Valley Christian Drops Brethren Christian, 67-45

Cerritos Valley Christian proved why it’s the top-ranked team in the state in Division IV by cruising to a 67-45 victory over Brethren Christian in the Southern Section Division IV-A girls’ basketball semifinals Saturday at Cerritos Gahr High.

Junior Sarah Middlebrooke scored 16 of her 18 points in the second half to lead the Crusaders’ balanced offense. Valley Christian’s stingy defense helped limit Brethren Christian to 25 points through three quarters.

Top-seeded Valley Christian (26-2) advanced to the finals, where it will play the Burbank Bellarmine-Jefferson vs. Santa Maria St. Joseph winner. Fourth-seeded Brethren Christian, which played its Olympic League rival tough in two previous meetings this season, ended its season 20-6.

Valley Christian Coach Eleanor Dykstra struggled to explain the blowout.

“The first game we didn’t pull away until the fourth quarter,” Dykstra said. “The second time we played, we got a big lead in the first half, then we let down a little and Brethren made a big run at us in the second half. But this game . . . “

Both teams were sluggish at the start and Valley Christian managed only 13 first-quarter points. But it was enough for a six-point lead because Brethren Christian made only two of 11 field-goal attempts in the quarter.

And it didn’t get any better for the Warriors.

After trailing, 27-20, at halftime, Brethren Christian made only two of 11 from the field in the third quarter, scoring only five points in the quarter as Valley Christian pushed the lead to 16.

The Crusaders led by as many as 25, but it was easy to see why.

Brethren Christian shot only 21% (11 of 53) from the field and committed 20 turnovers. Leading scorer Rachael MacDonald, who averages 16 points, did not make a field goal in five attempts and finished with four points before fouling out in the fourth quarter.

Only guards Ann Marie Harbour, who had 13 points, and Natasha Saran, who had 12, could find the range for Brethren Christian.

That wasn’t a problem for Valley Christian, which shot nearly 50% from the field. Sophomore Marcene Guerrero scored 14 points and senior point guard Monique Toney added 13 for the Crusaders.