Huntington Beach girls’ basketball racks up steals, win streak at 8 games
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Huntington Beach is on the upswing with a season-best total in takeaways, as Huntington Beach rolled to a 61-26 victory at Newport Harbor on Saturday in a Sunset League girls’ basketball opener. It keeps alive the Oilers’ longest winning streak on the hardwood in five years.
Taylor Savage set the tone, her game-high six thefts feeding a 21-steal effort.
The Oilers found out quickly what coaches often preach: defense leads to offense. It led to opportunities in the open court, including a fine finish by Savage.
Savage, who also competes in flag football, leapt like a linebacker looking to knock down a pass, came up with the steal, then executed a spinning maneuver off the dribble on her way to a left-handed layup.
“I’m just coming off of football, so I have all the energy and momentum from football,” Savage said. “I kind of bring that over to basketball. I am lefty, and I saw they were blocking my left shot, and I don’t really like my right as much, so I was like, ‘You know what? I’ll make a move out of it. I just pulled [the defender] behind me and shot it with my left.”
Huntington Beach advanced to the semifinals of the CIF Southern Section Division 1 girls’ flag football playoffs in the fall. Savage said she plays sports to go on those kinds of runs.
“I’m a very competitive person, so whatever I pick up, I have to win,” Savage said. “It’s just my tenacity to play. Whenever I’m here, I’m all-in for whatever sport I’m playing, and I give it my all for my teammates.”
Savage, who added 11 points, four rebounds, two assists and a blocked shot, has always had a reputation for making the hustle play, dating back to her early years with Edison. She was merely the starting point for defensive energy by Huntington Beach (13-5, 2-0 in the Sunset League).
Emma Miyai and Jenesis Kao each provided three steals, while Emily Hoang, Marissa Stevens, Reyna Mendoza and Kamala George chipped in with two steals apiece.
Miyai, who finished with 15 points, three assists and three rebounds, had the hot hand early, draining a trio of shots from beyond the arc by the midway point of the second quarter.
“I definitely did a lot of strength training over the summer,” Miyai said. “I think it definitely helped me now because I’m a lot stronger, and I can take more defensive energy. I can take more hits and keep up.”
Hoang poured in a game-leading 16 points. Stevens was a force in the paint, scoring three times on offensive putbacks, pulling down eight rebounds, and adding a pair of blocked shots.
Huntington Beach, which stretched its winning streak to eight with a home victory over Edison on Tuesday, saw 11 players get into the game, a rotation that suddenly became deeper with the addition of reinforcements. Savage missed the team’s trip to Arizona for the Nike Tournament of Champions for an All-American flag football game in Texas. Shelby Nguyen, a transfer from Marina, debuted with the team on Dec. 30.
Gianna Briggs had 10 points, seven rebounds and two steals to lead Newport Harbor (8-6, 0-1), which has a chance to reach a double-digit win total for the first time since it won 19 games in the 2021-22 season. Morgan Starkenburg added six points, eight rebounds, two steals and two blocks. Grace Peters scored five points to go with six rebounds and two blocks in her team debut for the Sailors.
Newport Harbor coach Tony Zeddies took responsibility for what he said was “too much time off” over the holiday break, adding it was a “lesson learned.” The Sailors hadn’t played a game since Dec. 16, while the Oilers played nine games over that same stretch.
“I’ve seen us play a lot better,” Zeddies said. “... I’ve told the girls that we have an opportunity to do something in league, which I truly believe. I know they have the capability. The question is always, like, ‘OK, are we going to seize it, right?’ The most important word for us is compete, and it’s hard to compete when you’re out of shape, OK, whatever, but you still got to want the ball.
“Briggs always wants the ball, right? Doesn’t matter. She’s hustling. We need everybody to have that, and they’re close, so we’ll see. It’s going to be interesting.”
The Huntington Beach boys’ basketball team also prevailed in the nightcap, with the Oilers mounting a late comeback for a 60-59 win over Newport Harbor.
Alex Hoad made a three from the right corner with five seconds remaining for the decisive basket.
Sunset League
Huntington Beach 61, Newport Harbor 26
SCORE BY QUARTERS
Huntington Beach 18 - 11 - 11 - 21 — 61
Newport Harbor 6 - 7 - 9 - 4 — 26
HB — Hoang 16, Miyai 15, Savage 11, Le 6, Stevens 6, Nguyen 5, Taite 2.
3-pt. goals — Miyai 3, Hoang 2, Le 2, Nguyen 1, Savage 1.
Fouled out — None.
Technicals — None.
NH — Briggs 10, Starkenburg 6, Peters 5, McReynolds 2, Tapping 2, Lopez 1.
3-pt. goals — None.
Fouled out — None.
Technicals — None.
Marina 54, Fountain Valley 40: Rylee Bradley scored 28 points, as the Vikings beat the Barons on Tuesday in a Sunset League game at home.
Vanessa La Mont added 12 points for Marina (10-8, 2-0), which plays host to Corona del Mar (7-10, 1-1) on Thursday.
The Sea Kings took their first loss in league play, 28-20, in a low-scoring affair on Tuesday against visiting Los Alamitos (10-5, 1-0).
