Brea Olinda Falls in Final

After winning its first 11 games and knocking off a highly touted team, Brea Olinda girls’ basketball Coach Jeff Sink told his team it had nothing to lose Tuesday night against New York Christ the King.

“Some of the greatest victories have come in losses,” he said before his team faced the top-ranked team in the country.

Although they lost Tuesday night in the finals of the Santa Barbara Tournament of Champions, 54-41, the Ladycats will have a chance to show what they learned after four days of quality competition.

“We came here thinking we had nothing to lose and we’re going to play all out,’ said sophomore Chelsea Trotter, an all-tournament selection who was limited to four points and five rebounds. “We just wanted to make a statement, that we could play and we’re still good.

“A lot of people thought since we lost four starters we were in a rebuilding period. I think we proved people wrong.”

Brea led, 12-9, in the first quarter. The Ladycats battled to tie the score twice in the second quarter--at 14 and 16--and trailed, 24-23, until one of their 11 second-half turnovers led to Maria Edwards’ basket inside with 3 minutes 1 second left in the third quarter.

It wasn’t until the fourth quarter that the Royals (7-0) finally put away the Ladycats (11-1), ranked No. 1 in Orange County.

Mary Kacic’s 17-footer in the final seconds of the third extended the lead to five points, 33-28. It was the second last-second basket of the night for Christ the King.

Add to that 11 points off six Brea turnovers in the fourth quarter and it more than makes up the difference in the score.

“It was just frustrating,” said Trotter, a 6-3 forward playing her sixth varsity game. “We knew we could do better and that we’re a better team than we were showing.”

The Ladycats scored only one basket in the first 5:24 of the fourth, during which four turnovers led to seven Royal points, and the deficit stretched to 13 points.

“The game was called loosely in the first half and tightly down the stretch,” Sink said. “We were better off when they let us be more physical.”

Brea was seven of eight from the free-throw line; Christ the King was eight of 20. From the field, Brea was 16 of 40 and Christ the King was 21 of 53.

Sink said there were four keys to the game for the Ladycats: control the rebounds, handle the ball, be patient on offense, play aggressively with a positive attitude.

They did all but one against a team that could match them player-for-player all the way down the bench.

Junior guard Lindsey Davidson, Brea’s only returning starter, scored nine and made the all-tournament team. Senior Catherine Solorio had eight and junior Kate Ides had seven.

It’s the third time they have met, with Christ the King winning each game.

Although Brea came back from nine points down in its semifinal victory over ninth-ranked Orem (Utah) Mountain View, the Ladycats had no such magic against Christ the King.

“Every kid will come away from this game,” Sink said, “and say, ‘Hey, I’m a ballplayer.’ ”

In another tournament game:

Capistrano Valley 48, Mater Dei 46--Mater Dei (6-4) led by nine after one quarter, but Capistrano outscored the Monarchs, 31-21, in the second and third for the victory. Monique Mathews led the Cougars (7-2) with 21 points; Christina Colon had 12 points and Ana Grey had 10 for Mater Dei.

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Santa Barbara Escapades

A look at the significant games Brea Olinda has played at the Santa Barbara Tournament of Champions:

1997: Lost to New York Christ the King, ranked No. 1 in the nation, 54-41, in the championship game. Defeated Orem (Utah) Mountain View, ranked No. 9 in the nation, 58-52, in overtime in the semifinals.

1996: Defeated Berkeley, 65-56, to win its third Tournament of Champions title. Defeated Los Angeles Washington, top-ranked team in the City Section, 66-45, in the semifinals.

1994: Lost to Woodbridge, 51-33, in the championship game, ending a 65-game winning streak. Defeated Clovis West, ranked No. 6 in the nation, in the semifinals, 55-40, after ending the 80-game winning streak of Atherton Sacred Heart, ranked No. 7 in the nation, with a 57-56 decision in the second round.

1992: Lost to Thousand Oaks, 59-51, in the championship game. Marion Jones, a future member of NCAA champion North Carolina and a world-class sprinter, scored 10 of her 38 points in the final three minutes as Thousand Oaks broke a 49-49 tie.

1991: Defeated Poway, 56-43, in the consolation final to finish fifth, after losing to Thousand Oaks, 47-43, in the second round.

1989: Defeated Los Angeles Washington, ranked No. 14 in the nation, 65-61, in two overtimes to win its second Tournament of Champions title. Defeated Morningside, ranked No. 1 in the nation, 59-48, in the semifinals.

1987: Defeated Thousand Oaks, 63-48, for third place, after losing to Santa Barbara, top-ranked in the state, 76-65, in the semifinals.

1985: Lost to San Diego Point Loma, ranked No. 2 in the nation, 68-50, to finish fifth. Lost to New York Christ the King, ranked No. 1 in the nation, 63-62, in overtime in the semifinals.

1984: Defeated Hayward Moreau, 78-57, to win its first Tournament of Champions title.