San Clemente Defeats Esperanza

Sara Brown, the sharpshooter from El Toro who transferred to San Clemente, was supposed to be the tonic the Tritons needed to be one of Orange County’s top girls’ basketball teams.

But on the night that Brown made her debut with her new team, it was unheralded Kim Buffum who stole the show.

Buffum hit consecutive three-point baskets in the fourth quarter, and made four free throws in the final 45 seconds to lift fifth-ranked San Clemente over fourth-ranked Esperanza, 52-47, in the season opener at Esperanza.

Buffum’s performance, scoring 10 of her 13 points in the last 5 1/2 minutes, was more than enough to compensate for Esperanza’s Tina Kalogeropoulos, whose four-point play with 2:15 remaining tied the score, 44-44, and whose three-point basket with 21 seconds left pulled Esperanza to within one, at 48-47.

“One person isn’t going to win every single game,” said Buffum, a junior who averaged 3.7 points last season. “We have a bunch of different threats. You can’t underestimate the power of a team.”

Brown, who shot 35% from three-point range last season at El Toro, had seven points, including two free throws that extended San Clemente’s lead to 50-47 with 15 seconds remaining.

Another Triton had an even bigger debut. Lindsey Pluimer, a 6-foot-2 freshman, scored 14 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, helping the Tritons overcome an early 11-2 deficit. Esperanza, which made five of its first seven shots, stretched the lead to 14-4 and, two minutes into the second quarter, 21-12.

“I expected it to be a close game,” said Mary Mulligan, San Clemente’s coach. “[But] I was shocked when it was [a 10-point game].”

Bethany Blair, Esperanza’s lone 6-footer, had seven points and five rebounds before fouling out with 1:19 remaining. Because of foul trouble, Blair never found much rhythm.

“That was huge,” Mulligan said. “Megan [Blackshire] didn’t make a lot of shots, but she did a great job of making those girls foul her.”

Blackshire finished with eight points, the last two a pair of free throws with 1:19 remaining that gave the Tritons a 48-44 lead. San Clemente made 15 of 21 from the line, and Esperanza was six for 11.