Narbonne Can’t Be Caught

James Anderson insists his Harbor City Narbonne High girls’ basketball team is beatable. On Saturday in the title game of the Brea Olinda Ladycat Classic, Artesia had the Gauchos on the ropes.

Instead, Narbonne overcame a one-point deficit midway through the fourth quarter, outscored Artesia, 14-3, to end the game, and ran off with a 74-66 victory.

“I keep telling everyone, we’re not unbeatable,” said Anderson, whose team is ranked as high as No. 1 in some national rankings and will face Artesia in a nonleague game on Jan. 5 at Lynwood. Artesia is ranked as high as No. 3, and that’s how the teams are ranked in The Times’ top 25.

“For us,” Anderson said, “the key was experience. Artesia went up by one, and we kept going and going. Experience and depth.”

Artesia (3-1), down by 13 in the fourth quarter, used its press to fluster Narbonne and get back into the game. Trailing by 12 with 4:45 left in the third, Artesia took a 57-56 advantage 89 seconds into the fourth quarter on two of Lauren Ervin’s 26 points, but Artesia made only one of its last 12 field goals despite making 10 of 14 from the free-throw line. Artesia made 26 of 33 free throws.

Amber Pruitt scored 17, Camille LeNoir 14, and Willnett Crockett and Lisa Willis 12 apiece for Narbonne (4-0).

In other girls’ basketball games:

San Clemente 41, Brea Olinda 35--Trailing by three with 6:15 left in the fourth quarter, Carrie Noyes of seventh-ranked Brea (2-2) was called for an offensive foul, and Brea Coach Jeff Sink’s reaction resulted in a technical foul that led to a six-point swing in favor of fourth-ranked San Clemente (4-1). The Tritons, who got 17 points and 12 rebounds from Lindsey Pluimer, stretched the margin to 10 before Brea’s Lauren Pedersen, who scored eight of Brea’s next 10 points, cut the deficit to four points with 52 seconds remaining.

Pedersen scored 16, and Noyes had 13 before fouling out with 1:18 remaining in the third-place game.