Brea Flexes Its Dynasty Against Redondo Union

The legacy still pulls some weight.

Brea Olinda, with its seven state championships and 11 consecutive Southern Section titles, won another mind game on Thursday to advance to the final of its Ladycat Classic, scoring a 71-41 victory over Redondo Beach Redondo Union.

It was fairly typical Brea fare: Chelsea Trotter scored 26 points and had 13 rebounds; Jackie Lord scored 14 and had eight assists; Tara Hefferly scored 11 and had six steals and six assists, and Jill Trader scored nine and had 10 rebounds.

But it was the banners hanging on the wall, said Redondo Coach Marcelo Enriquez, that did the real damage.

“Our goal in this tournament was to play Brea, just for this reason,” Enriquez said. “I was hoping it wouldn’t be this bad, but we may have been overwhelmed by the legacy.”

The margin of victory, Brea Coach Jeff Sink said, “shocked me.” It was the first time Redondo had played Brea, and the Seahawks hope it isn’t the last. They are in Division II-AA and could face Brea again, possibly in the section final.

Better to get the jitters out of the way now, said Enriquez, whose team fell behind, 18-8, in the first quarter, 34-18 by halftime.

To reach the tournament semifinals, Redondo defeated defending Division I-A champion Moreno Valley, 60-53. It was for that reason that Brea players expected more from Redondo. But the Ladycats also expected more from themselves, and got it.

“We played so bad against Diamond Bar [a 67-55 win in the second round], we came out tonight on a mission,” said Trotter, who went 13 of 19 from the field. “Against Diamond Bar, we were stagnant, didn’t move, and played down to their level.”

There was none of that against Redondo. The solid performance was important for another reason. “A boost in confidence,” Trotter said.

That confidence will be especially important Saturday at 8 p.m., when the Ladycats play Harbor City Narbonne, the top-ranked team in the country in some publications. Narbonne defeated Hanford, the Central Section Division I champion, 62-39.