emotions about playing,” Taub said. “After I had the injury, a lot of things came into perspective. I want to concentrate on academics. I’m not sure if I want to try out for the team (at Santa Barbara).”

Girls’ Game Notes

The South teams leads the series with eight victories in 14 games, but the North has won the past three including last year at Saddleback College, 82-68. . . . The South team held its last practice Thursday night at Marina, and the North practiced Friday at Rancho Alamitos. “We’ve only had one practice when we’ve had all the kids there,” North Coach Bob Becker said. . . . Becker will be assisted by his two assistants at Rancho Alamitos, Dan Oda and Mike Martinez. Besides Estancia’s Russ Davis, South Coach Pete Bonny will be assisted by his own assistant at Marina, Stephanie Sabelino. . . . Bonny said he tried to make the experience fun for the girls. “We had a beach party after one of the practices,” Bonny said. “We went to Huntington Beach, Surf City.” . . . The North squad’s combined 3.83 GPA is the highest by any boys’ or girls’ Orange County basketball all-star team. . . . Members of the four all-star teams visited the Children’s Hospital of Orange County last week. “We passed out baseball cards and played basketball with the kids,” Bonny said. . . . The North girls’ team, Becker said, is dedicating the game to 5-year-old Jasper McKugh, who is a cancer patient at the hospital.