Costa Mesa’s Kim Is Difference in South Victory

More than anything else, Saturday’s Costa Mesa Kiwanis Club’s Orange County All-Star game was a showcase for the county’s top five girls’ basketball programs.

Nine of the top 10 scorers came from Laguna Hills, Brea Olinda, Woodbridge, Mater Dei and Ocean View. But when push came to shove--and in this case, grabbing around the waist--it was Costa Mesa’s Koo Kim who determined the winner.

Kim, a 5-foot-7 point guard headed for the U.S. Air Force Academy, sank a free throw with eight seconds left to give the South a 65-64 victory over the North.

It was the South’s fifth consecutive victory.

“It was like, ‘Ohmygod, my whole high school career depends on this one free throw or I look totally dumb,’ ” said Kim, who was zero for five from the field and one for four from the line.

Still, her seven rebounds were second only to Laguna Hills’ 6-6 Tayyiba Haneef (10 points, 10 rebounds) and Woodbridge’s 6-0 Krissy Duperron (12 points, eight rebounds).

“If I wouldn’t have made it,” Kim said, “my brother told me he wouldn’t go to school, so I had to do it to honor my family.”

Kim went to the free-throw line with a chance to be a hero after a bizarre foul by Mater Dei’s Tina Garcia (11 points).

With the score tied at 64, Mater Dei’s Lori Hurlbut drove the right side but missed; Kim grabbed the long rebound and looked to start the fastbreak, but Garcia gave her a bear hug from behind.

Intentional foul, Garcia’s fifth.

“She didn’t realize we were tied and grabbed her so bad,” said Brea’s Rochelle Anthony, who had 15 points, a game high, seven rebounds, three steals and three assists. “It was a mistake and she knows it, a mental error that people have.”

So Ocean View’s Jennifer Tuiolosega told her the score was tied and there was no pressure. Kim missed the first, but sank the second. The South retained possession, but Tuiolosega (10 points, four assists) was fouled promptly and missed the free throw.

While the North appeared ready to run the floor for a final shot, Rosary Coach Rich Yoon called a timeout with five seconds left. All the North got was a rushed shot by Brea’s Marissa Bradley and an off-balance putback attempt by El Dorado’s Jamie Nebeker.

The South had led by as many as 11 in the first half--largely because Laguna Hills’ Tamara Inoue made her first four field goals--and then trailed by eight behind the play of Anthony, Bradley (nine points, four assists) and Hurlbut (eight points).

But Tuiolosega, Duperron and Inoue scored 15 of the next 17 North points to pull to 64-61. Then Inoue hit the North’s only three-point basket with 20 seconds to tie the score.

Inoue finished with 13 points and four assists, and was named the most valuable player.

Huntington Beach’s Phouangmaly Pravongviengkham scored eight for the South.