El Toro’s Mendiola Is Good at Any Level

Giuliana Mendiola’s fans wanted her to continue playing in El Toro’s season-opening victory over Riverside Rubidoux, a 105-22 victory, but Coach Vincent Avitabile stood firm and Mendiola played only 14 minutes. Still, she scored 40 points.

Avitabile, who earlier had vowed never to allow his team to score 100 points in a game unless the outcome was on the line, said at the time, “You watch, she’ll score more than 40 points against a good team.”

That came about Tuesday, when Mendiola scored 42 points to give the Chargers a 64-61 victory over third-ranked Foothill in the final of the Holiday Hoopla girls’ basketball tournament at San Clemente. Mendiola scored seven of her team’s final nine points, and her 41st point, a free throw with nine seconds left, moved her past Costa Mesa’s Olivia DiCamilli (2,301 points) as Orange County’s all-time career leading scorer.

Mendiola, a two-time county scoring leader, has 2,303 points with more than half the season remaining. La Quinta’s Amy Jalewalia scored 2,205 from 1987-90, and Edison’s Marie Philman scored 2,186 from 1992-96.

“When Giulie scored 40 against Rubidoux in 14 minutes, she could have scored every time she touched the ball,” Avitabile said. “She could have scored a million. But when you score 40 points and break records, you want to do it in big games.

“And what if she gets hurt trying to run it up?”

Mendiola is averaging 33.1 points per game.

CHARGING HARD

Though Mendiola is the focal point, other players are starting to take on significant roles for the Chargers, especially 6-foot-3 junior Carrie Twaddell and freshman guard Sara Brown.

“Tonight, the other kids started stepping up and looking to take the big shot,” Avitabile said after the victory over Foothill. “Giulie can make a million great plays, but in big games it comes down to other kids having to make plays.”

Twaddell and Brown made key fourth-quarter baskets against Foothill, and Brown hit the game-winner against Esperanza.

El Toro is 3-0 against teams ranked in the county’s top 10, and the Chargers avenged their only loss, to Laguna Hills, with a 20-point victory in the San Clemente semifinals.

BIG SHOT

Mendiola doesn’t hold the county’s single-game high this season. A week ago, Monika Jackley of Valencia scored 47 in an 88-53 victory over Los Amigos.

UNLIKELY HEROINE

Kristin Jenkins of San Clemente was an unlikely MVP of the South Coast Holiday Tournament.

“I was so surprised,” said Jenkins, who won out over Mendiola, Kristin Peters of Esperanza and Hillary Jager of Vista. “It gave me that push to really improve and be a better player.”

Jenkins followed with 14 points as the Tritons, ranked No. 4 in Orange County, downed then-No. 3 Troy, 69-64, in overtime on Dec. 14. Jenkins also scored a team-high 19 in a 62-58 loss to No. 6 El Toro on Monday.

WHERE IS EVERYBODY?

Though most games of the recent Anaheim Holiday boys’ basketball tournament drew crowds of fewer than 100 to the 8,000-seat Anaheim Convention Center Arena, organizers are busy planning next year’s event.

The tournament was held at the same time as four other county tournaments, including the 18th Irvine World News tournament, which drew an estimated 450 to Saturday’s final at Concordia University.

Tom Danley, the Anaheim Union School District’s athletic director and tournament director, said one way to increase fan interest is to make it an all-Orange County high school event. This season, all but four of the 16 teams were from the county.

“We’ve found that people don’t really begin to think about basketball until January,” Danley said. “But to get it right, we need to get a greater number of people in here and add to our sponsors.”

Danley said he’s convinced it will take several years before the tournament, which is scheduled for Dec. 12-16 next year, catches on. But he believes the arena, once the focal point for county sports, is a good selling point.

NOT EVEN CLOSE

Troy girls’ basketball Coach Kevin Kiernan, somewhat exasperated by the flurry of foul calls against his team in a recent loss to San Clemente, said afterward, “It reminded me of the Rosary-Westminster game last season.”

Kiernan was referring to a game in which officials Dan Ratzlaff and John Hill called 64 fouls as Westminster won in overtime, 73-68.

But the Troy-San Clemente game wasn’t even close; only 45 fouls were called, 30 against the Warriors. There were 64 free throws, San Clemente making 31 of 41, Troy six of 21. All five Warrior starters and one San Clemente starter fouled out.

BIG EFFORT

Chad Bigler of Foothill played well at the Anaheim Holiday tournament, leading the Knights (6-5) to the consolation championship.

Bigler, a 6-foot-4 junior guard, scored 27, 30 and 24 points in three games. In the consolation final, a 65-63 win over Capistrano Valley, Bigler made 11 of 11 free throws.

Staff writer Paul McLeod contributed to this story.

If you have an item or idea for the basketball report, you can fax us at (714) 966-5663 or e-mail us at paul.mcleod@latimes.com or martin.henderson@latimes.com