Mendiola Tops 1,000 in Victory

Giuliana Mendiola needed 16 points Tuesday to reach the 1,000-point milestone in her 42nd prep game. She scored 17 in the second quarter alone.

Mendiola found her shooting groove and wore out Woodbridge with a 31-point effort to give ninth-ranked El Toro a 60-40 victory over the Warriors.

The victory ended Woodbridge’s 51-game Sea View League winning streak and served notice that the Warriors’ attempt to extend its string of league titles to six is on tenuous ground.

“Talent-wise, maybe we’re a little better than they are, but I was worried about our mental toughness against their mystique,” said El Toro Coach Vincent Avitable, whose team lost last year to the Warriors, 101-32. “I only knew Woodbridge from the 1 1/2 years I’ve been here, but the kids knew about their tradition [three section titles and two state championships in five years]. The kids were intimidated by that. This is a great, positive win for our school.”

No one made a more positive contribution than Mendiola (10 of 23 in shooting), a sophomore whose 23.3 scoring average led the county. Limited to two free throws and zero for three shooting in the first quarter, she scored 17 in the second quarter, including three of her five three-pointers.

Woodbridge (9-8, 1-1 in league) didn’t go down without its pride showing. The Warriors, who led, 10-4, trailed, 25-20, with two minutes remaining in the half.

But El Toro hit three three-point baskets in the final 1:47 and the rout was under way.

Melanie Cherney (five points), playing her first game since transferring from eighth-ranked Edison last Wednesday, made the first three-pointer, and it was followed by two Mendiola three-pointers.

The first, from 24 feet, pushed her past 1,000 career points, and the second made it 34-22 going into halftime.

“A player like [Mendiola], you can’t let her get going,” Woodbridge Coach Pat Quinn said.

“That’s been our success against her. When she gets hot, she can throw them in from anywhere. We gave up our perimeter defense and it broke our back.

“They’re the team to beat. They’re one up.”

Woodbridge committed 29 turnovers and made only six field goals in the final 22 1/2 minutes. Natalie Quinn (12 points) and Nicole Roberts (10 points) led Woodbridge.

No one else scored more than six points for El Toro (14-2, 2-0); Mendiola also had seven rebounds and six steals.

In other Sea View League games:

Irvine 44, Corona del Mar 26--Lauren O’Hara scored 14 points and Jami Allred had 11 for visiting Irvine (10-5, 2-0).

Santa Margarita 54, Newport Harbor 44--Molly Malone scored a game-high 16 points for Santa Margarita (10-7, 1-1). Venessa Ferragamo added 13 points and Daniell Bennett 12. Newport Harbor is 5-12, 0-2.