GIRLS’ BASKETBALL ROUNDUP : Flint Sparks Corona del Mar to Estancia Title

Although only 5 feet 5, Corona del Mar’s Mollie Flint created big problems for Estancia Wednesday night, scoring 29 points, including the game-winning basket, to give the Sea Kings a 52-50 victory in the championship game of the Estancia girls’ basketball tournament.

Flint, the tournament’s most valuable player, dribbled past an Estancia double team at half court and scored on a 10-foot, leaning jumper in the lane to break a 50-50 tie with 18 seconds remaining.

With six seconds remaining, Estancia freshman Jessica Waltz dribbled left around Liz Romero’s screen and scored the apparent, tying basket on a 12-footer. However, officials whistled Corona del Mar’s Rosalie Kane for a foul when she fought through Romero’s pick.

Romero missed the front end of the one-and-one, and Flint rebounded the miss. After an Estancia foul, Corona del Mar inbounded the ball to Flint, who dribbled around in the backcourt to run off the clock’s final four seconds.

Kane, who scored 10 points, set the stage for Flint’s game-winner, making a 15-footer off an assist from Flint on a well executed pick-and-roll to tie the score with 44 seconds remaining.

“When we couldn’t work the ball inside, we just went to Mollie and Rosalie,” Corona del Mar Coach Garth Flint said.

Flint scored 20 points in the first half, helping the Sea Kings (5-1) to a 26-25 halftime lead.

Flint made all 11 of her free throws in the half, and finished with four assists, four steals and two three-pointers. Teammate Lisa Lampe came off the bench to grab 15 rebounds.

Laura Czingula had 11 points and 11 rebounds for Estancia (6-2), and Karla Dominguez added nine points.