Girls’ Basketball: Louie, Roa lead way

Huntington Beach High remained alone in first place in the Sunset League Monday by going on the road and defeating Edison, 50-30, in girls’ basketball action.

The Oilers, the No. 4-ranked team in CIF Southern Section Division 1A, ran out to a 21-9 lead in the first quarter and extended their lead to 41-21, through three quarters.

Senior guards Stephanie Louie and Paola Roa led the way for Huntington with 16 and 14 points, respectively. Louie connected on four three-point shots en route to her game-high 16 points.

“Our defense has really stepped it up and put a lot of pressure on the other (league) teams’ point guards,” Huntington Coach Russ McClurg said. “I am very proud of our girl’s but we must continue to stay humble and work to get better.”

Huntington assumed sole possession of the Sunset lead Jan. 16 when the Oilers handed visiting Marina its first league loss, 51-33. Louie also had a game-high in points with 16 and Roa scored 10.

Senior guard Danielle Kennedy scored nine points, senior forward Natasha Mangham had seven points and 10 rebounds, and senior guard Melissa Lindquist six points and five steals for Marina.

Next up for Huntington is a date next Tuesday at Los Alamitos. The Griffins went to 3-1 in league Monday, good for second place, by beating Newport Harbor, 43-39.

McClurg called Tuesday’s road matchup a “pivotal game” for the Oilers.

“Los Alamitos is a very well-coached team and I expect it should be a tough game,” he said. “We must play more controlled on offense. Los Alamitos is tough on defense and we must take care of the ball.”

•In another Sunset League game Monday, Fountain Valley pulled into a tie with Marina for third place by handing the visiting Vikings a 54-45 defeat. The result left both the Barons and Vikings with 2-2 league records.

Senior post Emily Krause scored a game-best 21 points to go with nine rebounds for the Barons who are 9-11 overall. Junior guard Ari Jacobsen hit three three-point shots and had 13 points and two steals, junior guard Ashley Masuda scored 10 points with five assists and two steals, sophomore post Makaila Pacis had 12 rebounds, two blocks and three points, and guards Amy Yoshinaga and Michelle Wu combined for seven points, three assists and five steals.

The Barons hit a pair of key, three-point baskets and went five of 10 from two-point range in the fourth quarter, to maintain the lead.

Fountain Valley outscored Marina by eight points in the second half.

“We controlled the game with pressure on defense creating 19 turnovers,” Fountain Valley Coach Cory Clarke said. “We got out in transition and kept the game at our pace. It was a struggle to string baskets together until the fourth quarter.

“Marina is a good team and this was a big league win for us. This gives us confidence going forward. We have to build on this and continue to get better.”

Kennedy poured in 19 points, Mangham scored 10 points and pulled in 14 rebounds, and junior forward Kydell Pearson had nine points and 10 rebounds for the Vikings (No. 15, CIF-SS Division 2AA) who fell to 11-9 overall.

“Fountain Valley played a very good game against us and really deserved the win,” Marina Coach Carol Osbrink said.

Fountain Valley earned its first league win Jan. 16 by winning, 49-43, at Newport Harbor. Wu scored 13 points and Krause had 11 points and six rebounds as the Barons hit their free throws down the stretch to hold off the Sailors (0-4 league).

In addition to Huntington traveling to Los Alamitos, next Tuesday’s Sunset League schedule also finds hosting Fountain Valley and Marina hosting Newport Harbor in 7 p.m. starts.

•Ocean View increased its Golden West League record to 3-0 by defeating host Segerstrom Tuesday, 68-46. Sophomore forward Treasure Robinson dropped in a 32 points to lead all scorers, and senior guard Deja Duke had 11 points for the Seahawks whose defensive effort keyed the victory.

The Golden West League lead will be on the line at 7 p.m. Thursday when Ocean View, 14-5 oveall and ranked No. 10 in CIF Southern Section Division 3A, travels to face Westminster (12-6, 3-0).

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CIF Weekly Rankings

Girls’ Basketball: Huntington Beach (No. 4, Division 1AA); Marina (No. 15, Division 2AA); Ocean View (No. 10, Division 3A).