STATE BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIPS : ROUNDUP : Playa del Rey St. Bernard Gets a Second Title

No matter that the Playa del Rey St. Bernard girls’ basketball team lost four of its five starters from last season’s State Division IV championship team because of graduation.

No matter because the player the Vikings had returning was Olympia Scott.

Scott led St. Bernard to its second consecutive title when it defeated Grass Valley Bear River, 53-43, Friday at the Oakland Coliseum in a rematch of last season’s final.

Scott, a 6-foot-2 senior forward, and Marte Alexander, a 6-4 senior center, each scored 14 points to lead the Vikings (28-4). Scott also had a game-high 20 rebounds, including nine offensive boards.

St. Bernard did not take control until the fourth quarter. With St. Bernard trailing, 43-39, Alexander and Scott combined for 10 points as the Vikings scored the final 14 points.

For St. Bernard, the game ended an era. Scott will head to Stanford next season and Alexander will head to Arizona.