Anaheim Doesn’t Give Up Despite Woodbridge Rout

It had been 15 years since Anaheim made an appearance in the Southern Section girls’ basketball playoffs, so even a 45-point loss to Woodbridge didn’t dampen the Colonists’ spirit too much.

Woodbridge’s Bryn Riley had 17 points and eight rebounds and Amber Avestruz scored nine of her 15 points in the first five minutes to help the Warriors coast to a 75-40 victory in a Division I-A wild-card game Thursday at Anaheim High.

Woodbridge (17-11) advanced to play at third-seeded Edison Saturday.

Kathryn Geneau scored 12 points for Woodbridge, which had 10 players score. After the Warriors fell behind, 3-0, they scored 23 consecutive points against the overmatched Colonists.

It would have been easy for Anaheim (13-10) to get frustrated after it missed its first 16 shots. It would have been easy for the Colonists to get discouraged facing a 40-point deficit and the Warriors’ full-court press midway through the fourth quarter.

But the Colonists never quit.

“For me, if each of the girls played hard, that’s what matters,” said Anaheim Coach James Steen, a second-year coach who inherited a team that went 1-20 in 1996-97. “We told them beforehand that the scoreboard would take care of itself.”

Point guard Darlene Tu’ua had eight points, including two third-quarter three-pointers, and teammate Yuri Alvarado had eight points and nine rebounds to lead the Colonists.

“When I started here, the girls didn’t even know what a left-handed layup was,” Steen said. “It means a lot just to get to the playoffs . . . 15 years is a long time. They’ve worked so hard to get here.

“I’m proud of them. I wouldn’t trade this job for anything.”