Saddleback Beats Santiago in Final, 52-45

Saddleback overcame a seven-point halftime deficit Friday and defeated Santiago, 52-45, in the championship game of the Lady Aztec girls’ basketball tournament Friday at La Quinta High.

Alisa Carrillo had 17 points and 11 rebounds and Michelle McElroy had 14 points for Saddleback (7-1), which outscored Santiago, 34-20, in the second half.

Alex Chavez made three second-half three-pointers and three late free throws to key the comeback for the Roadrunners.

Barbara Sualua led Santiago (6-4) with 17 points and Evelyn Gomez had 11.

In the third-place game:

University 48, Whittier California 40--Senior center Kirsten von Tungeln had 19 points and 21 rebounds for the Trojans (5-4).

In a consolation game:

Savanna 41, Bolsa Grande 25--Forward Monica Thomas had 14 points and 12 rebounds to lead Savanna (1-6) to seventh place in the eight-team tournament.

In pool play at the Mission Viejo Jim Hill Memorial tournament:

El Toro 41, Calvary Chapel 35--Tara Sickmeier and Carrie Twaddell each had 11 points for El Toro (6-2). Twaddell, the Chargers’ center, had nine rebounds and four blocked shots.

Sonora 42, Mission Viejo 40--Brandi Davis scored 19 points for Sonora (6-2), which plays Calvary Chapel in tonight’s championship game. Abbie Mecham had 13 points and six assists and Meghan O’Donogue added 12 points for Mission Viejo (4-5).

In the Norco tournament:

Canyon 49, Norco JV 43--Freshman forward Stephanie Anderson scored a game-high 22 points, including two three-pointers, to help Canyon earn fifth place.

In pool-play games at the San Clemente tournament:

No. 7 Huntington Beach 57, Cerritos 45--Junior guard Amy Sanders made 13 of 18 field-goal attempts and finished with 31 points, 15 rebounds and five assists for the Oilers (4-2), who play Rancho Bernardo today at 6:30 p.m. at San Clemente.

Irvine 63, Murrieta Valley 49--Kristin Thawley scored 19 points, Jody Carlson had 14 and Ali Grechko added 10 for the Vaqueros (4-3), who outscored Murrieta Valley (3-2) by 10 points in the fourth quarter.

No. 4 San Clemente 63, Corona del Mar 32--The Tritons outscored Corona del Mar, 26-0, in the first quarter.

Kristin Jenkins finished with 12 points and six rebounds for San Clemente (7-0). Sara Brown added 10 points and five assists.