Exposure Is the Key for Pros and Preps

The first regular-season high school girls’ basketball games played at the Arrowhead Pond of Anaheim on Saturday were as much about marketing as they were about Mater Dei and Esperanza measuring themselves against quality competition.

Third-ranked Esperanza’s 41-32 victory over Bellflower and fifth-ranked Mater Dei’s 48-31 loss to Riverside North preceded the Long Beach StingRays’ debut in the Pond.

The high school games were part of the bigger picture, according to StingRays General Manager Bill McGillis, who orchestrated a free youth clinic involving players from both professional teams an hour before Esperanza tipped off, and a last-minute three-point shooting competition between the high school and pro games.

“The clinic, the biggest part of that was serving the community,” McGillis said. “The high school games are more marketing.”

There was definitely thought given to which teams would compete. Bellflower is 13-2 and brings fans from the Los Angeles area; North is 15-1 and comes from the Inland Empire; Esperanza (10-6) represents northeast Orange County; and Mater Dei (7-9) has one of the largest followings in Orange County.

“There were others that could have fit the same bill, but we wanted to have a mix of schools from different areas,” McGillis said. “We wanted quality programs where there was some interest.

“This was done with about a month of planning; with a year of planning, the whole day could be a major event. I think people like the concept of having a variety of levels competing; they can see the pros but support the kids at the same time.”

About 350 attended the Esperanza game, about 100 more than the Mater Dei contest. The StingRays, who average a league-low 1,792 at the Pyramid, beat the New England Blizzard, 70-64, in front of 6,006.

“The StingRays need exposure--now the kids are here and if they like what they see, they’ll come back,” said Geri Campeau, Mater Dei’s coach.

Esperanza Coach Marc Hill was ecstatic with the opportunity to play in the arena. Should his team play at the Pond in the Southern California Division I final, it should be better prepared.

“We never practice in this environment,” Hill said. “Even for the Brea-Olinda kids [who shot 20.7% in last year’s final against Laguna Hills], it’s so difficult to duplicate; the depth perception is off.”

Esperanza made only five of 29 shots in the first half and Bellflower--ranked second in Southern Section Division II-AA--was three of 25. The teams were tied, 13-13, at halftime before Kim Omer (11 points) led the Aztecs with eight second-half points. She made seven of 10 from the free-throw line.