Bradley Provides Spark as Brea Olinda Prevails : Girls’ Basketball: She keeps second-ranked Ladycats in the game before a second-half rally sinks No. 7 El Dorado, 41-33.

On a team with Kiyoko Miller, Jennifer Saari and Lee Moulin, it’s easy for Marissa Bradley to be overlooked.

But without Bradley’s defensive effort, Coach Jeff Sink said Brea Olinda wouldn’t have won its showdown 2 1/2 weeks ago against nationally ranked Atherton Sacred Heart.

And without Bradley’s offensive effort Saturday, the Ladycats might not have gotten past El Dorado. But Bradley scored 11 points, and Brea Olinda--ranked second in Orange County--scored a 41-33 nonleague victory over No. 7 El Dorado in front of 1,300.

Bradley carried Brea Olinda (13-1) early on, scoring seven of its 14 first-half points, keeping the Ladycats afloat while Miller (seven points), Saari (five) and Moulin (12) were shooting a combined three for 21 from the field.

After El Dorado (8-4) stretched its two-point halftime lead--despite 20 turnovers--to four points, it was Bradley whose 14-footer made it a one-point game, and her layup off Miller’s steal gave Brea Olinda a 19-18 lead it would not relinquish. Then the rest of the team found its shooting touch as El Dorado’s shooting went south.

El Dorado--six for 14 in the first half--was six for 24 in the second. Brea Olinda--six for 31 in the first half--closed out 10 for 19.

“Against Anaheim, you can score 30 points and it doesn’t mean much; but to pull it out in a big game is a big thrill,” said Bradley, who finished with 11. “You stay two hours after practice every day and hopefully you’ll get something out of it.”

Bradley has been counted on mostly as a defensive stopper.

“They can put players on the floor at any point in the game and they can all score,” El Dorado Coach Gary Raya said. “That’s why they’re head and shoulders above everybody else.”