Hurlbut Is Mater Dei’s Stealth Bomber

When Lori Hurlbut comes off the bench Saturday night a few minutes into Mater Dei’s Division I girls’ basketball state championship game, most people inside Arco Arena won’t pay much attention.

She will be, largely, unnoticed. She is, in fact, Mater Dei’s secret weapon.

Hurlbut has stepped forward with her three-point shooting during the 1996 playoffs to become a central figure in the Monarchs’ drive for their first state title in girls’ basketball.

She has averaged 14 points in seven playoff games--twice her season average--and in the Southern California Regional final last weekend against Ventura Buena, she set a regional championship game record with five three-point baskets in Mater Dei’s 48-40 victory.

Mater Dei (28-3) plays San Jose Archbishop Mitty (26-2) at 6 p.m. Saturday for the state title.

Hurlbut scored 18 points against Oxnard in Mater Dei’s first playoff game and has played with confidence since. And when she plays with confidence, well. . . .

“She’s the difference between being a good team or a great team,” Coach Mary Hauser said, “between being a CIF semifinalist or a CIF champion.

“There’s a fine line, but it’s important to have more weapons. You can shut down one or two players, but after that, it’s really tough if you have some other kids who can do some other things.”

The thing Hurlbut does best is shoot three-point baskets. She missed Mater Dei’s first 15 games with a stress fracture in her foot, but has made 30 of 59 three-point shots (50.8%) since her return. She’s 44 for 88 overall, and has overcome the passiveness that plagued her game early in her comeback.

“People forgot about her because she was injured so long,” Hauser said. “Last year, she was a sophomore and was overshadowed. People know she’s a good little player but are unsure of what she can really do. She’s never really started for us--she’s always come off the bench.”

Secret weapon?

* Mater Dei trailed Buena in the regional finals, 11-4, less than five minutes into the game. Hurlbut scored eight points in 68 seconds--including two NBA-distance three-pointers--to give the Monarchs a 12-11 lead in a game they won by eight.

* Southern Section final, 1996, Mater Dei was in the process of blowing a 13-point lead. Hurlbut momentarily stopped the bleeding with consecutive three-pointers, one for a 37-31 lead, the other 71 seconds later to give the Monarchs the lead again, 40-38.

* State finals, 1995, Mater Dei trailed Atherton Sacred Heart by six early in the fourth quarter. Hurlbut’s three-point play made it 41-38, and her three-point basket with seven seconds cut the deficit to 52-50 and gave them a chance to tie--or win.

* Southern regional final, 1995, Mater Dei struggled on offense in the second quarter against Clovis West. Hurlbut banged a three-pointer to tie the score at 16-16, and added a three-pointer in the third for a six-point lead in a game Mater Dei won, 50-47.

* Late-season matchup against eventual II-AA finalist Mission Hills Alemany, Mater Dei trailed by 19 with two minutes left in the third quarter. Hurlbut made two three-pointers that spark the comeback, a 56-52 victory.

“That’s the first time when I actually became a factor in a game,” Hurlbut said. “I’ve seen others win games with three-pointers, but that was the first time I realized I could contribute a lot with my three-point shot.”

Hauser said that game defined Hurlbut as a varsity basketball player.

“She got her confidence that she could come in and hit big shots in the big games,” Hauser said. “From that game on, we noticed her ability to come in and really help turn games around and put a dent in other teams’ defenses.”

Hurlbut is a zone-buster, and when teams are forced to extend to defend her, it opens gaps for Melody Peterson (17.4 points) and Rhonda Gondringer (16.3) to exploit with their slashing styles.

“Everybody talks about Ronnie and Melody, which I like, because I don’t like the attention,” Hurlbut said. “It’s nice, but I’ve lived this long without it.”