GIRLS’ BASKETBALL O.C. CHALLENGE : Brea-Olinda Adjusts for 81-72 Victory

The Brea-Olinda girls’ basketball team was already walking with its tail between its legs, and the Ladycats preferred not to have egg thrown on their faces as well.

With that in mind, the Ladycats made a major halftime adjustment during the finale of the Orange County Challenge, and waltzed away with an 81-72 victory over Del Campo Saturday night at Brea-Olinda High.

This morning, Brea-Olinda is walking with its head a little higher.

“We were a little down from last night’s loss,” said Nicole Erickson, the Ladycats’ leading scorer with 24 points.

“It was so embarrassing to lose that way.”

Had Brea-Olinda Coach Mark Trakh not decided to put two defenders on Del Campo scoring sensation Danielle Viglione, the Ladycats (12-2) would have likely had some kind of scoring record set in its home gym.

At halftime, the host team trailed, 41-34, and it appeared as if the Texas-bound senior couldn’t be stopped. Viglione, who entered the challenge with a 36-point scoring average, had 29 of her team’s 41 points and missed only two shots.

“I thought we could hold her to a reasonable number,” said Trakh, “but I knew if we didn’t make some kind of adjustment, she’d finished with 60 points.”

As it turned out, Viglione finished with 40 points, including six fourth-quarter free throws.

Guarding Viglione were Susan Rhodabarger, Lee Moulin and Tara Llanes, who forced Viglione to take poor shots.

“We’ve had some trouble with the taller girls,” Trakh said. “But they all did an excellent job on her.”

Likewise, Brea-Olinda did a commendable job of getting its second-half scoring on track. After a slow start, Sarah Beckley and Colleen Hudson started to click.

Beckley finished with 20 points, 16 of those in the second half, and Hudson scored 10 of her 16 points after halftime. Moulin finished with 19 points and Erickson finished with 24.

At the start of the third quarter, the Ladycats went on a 13-point run to take a 47-43 lead. Del Campo is 12-5.

In the other Orange County Challenge game:

Orem (Utah) Mountain View 52, Capistrano Valley 35--Capistrano Valley couldn’t sustain the momentum it had going from its three-overtime victory Friday against Del Campo.

Fifth-ranked Capistrano Valley got caught up in the Bruins’ slow pace and only briefly picked it up in the fourth, when the Cougars (10-3) went on a five-point run to pull to 49-32.

Angie White, headed for Nevada Las Vegas, was Capistrano Valley’s leading scorer with 12 points. Teammate Megan Baker had eight rebounds.

For Mountain View (9-1), Reagan Scott led all scorers with 17 points but teammates Mandy Hodges (13) and Kim Morris (12) contributed in double figures.