Warriors Bear Down on Defense, Stop Irvine

Jody Carlson called it “unbearable,” and though she could have been describing the loss that prevented Irvine from winning a share of the Sea View League title, she was actually describing Woodbridge’s defense.

That defense allowed the Warriors, the fifth-ranked team in Orange County, to beat sixth-ranked Irvine, 45-40, and win the title outright.

A year ago, Woodbridge also beat Irvine in the season finale to win a share of the title. That victory devastated the Vaqueros, and they won’t quickly forget this finale, either.

“Their defense was unbearable,” said Carlson, who scored a team-high 14 points. “They’re a good team and I respect them a lot. They play harder than any team we’ve faced, and you have to give them credit. . . . I guarantee, none of us will sleep tonight.”

They’ll be thinking about Woodbridge’s domination of the boards. The Warriors outrebounded Irvine, 40-28. Woodbridge made 16 of 50 shots to Irvine’s 13 of 39.

Lara Gray led the Warriors with 12 points and 12 rebounds, and reserve guard Michelle Sanford scored 11 points with six rebounds and three steals.

“Sanford is so quick, she gets layups because of her defense,” said Irvine Coach Joni Colburn. “If we’re not giving her points off turnovers, it’s a different game.”

No other Warrior scored more than six, though Erin Riley got seven rebounds off the bench.

“You need to have a bench you can trust,” said Gray. “When we substitute, there are no differences with our starters.”

Carlson admitted as much. “They took advantage of us only having seven players--more power to them,” she said.

Woodbridge is 26-0, 8-0 in league. Irvine is 20-6, 6-2. The playoffs begin next week.

Irvine led, 30-29, with 2:24 left in the third quarter, but Gray scored five and Lindsay Yocum buried a wide-open three-pointer in a 13-0 run.

Irvine got close in a final act of desperation. It scored eight points in 50 seconds to cut a 44-32 deficit to four points with 43 seconds remaining. Carlson was called for an intentional foul on Alia Stewart with 37 seconds to go, and though Stewart missed both free throws, Woodbridge retained possession for another 10 seconds.

Kristin Thawley, guarded by Gray, missed an attempt near the basket, and Sanford grabbed the rebound and was fouled. Her free throw finished the scoring with 10 seconds left.

In another Sea View League game:

Aliso Niguel 38, Newport Harbor 27--The third-place Wolverines’ victory forces a game at 5 p.m. tonight at Laguna Hills to determine the league’s third automatic playoff berth.