OLYMPIC LEAGUE GIRLS’ BASKETBALL : Capistrano Valley Christian Falls to First-Place Cerritos Valley Christian

Playing second fiddle may sound bleak when you’re a traditional powerhouse, but when you’re Capistrano Valley Christian, it’s a position of high regard.

It’s also a little scary.

That touch of fear was a stroke of luck for Cerritos Valley Christian, as the visiting Crusaders waltzed off with a 54-43 Olympic League victory Thursday night.

Historically, Capistrano Valley Christian girls’ basketball hasn’t been a name that invokes fear in the opposition.

But this season, the Eagles have notched victory after surprising victory and found themselves in the unlikely position of second place in the league standings.

“We’re such a small school,” said Capistrano Valley Christian Coach Tim Shelton. “We’ve always been the underdogs. No one expects us to win.”

But while the Eagles are learning about winning, there will be setbacks, such as the one suffered against Cerritos Valley Christian.

“I think they’re a little uncomfortable in the role of second in league and vying for for the league championship,” Shelton said. “It’s a new situation for them.”

As its has been in the past three games, Capistrano Valley Christian was its own worst enemy. Enough turnovers to fill a bakery. Horrible shooting. Worse passing. Nothing went the Eagles way.

“I think we were in a good position to win this game,” said 6-foot-2 center Ivana Kovacic, who scored a team-high 16 points. “We didn’t play tough defense and their press took something out of our offense . . .

“We had a bad night.”

In the second half, Capistrano Valley Christian matched its opponents’ scoring output, but by then it was too late.

The closest the Eagles came was early in the third quarter, when a three-point play by Marcy Giosa cut the deficit to six, 24-18.

In the first half, Capistrano Valley Christian (14-6, 7-3) was four of 26 from the field--one of 16 in the first quarter--and fell behind, 22-11, at halftime.

Jodi Parriott led the Crusaders (21-2, 11-0) with 19 points.

In another league game:

Whittier Christian 32, Calvary Chapel 28--Stephanie Della Corte scored 10 points for Whittier Christian (13-8, 7-4).

Blythe Linsey had 11 points and 10 rebounds for Calvary Chapel (10-11, 4-6).