SOUTHERN SECTION PLAYOFFS : DIVISION II-AA GIRLS’ BASKETBALL : Marina Will Get What It Wants After Beating Ocean View

The chanting began with 1 minute 20 seconds left in the game, but it could have started with five minutes left in the first half. Still, you had to wonder if those who were chanting, who were being so bold, really knew what they were asking for.

“We want Woodbridge. We want Woodbridge. . . . “

Now, Marina will get them.

The Vikings, dropping down from Division I where it lost to Thousand Oaks in the semifinals two of the last three years, reached the Southern Section Division II-AA semifinals Saturday by beating former Sunset League rival and fourth-seeded Ocean View, 70-47. The game wouldn’t have been that close had the Seahawks not scored 20 points in the fourth quarter.

Marina (21-6) faces the No. 1 team in the state on Tuesday.

“Since the season started, everyone was asking, ‘Can you play Woodbridge?’ ” Marina Coach Pete Bonny said. “When the enrollment changed (and Marina dropped to Division II-AA), I told them there was an outside chance we’ll meet.”

A coin flip today will determine which team chooses an alternate site for the game.

Marina has the distinction of beating Woodbridge over the summer in one of the two games the teams played. Though summer play doesn’t mean anything in February, if Marina provides a repeat of Saturday’s performance, maybe those fans knew what they were chanting about.

The host Vikings shot 61% from the field, going 17 for 28 in the first half and 16 for 26 in the second. They outrebounded Ocean View, 29-16, and beat the Seahawks without the benefit of a single point from the free-throw line.

In doing so, Marina defeated the county’s hottest team. Ocean View (21-8) had won 14 consecutive games.

Ocean View shot 42% from the field, but attempted only 38 shots (making 16).

“We’re a young team in front of a big crowd in a big game,” Ocean View Coach Ollie Martin said. “You could see the loss of composure. We weren’t in position on defense and we rushed ourselves on offense.”

The Seahawks trailed, 13-9, after Anna Lembke’s eight-footer with 1:54 left in the first quarter, but Marina went on a 16-1 run, which included consecutive three-point baskets by Natalie Nakase and Marisa Emde. Shandy Robbins (16 points, 7 rebounds), who missed several minutes of the half because of foul trouble, capped the run with a basket at 4:55, making it 29-10.

Nakase, who scored 10 points--all in the second quarter--ended the half with another three-pointer with five seconds left.

“Woodbridge is a great team,” Robbins said, “but I think we’re equally matched. They have a little more experience, but we’re fired up and ready for them. Just like the crowd said, ‘We want Woodbridge.’ ”

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In other Division II-AA games

Woodbridge 75, Crescenta Valley 46--Erin Stovall scored 22 points and led a stifling Woodbridge defense with eight steals. Krissy Duperron added 14 points for the top-seeded Warriors (27-1).

Riverside J.W. North 64, Huntington Beach 52--Huntington Beach (16-12) was led by Mindi Adam, who scored 15 points, and Renee Kimoto, who had 11, against the fourth-seeded Huskies (23-3).