SOUTHERN SECTION GIRLS’ BASKETBALL PLAYOFFS : DIVISION III-A : DiCamilli Drives Costa Mesa

So much for the Upset Express. Not with Olivia DiCamilli engineering its derailment.

Top-seeded Costa Mesa, riding DiCamilli’s season-high 38 points, defeated Culver City, 57-37, in a Division III-A girls’ basketball semifinal Tuesday night at Estancia High.

It was the 23rd consecutive victory for the Mustangs (26-4), who advance to play in the section championship Saturday at Loyola Marymount. Culver City (18-11), third-place in the Ocean League, had previously upset fourth-seeded Covina Northview and Atascadero.

DiCamilli took the game over in the second half, almost single-handedly knocking the Centaurs out of the tournament by scoring 23 of her team’s 33 points. The Mustangs bolted from a 24-23 halftime lead to a 34-23 lead in the opening 3 minutes 47 seconds of the third quarter. DiCamilli scored eight of her team’s 10 points.

She scored from everywhere. Off the rebound. Trailing on the fastbreak. The short jumper. The mid-range jumper. The three-point shot.

“I told them in the first quarter we had to get the ball to Olivia--she’s the one who got us here,” Costa Mesa Coach Lisa McNamee said. “I was screaming at her to take over. I said to her at halftime, ‘You’ve got to go the hoop.’ ”

And she did, coming up with her best game of the year. Paul.

“I turned it up when I had to and made the baskets when I had to,” DiCamilli said. “But my team did a great job of getting me the ball.”

And they made no secret about it in the second half. She scored eight of Costa Mesa’s first 10 points in the third quarter, and the team’s first nine in the fourth.

Heather Robinson had 10 assists, and scored eight of her 10 points in the second half.

DiCamilli’s big night on offense was sparked by the effort of teammate Neiar Kabua. She had the task of guarding Culver City’s Jenny Nakanishi, who entered the game with a 22.9 scoring average. DiCamilli opened the game guarding Nakanishi--who scored all five of Culver City’s first-quarter points--before Kabua got the call. Nakanishi finished with 14 and scored only four in the decisive second half.

“I thought if we had a big kid on (Nakanishi) it would intimidate her,” McNamee said. “It didn’t. But I needed to take advantage of Olivia on offense, not waste her on defense.”

Costa Mesa scored the first six and the final nine points of the first quarter for a 15-5 lead. But at 17-7, Culver City launched its comeback with three consecutive three-point baskets. Nakanishi’s driving layup gave the Centaurs a 20-19 lead with 3:57 to go. But Yool Kim’s free throw with one second left made it 24-23, setting up DiCamilli’s big half.