Brea Proves Its Points, Pours It On Buena

With 26 seconds left in the first half of Saturday’s nonleague game between two of the state’s best teams, the air conditioning duct at Brea Olinda High sprang a leak.

There was a seven-minute delay before officials decided to finish the half, but by then, the sky had already fallen.

Brea Olinda, ranked No. 1 in the state, already had made its point with a 15-point halftime lead on its way to an 81-59 victory over Ventura Buena in front of a capacity crowd.

The air conditioning problem delayed the second half 14 minutes.

The Ladycats (23-1) avenged a loss last year to Buena (20-1), which is ranked fifth in the state by Cal-Hi Sports.

There, Buena overcame a 33-26 halftime deficit. This time, it didn’t happen.

“This was a statement game,” said sophomore Chelsea Trotter, who scored 24 points despite missing the entire second quarter in foul trouble. “Last year we crumbled in the second half. We knew we were a better team but didn’t come ready to finish.”

No such problem Saturday, though the most impressive aspect was the start.

Brea played only 6 minutes 6 seconds with Trotter, the Ladycats’ 6-foot-2 center. Trotter made her impact, though, scoring six points and leaving with Brea leading, 14-10.

But the real Bulldog killer was junior Lindsey Davidson, who had four first-quarter steals and five points. And her timing was impeccable because her real heroics came after Buena made its first four shots and took an 8-3 lead.

But Davidson, the only returning starter from last year’s team, had a steal that led to Erin Kelly’s layup, a steal that started a fast break to Jeri Costello, and a steal that ended with her three-point basket for a 12-8 lead.

“She took over the game,” Brea Coach Jeff Sink said. “All of a sudden, our intensity picked right back up.

“We spent a lot of time scouting them, a pretty big game. When we play tenacious defense, we can really play a great game. We can be beat on any night, but when we play tenacious like that . . .”

It was the start of a 24-4 run that provided a 15-point margin, 27-12. By then, Buena had committed nine turnovers to Brea’s one.

“When they got up seven or eight points, Brea loosened up,” Buena Coach Joe Vaughan said. “When you create tension, it changes the game.”

And when you take all the tension out, it changes too.

“Our whole theme for the week was ‘monkey’s on our back’ and trying to remove the burden off our shoulders,” said Davidson, who scored 15 and had nine assists, seven rebounds and seven steals. “They say we’re a good team but we can’t beat Mater Dei. Or we can’t beat Buena.”

The next monkey the Ladycats will try to give the brush off to is the Southern California Regional final; they have lost three straight since winning their fourth consecutive state title.

Brea already has clinched its 16th consecutive Orange League title and is seeking its 10th consecutive Southern Section title, competing this season in Division II-AA.

Buena is the Brea Olinda of the Ventura area. The nine-time Channel League champion won section titles four of the last five years, including two in a row. This year, the Bulldogs are playing in Division I-A.

Vaughan’s career record is 529-56.