Brea Olinda Rains All Over Buena, 81-59

Nothing could dampen Brea Olinda High.

Buena tried, but failed. So did the rain.

Brea Olinda beat back both and cruised to an 81-59 victory Saturday in a nonleague girls’ basketball game that was nearly called at halftime because of a leaky ceiling.

Buena beat the Wildcats in their annual fund-raiser game last season, but another victory at another fund-raiser game--this time, Brea’s--was too much to ask.

Brea, which has won five state titles since 1989 and is ranked No. 12 in the nation, showed why its only loss so far has been to Christ the King (N.Y.), the top-ranked team in the nation.

Brea (23-1) bested Buena (20-2) in shooting, defense, rebounds, free throws and turnovers.

About the only thing Brea couldn’t do was plug the leaks in the gym ceiling, which became a problem with 26 seconds left in the half when rainwater dripped onto a corner of the court.

Referees conferred for 10 minutes and nearly called the game for safety reasons, but the floor was toweled off and the final seconds of the half were played.

During halftime, a man-lift machine was rolled onto the court and a Brea official stopped up the leak by taping a towel over it.

Could anything stop the Wildcats?

“Right now, I’m not sure,” said Brea center Chelsea Trotter, who finished with 24 points.

Trotter scored 12 third-quarter points and Brea parlayed a 40-25 halftime edge to a 56-32 lead with two minutes left in the third quarter. Brea’s lead grew to 26 points midway through the fourth quarter.

The bad news for Buena, ranked No. 1 in the region by The Times, actually started several hours before tip-off, when leading scorer Renae Hofmann told her coach she felt sick with head-cold symptoms.

Hofmann only had two points at halftime and finished with 12.

“You’re playing this game to be put in a pressure situation,” Buena Coach Joe Vaughan said.

The Bulldogs committed 21 turnovers; Brea committed only 12.

Buena held an 8-3 lead midway through the first quarter, but Brea went on a 20-2 run, hitting from inside, outside, everywhere.

“Once they got off, they got real loose,” Vaughan said. “They played very, very well.”

Brea guard Lindsey Davidson had 15 points and controlled the flow of the game with nine assists and seven steals.

Erin Kelly, who has signed a letter of intent with New Orleans, scored 13 for Brea, which made 21 of 41 shots (51.2%) through three quarters.

“This was probably two of the best teams in the nation, but it just happened to be our night,” Brea Coach Jeff Sink said.

Playoff pairings are announced Feb. 16 and Buena won’t get much rest before then. Because of a makeup game Monday against Oxnard, the Bulldogs have three Channel League games next week.

“This was a learning experience for us,” said Buena center Kelly Greathouse, who scored 10 points. “It’s not the end of the world.”