Warriors Get Piece of Title

Hoping to add an exclamation point to its first Sea View League title, Irvine went into Woodbridge’s gym Thursday and played under 12 league championship banners hanging from the ceiling.

Score one for tradition--and hard work.

Woodbridge scored a 53-43 victory over Irvine to win a share of the Sea View League championship behind Bryn Riley’s 17 points and 13 from Natalie Quinn.

The Warriors took advantage of excellent post defense, 32 minutes of hustle and outstanding play from its bench.

And though Irvine got a share of the title too, one would never know by the tears.

“We’re not the team we think we are sometimes,” said Irvine Coach Dennis Hurley, whose squad won its first 14 games but finished 22-4, 7-1 in league. “We have no credibility [when playoff pairings are announced Sunday] and we probably lost our No. 4 seed [in Division I-AA].”

Woodbridge (17-9, 7-1), meanwhile, was ecstatic about its first title since 1997.

“Everything we worked for all four years led up to this game,” said Riley, who scored eight points, four off her own steals and layups, during a 15-2 run at the end of the third quarter that turned a two-point deficit into a 39-28 lead.

Riley had help. Quinn made four three-point baskets, two during the third-quarter run, and Alia Stewart, a 5-foot-11 sophomore, had seven points and 13 rebounds against the taller Vaqueros.

Stewart, Bryn Riley, Erin Riley, Lara Gray and Stephanie Marks did an outstanding job of containing Irvine’s Kristin Thawley (11 points, 16 rebounds) and Jody Carlson (eight points, four rebounds); the Irvine duo had combined for 40 in Tuesday’s overtime win over Laguna Hills.

The closest Irvine got in the fourth quarter was four points, 46-42, with 2:43 remaining. But Gray, who scored nine off the bench, scored inside with 1:20 left and the Warriors made their final six free throws.

Woodbridge, which got four steals from Stewart, forced 21 turnovers while committing only seven.

“Holding them to 43 points, that’s a great job defensively,” said Eric Bangs, who coached Woodbridge to its first 10 titles before a three-year hiatus that ended last season. “That’s the way you win championships.”

In the Empire League:

Century 59, Katella 26--The Centurions (22-4, 10-0) completed their second consecutive undefeated league season as Adriana Mendez scored 25.

Cypress 46, El Dorado 32--Cypress (15-10, 7-3) took over second place as Kristy Schmitz scored 15.

Kennedy 55, Loara 27--Seven Kennedy players combined for a school-record 12 three-point baskets, led by Jennifer Narita’s three.

In the Freeway League:

Sunny Hills 52, Fullerton 39 -- Kristen Fong scored 17 points as Sunny Hills (11-14, 5-5) moved into a tie with La Habra for third place and a playoff berth.

No. 1 Troy 78, La Habra 19--Alicia Komaki (26 points) hit eight three-pointers as Troy (23-3, 10-0) won its eighth straight title and Coach Kevin Kiernan got his 100th career victory.

Santiago 74, Bolsa Grande 38--Santiago’s Stephanie Ruepena (21 points) made her 74th three-point basket, breaking her single-season school record of 72 set as a freshman.

In the Olympic League:

Calvary Chapel 36, Orange Lutheran 28--Ashley Nelson’s 11 points gave the Eagles (16-7, 8-2) second place and protected their probable No. 2 seeding in the Division IV-A playoffs. Orange Lutheran (15-8, 7-3) is ranked No. 3.

In the Pacific Coast League:

Corona del Mar 41, Costa Mesa 38--Charlene Quon’s three-pointer at the buzzer gave Corona del Mar (21-5, 7-1) its first championship since winning the section title in 1983.

In the South Coast League:

No. 3 El Toro 84, Dana Hills 32--Giuliana Mendiola (41 points) made nine three-pointers for El Toro (20-6, 9-1), which shared the title with San Clemente, a 63-20 winner over Mission Viejo.

In the Sunset League:

Marina 51, Los Alamitos 41--Miranda Emde had 15 points and nine rebounds as the Vikings (17-9, 5-5) forced a third-place playoff at 7 tonight at Edison High against Huntington Beach (14-12, 5-5), which lost to league champion Edison, 50-30.