Mater Dei’s Press Stops Mission Hills Alemany

The Mission Hills Alemany girls’ basketball team could not break the press.

And, as a result, the Indians broke down.

Despite a well-played first half, Alemany fell to Mater Dei, 77-62, in a nonleague game Saturday night at L.A. Baptist.

Alemany (9-5) broke Mater Dei’s full-court press effortlessly in the first half, taking a 33-19 lead at halftime.

But the second half was a different story. Alemany, which committed only seven turnovers in the first half, committed seven in the third quarter and 11 in the fourth quarter.

Mater Dei (11-2) converted the turnovers into easy baskets, scoring 58 points in the second half.

“We didn’t handle the pressure well,” Alemany Coach Melissa Hearlihy said. “We turned the ball over a couple times getting nervous and that’s how they got back into it.”

The game was hauntingly similar to last season’s meeting, in which Mater Dei overcame a 19-point, fourth-quarter deficit to win by three.

“Same thing last year,” said Mater Dei guard Melody Peterson, who scored 28 points, 21 in the second half. “We knew we were a better team and when we get fired up, nobody can stop us.”

Foul trouble stopped the Indians. Peterson, who will attend Stanford, drew foul after foul on drives through the lane. Alemany’s starting front court had fouled out with 4 minutes 57 seconds left.

Carly Funicello, who will attend UCLA in the fall, was the last remaining front-court starter until she hacked Rhonda Gondringer.

Funicello, who finished with 10 points and nine rebounds, was not disappointed.

“We played well the first half,” she said. “We got a little nervous when they went on a roll, but we hung with a very good team.”

The Indians made almost everything they shot in the first half.

Jessica Bell scored 12 of her 14 points in the second quarter, most on transition layups, and the Indians made 15 of 27 shots (55.6%). Mater Dei, however, converted only seven of 23 shots (30.4%) in the first half.