SEA VIEW LEAGUE GIRLS’ BASKETBALL : Woodbridge Passes Test, Ties for First

This was finals week at Woodbridge High School, but girls’ basketball Coach Eric Bangs told his players that after they put their No. 2 pencils away they still had one more exam.

The Warriors got an “A” for annihilation Thursday night, scoring a 55-43 victory over Newport Harbor and creating a tie for first place between the teams.

Barring an upset in its final three games, Woodbridge (17-5, 10-1 in league) can claim a share of its eighth title in 10 years; Newport Harbor (15-6, 10-1) can claim its first.

And Flo Luppani can claim that her senior season wasn’t a waste. Six weeks after surgery to remove her anterior cruciate ligament, Luppani scored 17 points, and her three three-point baskets in the second quarter buried the Sailors’ outright title hopes.

It was Luppani’s fourth game back and she made the most of it. She also scored eight points in the fourth quarter, including six of six from the free-throw line.

“She’s the heart and soul of that team,” Newport Harbor Coach Shannon Jakosky said. “She made a huge difference for them. Those three three-pointers she made in the second quarter made about a six-point game into a 13- or 14-point game.”

Newport Harbor won the teams’ first meeting, 48-46, with Luppani on the sideline.

Woodbridge held a 7-3 lead just over three minutes into the game, but trailed after one quarter, 10-7.

But Luppani connected on consecutive three-point baskets and made it 15-7. Then Newport Harbor fell apart.

Runs of 14 and six points gave Woodbridge a 27-12 lead. The Sailors’ only points were scored on a layup by Kala Ross with 3 minutes 51 seconds left in the half, but she committed her fourth foul 10 seconds later. When she fouled out with 3:26 remaining in the third, her team trailed 38-20.

Ross, an all-county first-team selection averaging 21.4 points per game, finished with three points and one rebound.

“I checked the shot chart in the first half and (Newport Harbor) didn’t have a shot in the paint,” Bangs said. “The big thing was we kept our poise. We stunk it up at the end of the first quarter, but we played a great second quarter.”

Jamie Oenning scored eight of her 13 points in the second, and Burgess scored six of her 10.

Luppani, who had played only seven or eight minutes in her previous three games, also praised teammates Nicole Quinn (nine points, eight rebounds) and Angela Burgess (nine rebounds) for their play inside. The Warriors went to Quinn in a successful effort to get Ross to foul out.

Luppani and Quinn were the only senior starters for Woodbridge, and Ross was the only senior playing for Newport Harbor.

In other league games:

Santa Margarita 60, Irvine 38--Lesley Nolan had 20 points and eight rebounds and Karin Moran scored 13 points for host Santa Margarita (7-12, 5-6). Jenna Badholdt scored 12 points for Irvine (1-10 in league).

Tustin 44, Corona del Mar 42--Kristin Kirkwood hit a 15-footer with two seconds to go for the winning basket for Tustin (9-12, 5-6). Mollie Flint scored 26 points for Corona del Mar (12-8, 5-6).

University 58, Saddleback 25--Jennifer Stanley scored 16 point for host University (11-9, 7-4). Saddleback is 3-17, 1-10.