SOUTH COAST LEAGUE ROUNDUP : Mater Dei Gets Scare but Beats Dana Hills

Though Mater Dei walked out of its gym Thursday night one victory richer, it was the Monarchs who experienced the Maalox moment.

And if Dana Hills’ Adara Newidouski has her way--as she did in the game’s second half--Mater Dei Coach Brenda Yecke might consider a bulk purchase before the teams meet on Newidouski’s home court.

The seventh-ranked Monarchs (13-3, 3-0 in league) scored a 51-44 South Coast League victory over the ninth-ranked Dolphins (11-3, 2-1), but not without developing an ulcer or two.

Dana Hills nearly overcame an 11-point deficit with 3 minutes 3 seconds left in the third quarter, cutting the deficit to one point, 41-40, with 3:12 left in the game.

“Adara took over the game,” Yecke said, relishing victory before visiting fourth-ranked Capistrano Valley on Tuesday. “We told (Heather Lee) to not let her touch the ball.”

Lee and Maurissa Genereux managed--until the final minute. Mater Dei worked the lead to 48-40 before Newidouski scored on a backdoor trip to the basket with one minute left, and hit a 17-footer with 21 seconds remaining.

“She hit some clutch shots and almost won the game by herself,” Yecke said. “She’s one heck of a clutch player.

“We’re so young (starting only one senior, Lee), that’s what we’re determining about ourselves, who’s the clutch player.”

Newidouski, a 5-foot-10 senior averaging about 16 points, set the school girls’ career scoring record the previous game. She now has 949.

“We’re not going to hang our heads,” she said. “Right now, we just want to beat somebody. We could have easily folded.

“I can’t wait till they come to our house.”

Dana Hills Coach Mike Chapman liked the effort, if not the outcome.

“We showed a lot of character in the third quarter,” he said. “If you don’t believe (in yourself), you don’t do it. Those things don’t happen by themselves.”

In that 10-0 run, Newidouski (nine of 19 for the game) scored seven consecutive points, and after missing the back end of a one-and-one free throw, Karun Grossman (15 points) put back the rebound to make it 41-40.

After Mater Dei’s Leticia Oseguera’s free throw--giving her 12 points to go with 14 rebounds--freshman guard Allison Luckey dribbled the length of the court for a layup against the Dolphin defense for a 44-40 lead, and that was followed by Adrienne Botana’s 17-footer for a 46-40 margin. Each finished with 11 points, and both those clutch field goals were set up by two of Dana Hills’ 20 turnovers.

Mater Dei had 21 turnovers, but fewer when it mattered most.

Said Newidouski: “Mater Dei has great guard defense, and our guards struggled a little bit.”

Yecke explained: “We rotated in so many people (guards Tina Afan, Candace Kollen, Betsy Cave) who did an outstanding job.”

In other South Coast League games:

Capistrano Valley 71, El Toro 14--Susan Scott scored 18 points, Angie White had 12 and Katie Scott had 11 for host Capistrano Valley (12-3, 3-0). Capistrano Valley led at the half, 33-9.

San Clemente 44, Mission Viejo 40--Forward Dana Netherby had 17 points for host San Clemente (9-8, 1-2). Mission Viejo is 10-6, 0-3.