SOUTHERN SECTION BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP GAMES : 3-A Girls : Star Player Is Scoreless, but Mission Viejo Still Wins

Mission Viejo won the Southern Section 3-A championship in girls’ basketball Friday with a 52-50 win over Katella in front of 3,000 fans at Cal Poly Pomona’s Kellogg Gymnasium.

Each team made 21 field goals, but Mission Viejo made 10 free throws, Katella 8.

As anyone who has followed Mission Viejo (28-2) this season would expect, point guard Christie Wile was the difference in the game.

Wile, the team’s three-time most valuable player, pulled off a rare triple-zilch.

She scored zero points from the field, none from the free throw line for a grand total of zip, count ‘em, zip points.

“I’ve had better games,” Wile said.

On the other end of the abacus we have Mission Viejo’s Tricia Stringham. Stringham scored a game-high 19 points, making 8 of 9 shots from floor.

It was Stringham who made a jump shot with one-second left on the shot clock, 1:01 left in the game, to put Mission Viejo ahead, 50-48.

Katella’s Deanne Cox made a jump shot to tie the game at 52-52 with 33 seconds left. But that was followed by Michelle Reid’s short jump shot along the baseline to make the score 52-50 with 15 seconds left. Reid’s shot turned out to be the game winner.

Katella’s Julie Standering missed the first shot of a one and one opportunity with five seconds left. Wile gathered in the rebound, threw it to Stringham who heaved it down the court as the buzzer sounded.

But for all her big points, including her big basket in the last minute, Stringham’s post-game comments were about one person: Christie Wile.

“I don’t care what she scores,” Stringham said. “This team is run by Christie Wile. She makes us go. Without her, I wouldn’t be able to do what I do. She’s the most valuable person on this team. I don’t care if she misses every shot she takes.”

Wile had five assists in the game which gave her 279 for the season, setting a Southern Section single-season record. The previous record was 276 held by Charise Bremond of Inglewood.

Mission Viejo made 21 of 35 field goal attempts (60%).

Katella, playing without top scorer Joni Easterly, out with a leg injury, made just 21 of 56 (38%).