SUNSET LEAGUE GIRLS’ BASKETBALL ROUNDUP : Periolat Again Leading Marina to Victory

Aimee Periolat returned to full-time action and scored 21 points to help Marina defeat Huntington Beach, 66-60, in Sunset League girls’ basketball Thursday at Marina High.

Periolat, who played part-time in Tuesday’s game, had missed the last two weeks because of a torn knee tendon sustained Jan. 14 in a game against Edison. Her point total Thursday was one shy of her career high. She also hit three three-pointers and had three assists.

“I was nervous before the game because my knee bothered me in practice, but (in the game) I took time on my shots and made sure I was squared fully on my three-point attempts,” Periolat said.

Said Marina Coach Pete Bonny: “We were 3-0 without Aimee but we wouldn’t have won tonight without her, and we needed everybody.”

From the second quarter, Marina (18-3, 7-1 in league), the county’s third-ranked team, led by as many as 10 points until the final two minutes of the game, when Jessica Trippet (11 points, 10 rebounds), Annie Presutti and Barbara Kraus fouled out.

Bonny said his Vikings pressed effectively and stopped the Oilers’ running game.

“This was a tough game for us to lose,” said Huntington Beach Coach Nick Bartlett. “Periolat’s play really hurt us. We had to shut her down because she takes too many shots from outside. But when we shut her down, Trippet took over.”

Said Periolat: “Our entire team played strong, we passed the ball well on offense and we played good defense.”

Tuesda Wistrick led Huntington Beach in scoring with 24 points--13 in the fourth quarter--and 14 rebounds. Clare Walker scored 17 points and Deana Itow had 14.