Brea Olinda Pounds Mater Dei

Catherine Solorio said before Saturday’s game between Brea Olinda, ranked No. 1 in the state in girls’ basketball, and Mater Dei that it was all about payback.

But it was also about finding little victories in a disappointing season, and so Brea’s 70-45 victory over sixth-ranked Mater Dei had something for everybody.

The top-ranked Ladycats (17-1), who got 18 points from Solorio, beat Mater Dei for the first time since reestablishing this series. Mater Dei (10-11) had won the last three games, including last year’s in overtime, a game in which Brea was ranked No. 1 in the state at that time, too.

“We knew this would be a good ballgame and had to execute to win,” said Solorio, one of two Brea seniors who play appreciably and will graduate from the program. “We knew we had a lot to lose. Mater Dei could be a black horse and upset a lot of teams who underestimate them.”

Brea, which opened strong and capitalized on its full-court pressure, got three-point baskets from Katie Hardeman, Lindsey Davidson and Jeri Costello in the first quarter to take a 20-13 lead.

But it also got in foul trouble as 6-foot-3 sophomore Chelsea Trotter (14 points) and seniors Lindsey Davidson (eight points) and Erin Kelly (four points) went to the bench.

But Brea’s depth showed as it backed off the press. Costello (eight points, 14 rebounds) had terrific night, and Coach Jeff Sink praised the play of reserves Jackie Lord and Amanda Strum.

Solorio scored nine in the second quarter as Brea made nine of 15 shots from the field to take a 42-20 halftime lead that stretched to 24 points early in the third quarter.

But Mater Dei rallied, alternating between a half-court trap and its full-court press, and when Christina Colon (eight points) scored inside with 2:22 left, it cut the deficit to 14.

“We had about 16 minutes of really good basketball,” Sink said. “[Geri Campeau] is a tremendous coach and she told me after the game her girls had played as well as they have all year. But they were playing us.”

Solorio answered the Monarchs’ rally with a three-pointer, and Trotter--held to six points in the first three quarters--scored the first six of the fourth as Brea finally put away its sixth consecutive victory since losing to Brooklyn Christ the King, the top-ranked team in the country.