PREP ROUNDUP : Marina Surpasses Expectations With Victory

After a dismal game followed by a dismal practice, Marina girls’ basketball Coach Pete Bonny wasn’t expecting much on Saturday.

Instead, his fourth-ranked Vikings scored a 61-51 nonleague victory over No. 6 Newport Harbor.

Marina (14-3) shot 51% from the field (28 for 55) and exhibited poise when the visiting Sailors (13-2) made the game close in the final quarter.

“We were everything tonight that we weren’t against Fountain Valley,” said Bonny, whose team lost to the fifth-ranked Barons, 63-56, on Thursday in a Sunset League game. “I didn’t think we would (play this well). Mentally, there were some big question marks (after the Fountain Valley game), but they showed what we’ve shown all season; they were composed and played smart.”

Shandy Robbins, who scored 27 against Fountain Valley, followed with a 26-point, 12-rebound night in which she also had three steals and a block. She was 13 for 18 from the field and made nine of her last 11 shots.

Marina took a 20-10 lead in the second quarter, but Newport closed to 28-26 at halftime. The Sailors had four turnovers to start the second half and Marina made seven of its first nine shots to make it 42-26.

Although Newport closed to 52-48 midway through the fourth quarter with a 1-2-2 zone defense, Norie Nakase made a 16-footer and Natalie Nakase (nine points) followed with a three-point basket to put the game out of reach.

Jenny Jennings scored 14 points and Dianne Pulido 12 and Mandy Clayton 11 for Newport Harbor. Marina’s Sonya Bryant scored 10.