Cougar Girls Just Outlast Del Campo

No one, it seemed, wanted this one to end.

Why would they?

This was girls’ basketball at, if not its best, the next thing to it.

“Awesome, just awesome,” said Angie White of Capistrano Valley after the opening game of the inaugural Orange County Challenge at Brea-Olinda High Friday night.

White wasn’t the only one reeling from Capistrano Valley’s 89-87 triple overtime victory over Fair Oaks Del Campo. The feeling was widespread.

“This is one of the best games I’ve ever been involved in,” said Capistrano Valley Coach Harlan Peet. He later amended that to the best game .

The feeling was not mutual for Brea-Olinda, Orange County’s top-ranked girls’ team, after Game 2 of this two-day, four-game event. The Ladycats were defeated, 59-46, by Orem (Utah) Mountain View.

It would have been hard for the hosts to top Game 1 anyway. At no time during regulation did either team lead by more than four points. The biggest margin, the Cougars’ second five-point lead of the third overtime, was reduced back to two when Danielle Viglione hit one of her seven three-pointers at final buzzer.

“The most overtimes I’ve been in is two,” said Viglione, who had a game-high 54 points, just under her career high of 58. “I was hoping for four.”

Del Campo took a 81-79 lead in the final overtime, but fifth-ranked Capistrano Valley (13-2) didn’t relent.

White, a senior guard who had a career-high 34 points, hit from the lane, and teammate Susan Scott made it 83-81 with a reverse layup. Del Campo (9-4) turned the ball over with 38 seconds remaining, and White’s three-point basket made it 86-81. Viglione made her first three-pointer of the final overtime, but a basket by Megan Baker and a free throw by White negated Viglione final three-pointer.

The Cougars were fortunate to force the second and third overtimes. In both instances, it was junior forward Susan Scott who came through in a pinch.

Scott hit from the lane with 23 seconds left in the first overtime to tie it at 73-73, and Viglione then missed a long jumper inside the three-point range.

In the second, Scott got clear in the left wing, White fed her the ball, and Scott was on target to tie it at 79.

In the other Orange County Challenge game:

Orem (Utah) Mountain View 59, Brea Olinda 46--Brea Olinda fell to the two-time defending Utah State 4A champion in the second game. Nicole Erickson had 19 points for the Ladycats’ (11-2), and teammate Colleen Hudson added eight. For Mountain View (8-1), Raegan Scott led all scorers with 22 points.