Brea-Olinda Attains Its No. 1 Dream

Dreams of a No. 1 ranking and “national championship” came true Wednesday for the Brea-Olinda girls’ basketball program.

The Ladycats (33-0) ascended to the No. 1 position in USA Today’s Super 25 national high school poll, rising one spot from last week.

Brea is the fifth team to be No. 1 this season. Ladycat Coach John Hattrup said he preferred it this way rather than deal with the expectations a No. 1 ranking would have put on the team during the season. The Ladycats began the year ranked No. 15.

Brea’s 54-44 victory Saturday over San Jose Archbishop Mitty in the State Division III championship game gave the Ladycats their fourth consecutive State title.

The Ladycats received news of No. 1 Pickerington’s loss to Garfield Heights Trinity, 59-54, in the Ohio Division I championship, while in the interview room shortly after their victory.

“This is the pinnacle of my career--to coach a national championship team,” said Hattrup, Brea’s first-year head coach who directed Mission Viejo to the State title game in 1982 and won a Southern Section title in 1987 before joining the Brea program as an assistant. “I would say you couldn’t do any better than this.”

The Ladycats are one of six teams in the paper’s Super 25 that finished unbeaten.

Players’ parents were as eager as the team was to get the official news. Colleen Hudson’s mother had the poll ready when Colleen woke up, but Sarah Beckley’s parents couldn’t wait, getting her up 30 minutes earlier than usual.

“My dad turned on my light at 5:45 a.m. and woke me up and said, ‘Look, look, you’re No. 1,’ ” said Beckley, who started in all four of Brea’s State championship victories. “I think this is the best feeling you can get. We’re all on a natural high. It’s the best thing you could have done at the high school level, and it feels really good.”

Pickerington (27-1) dropped to ninth in the rankings, one behind Trinity (26-2). Brea defeated Trinity, 65-55, on Dec. 29.

Shreveport (La.) Byrd (35-1) finished No. 2, and Oregon City (Ore.), which finished 26-1, was No. 3.