Trotter (and Co.) Back in State Final

Tara Hefferly jumped into Chelsea Trotter’s arms after the buzzer sounded on the Southern California Regional final Saturday, but if it seemed like Trotter was carrying Brea Olinda, that’s only part of the story.

Trotter had the game’s biggest performance, but it was a series of smaller ones that sent the Ladycats to the state championship game for the third consecutive year.

Brea defeated Redondo Union, 52-44, at the Great Western Forum behind Trotter’s 28 points, 18 rebounds, four assists, three blocked shots and a steal.

With the victory, Brea avenged last week’s loss to Redondo in the Southern Section Division II-AA title game, which ended Brea’s championship streak at 11.

“A war isn’t won by one person,” Trotter said. “And to us, this was a war. There were a lot of heroes. It wasn’t just about me.”

It was about the forgotten fifth starter, sophomore Daveri Bonnewitz, who had 11 rebounds and three first-quarter steals that set the tone for a Brea defense that would prohibit Redondo from driving the lane as it had eight days earlier.

It was about freshman Jennifer Katsuyama, whose baseline drive and basket in the fourth quarter tied the score at 34, sparking the 8-0 run that gave Brea a 40-34 lead.

It was about junior Jackie Lord, who had missed six consecutive shots before scoring six of her eight points in the final 4 1/2 minutes as Brea closed with a 12-6 run.

It was about senior Robyn Phillips, filling in for injured Jill Trader (torn knee ligament) in the post for the last month, who saved a rebound while jumping out of bounds, leading to Trotter’s final field goal, with 2 minutes 17 seconds remaining, for a 46-40 lead.

“Bonnewitz did a good job--it wasn’t just Chelsea,” said Redondo Coach Marcelo Enriquez. “The other players stepped up. Chelsea can’t beat us alone. They got key baskets, key rebounds, from the other players.”

Brea (28-6) will try to win its third consecutive Division II state title Friday at Arco Arena in Sacramento against the Northern Regional winner, Pleasanton Amador Valley, which defeated Concord Carondolet, 63-56. Brea defeated Amador Valley last season in the championship, 54-51.

Redondo, which has nine players returning next season, finished 29-6. The Seahawks’ only senior, Stephanie Wong, kept them in the game with 14 points on four-of-10 shooting from three-point range.

Trotter, a 6-foot-3 forward who will play at Stanford, also had a big play among her sizable contributions. She blocked Jackie Packard’s shot and took it in for a layup, completing the 8-0 run to begin the fourth quarter.

“When you’re dealing with championship teams and you get down by six points--now you’re dealing with their experience,” Enriquez said. “We started to panic a little bit.”

Redondo had never been as far as a section final before, and Brea hasn’t missed a regional final since 1988. And late in the game, it was obvious that Redondo had ventured into Brea’s neck of the woods.

Brea made all eight of its field goals in the fourth quarter and was four of five from the free-throw line.

Brea Coach Jeff Sink credited assistant Roger Anderson for convincing him to use a 2-3 zone defense instead of the man-to-man that is Brea’s trademark. The Ladycats needed to do something after Redondo shot 56.1% from the field in its 55-46 victory in the section final. Saturday’s result: Redondo shot 33.3% (17 of 51).

Brea shot 42.3% (22 of 52), passing superbly and finding the open player underneath when players converged on Trotter to provide some easy baskets for Bonnewitz (four points) and Reena Gonzales (four points). Brea shot 38.8% in the section final.

This was the third meeting this season between the schools. The Ladycats also won in December, 71-41. In that game, Trotter scored 26.

Trotter, who missed last year’s regional and state finals because of a knee injury, said vindication was complete.

“The Redondo coach [Enriquez] said that Rome had fallen,” Trotter said, “and all I can say is that we’ve had a rebirth.”