Marina Defense Shuts Down Ocean View to Reach the Final

A suffocating defense and a three-point barrage from Adria Sortino helped Marina advance to the championship game of its tournament with a decisive victory Saturday over Ocean View.

The sixth-ranked Vikings scored a 49-35 decision over fifth-ranked Ocean View in the semifinals, setting up Monday’s title game with Harbor City Narbonne.

Marina (10-1) got 16 steals against the Seahawks, including six by Natalie Nakase and five by Marisa Emde. Nakase scored 17 and Emde scored four. Ocean View (10-2) committed 25 turnovers in the first three quarters and trailed by 21 at one point.

Ocean View’s Jennifer Tuiolosega, averaging almost 20 points, was limited to eight shots and scored only eight points. Marina center Chanda McLeod, a sophomore, did a good job defensively on 6-foot-2 Anna Lembke. Though Lembke scored 17 (and had 10 rebounds), she scored nine in the third quarter, mostly while McLeod (nine rebounds) was taking a breather on the bench.

Sortino, averaging six points, scored a season-high 15, including three three-point baskets in the first nine minutes as Marina took a 20-6 lead and never looked back against its former Sunset League rival.

“[Sortino] has a way of coming through in adverse conditions,” Marina Coach Pete Bonny said. “She’s a senior and it’s her last time playing the crosstown rival, and she seemed to be up to prove a point.”

In other tournament games:

Harbor City Narbonne 56, Mater Dei 36--Lori Hurlbut’s three-point basket with 3 1/2 minutes left in the second quarter was fourth-ranked Mater Dei’s only basket over the final 4:52 of the half as Narbonne went on a 12-3 run to take a 32-20 halftime lead and run away from the Monarchs.

“Our kids just stopped competing in the second quarter,” Mater Dei assistant Geri Gainey said. “All the things we had been doing so well to this point [in the season], we stopped doing. We didn’t rebound.”

Narbonne held a 46-26 rebounding advantage.

B.J. Day’s three-pointer and another basket by Hurlbut (10 points) cut the deficit to nine, 32-25, opening the third quarter, but Mater Dei had only one field goal over the final 6:20 of the quarter. Hurlbut was the only Monarch in double figures.

Laguna Hills 50, Fountain Valley 30--Tamara Inoue made six of her first seven shots and scored 24 points for third-ranked Laguna Hills, which will be without Whitney Houser (fractured foot) for two to three weeks, according to Coach Lynn Taylor. Kelly Boeke scored eight for Fountain Valley.

Newport Harbor 62, Anchorage (Alaska) East 60--Alyssa Paul’s free-throw with nine seconds left sealed Newport Harbor’s comeback victory. Breanna Badorek scored a game-high 21 for the Sailors, who trailed at halftime, 31-24. Colleen Eadie added 18 and M.E. Clayton 12.

El Dorado 51, Rosary 48--Stephanie Patten (17 points) scored five and Jennie Bluth (13 points) scored four in the fourth quarter as El Dorado outscored Rosary, 15-6, in the final period for the come-from-behind victory. Sarah Belavic led the Royals with 17 points.

Long Beach Wilson 68, Edison 51--Wilson outscored ninth-ranked Edison, 21-11, in the first quarter. Shauna Steward and Jennie Shutt each scored 14 for Edison.

Century 39, San Diego Morse 21--Aprile Powell and Allison Napier each scored 11 points for Century, which shut out the Tigers in the third quarter, 8-0.