Marina Fights Off Strong Oiler Challenge
Three weeks to the day after losing to unranked Pacifica, Huntington Beach gave the county’s second-ranked team all it could handle in its own tournament.
And though Marina scored a 51-44 overtime victory in the semifinals, Coach Bill Thomson and his Oilers could find only the positives in the game between Sunset League teams.
But Huntington Beach also missed an extraordinary chance, committing 23 turnovers (to Marina’s five) and making only three of 12 free throws (to Marina’s 12 of 23).
The Oilers’ performance came without warning. Pacifica, one of the teams to beat Huntington Beach, is 4-8. Though the Oilers are now 9-3, they had a credibility problem based on their opponents.
“That’s true,” Thomson said. “but I expected to give them a hell of a game. I really did. We’ve been getting better and better every time we stepped on the court.”
Thomson and his team may have been the only ones who believed, but there were plenty of converts in Marina’s gym. There were 20 ties or lead changes. Marina dominated overtime, outscoring Huntington Beach, 10-3, and making three of five shots from the field after hitting only 14 of 49 in regulation.
The biggest points were Chanda McLeod’s free throw and fall-away jumper from 12 feet that gave Marina a 44-41 lead, and Karyn Fierst’s three-point basket that made it 47-41 with 1 minute 29 seconds left in the four-minute extra period.
“We executed for four minutes in the game,” Marina Coach Pete Bonny said, “and they were the most important four minutes.”
McLeod, guarded by Megan Masuda and Kelsey Ball, managed only eight shots in regulation. Natalie Quinn--held scoreless the night before in Marina’s quarterfinal victory over Santa Margarita--was Marina’s savior, scoring all of her team-high 13 in regulation on a three-for-four night from the three-point arc.
Fierst, who had four steals, and Nikki Lee each scored 10 for Marina.
Courtney McKinney (14 rebounds) and Melanie Cherney each scored 12 for Huntington Beach, but neither got a shot in overtime.