THE PREPS : GIRLS’ BASKETBALL / SEA VIEW LEAGUE ROUNDUP : Woodbridge Starts Strong, Wins Big

Newport Harbor went into Thursday’s Sea View League finale against Woodbridge needing to play the game of its life to win a share of the league title. And the Sailors shot 59% from the field in the first half-- and trailed by 19.

That’s how dominant Woodbridge was, playing one of the great halves of the year to put the wraps on a third consecutive Sea View League title with its second consecutive unbeaten season.

The host Warriors scored a 74-54 victory over eighth-ranked Newport Harbor, doing almost nothing wrong in the first half and answering the Sailors’ third-quarter rally with a gut-check of their own.

Paced by Angela Burgess’ 21 points and 11 rebounds, the Warriors (25-1, 10)--No. 1 in Orange County and in the state--assured themselves of the top seeding in the Division II-AA playoffs.

Woodbridge Coach Eric Bangs said the last time his team got off to such a start was last season’s Southern California Regional semifinal, an 84-63 victory over San Bernardino. There was little Newport Harbor (20-5, 8-2) could do in the first half to keep up.

Woodbridge shot 67% from the field (20 for 30), led by Burgess’ seven-for-10 effort. The Warriors shot 44% in the second half.

The 6-foot-4 Burgess was backed by Erin Stovall (16 points), Krissy Duperron (12) and Melanie Pearson (10). Tami Weaver had nine points and five steals.

Sailor Coach Shannon Jakosky said no team in the state could beat Woodbridge the way it played.

“They have five quality players on the floor at all times,” she said. “They came out ready to play and jumped on us from the beginning. . . . (The final margin) could have been 30, 40, 50 points.”

Newport Harbor hurt itself with nine first-quarter turnovers and found itself in a 24-11 hole that reached 43-24 at halftime.

But the Sailors cut a 20-point deficit to 12, and were poised to make it a single-digit game; they had the ball and Andree Verhulst had made two three-point baskets in three previous possessions. But Weaver’s steal and layup with 2 minutes 20 seconds left in the third quarter sparked a 10-2 run.

“Most of the kids said, ‘This one’s for the seniors,’ and they wanted to end league with a great game,” said Burgess, Woodbridge’s only senior starter. “Newport’s our big rival; we had to go out with a bang.”

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In other league games:

El Toro 46, Irvine 40--Janell Jewett scored 15 points for El Toro (8-15, 3-7). Shawnee Stevens had 17 for Irvine (11-12, 3-7).

Corona del Mar 50, Santa Margarita 46--Lindsay Warmington had 24 points for Corona del Mar (11-14, 4-6), which outscored Santa Margarita, 18-11, in the fourth quarter. Shannon Redfern scored 10 for Santa Margarita (6-12, 2-8).