GIRLS’ BASKETBALL / MARINA TOURNAMENT : Mater Dei Victory Is Lesson for Laguna Hills

HUNTINGTON BEACH —  Laguna Hills Coach Lynn Taylor wanted the Marina tournament to be a learning experience for his young team, a chance to see some of the best teams in the county and learn what it’s like to win.

Saturday night, third-ranked Mater Dei took eighth-ranked Laguna Hills to school.

The Monarchs defeated Laguna Hills, 50-36, in front of about 1,000 at Marina High to win the tournament championship.

Margaret Hollis, giving away nine inches in height to Laguna Hills’ 6-foot-6 Tayyiba Haneef, made up for it with her superior strength, preventing Haneef from becoming a factor until the game was out of reach.

And Rhonda Gondringer and Charlene Mendoza had no problem shooting over Haneef and shooting down the Hawks.

Gondringer finished with 20 points and 10 rebounds and the tournament’s most valuable player award. Mendoza set the tone for the Monarchs, scoring four of their first six points on driving baskets into the lane, showing that Haneef wasn’t going to be an intimidating factor.

“We didn’t want [Haneef] to get near the boards,” said Hollis (five rebounds), who along with Mendoza was named to the all-tournament team. “She could go over my back to get a rebound and not get a foul.”

Haneef, largely responsible for Laguna Hills’ victories over seventh-ranked El Dorado and sixth-ranked Marina to reach the final, had nine points and 10 rebounds--all but two rebounds coming in the second half. By then, Mater Dei held a 28-10 halftime lead.

The Monarch defense (26 turnovers) was superb; Marissa Trienen (10 points) was the only Laguna Hills player to score until Haneef put in a rebound with 3:34 left in the third quarter. That made it 38-12.

“We’ve never played on this level and you could tell,” Taylor said. “We were nervous. We’ve got to learn to handle that.

“We’re not quite ready for the top three or four teams in the county, but hopefully, by the end of the season, we’ll get there as we mature.”

The Hawks, who started four juniors, are 10-2; Mater Dei is 9-2.

Laguna Hills’ run through the tournament might have been best described by the postgame analysis of Melody Peterson (17 points): “I thought they would lose in the first round. I didn’t know they were that good.

“We have a lot of experience in big games--this was their first time.”

In other Marina tournament games:

Fountain Valley 61, Ocean View 54--Jennifer Ludwicki scored 24 points and Nicole Strange 20 as the second-ranked Barons (14-2) took third place. Ocean View (9-5) was led by Anna Lembke, who made her final 10 field goals.

Edison 64, Marina 40--Fifth-ranked Edison (10-4) got 26 points from Marie Philman to beat sixth-ranked Marina (12-2) for fifth place. Natalie Nakase led the Vikings with 15 points.

East Anchorage 60, Huntington Beach 52--East Anchorage outscored the Oilers, 21-10, in the fourth quarter. Phouangmaly Pravongviengkham scored 22 for Huntington Beach.