Charging ahead to CIF finals

HUNTINGTON BEACH — Last year ended as a disappointment for the Edison High girls’ basketball team.

But this year has the Chargers one game from a CIF title.

Using an effective inside-out game, Edison outlasted Mira Costa, 45-37, in a CIF Southern Section Division II-AA semifinal game at Huntington Beach High on Saturday night.

Edison (24-4) will play top-seeded Brea Olinda on Friday or Saturday in the championship game, at either Colony High or Mater Dei High.

“It’s exciting,” Edison Coach Dan Wiley said. “I’m very proud of the girls; they’ve worked hard all year.”

Last year, the Chargers remember suffering several injuries as their season suddenly ended. The No. 2 seed then, they lost in the second round to a wild-card team.

But this season, Edison is the No. 3 seed and in the finals. The school will be going for its second girls’ basketball title, and the first since it captured the 4-A crown in 1987.

“We were ready to go this year, to redeem ourselves from last year,” said senior guard Kelly Peterson, bound for Whitman College.

Peterson was a big reason why the team moves on. On Saturday night, she totaled 13 points and 10 rebounds. She also made some big free throws in the fourth quarter when the outcome was still in doubt.

“She’s the wheel that runs our team,” Wiley said. “She’s the engine for our team. She boxes out really well. For her size, she’s an awesome player. Underrated.”

Edison wasn’t about to underrate Mira Costa, though, The Mustangs (22-8) got to the CIF State finals last year before losing in overtime to Archbishop Mitty.

The Chargers had also beaten Mira Costa, 52-35, in the Marina tournament earlier this year, so they knew the Mustangs would want revenge.

And, it was Mira Costa that jumped out to an 11-6 lead after a quarter and also led at halftime, 17-16.

“I honestly think we were just so pumped up that we came out way too antsy and all over the place,” Peterson said. “The second half, we just settled down and got into our game.”

More specifically, senior Michelle Yamasaki and sophomore Bonnie Samuelson both got hot. They combined for three three-pointers in the third quarter, as Edison went out to a 33-24 lead.

Samuelson had a team-high 17 points, and Yamasaki added 11. Senior Mary Madden added a basket, eight rebounds and a pair of steals.

“We like to work the inside-out a lot,” Samuelson said. “We’re a pretty good three-point shooting team.”

Mira Costa rallied, and had a chance for a tying three-pointer with 25 seconds to go, but senior Amanda Johnson was just a bit off.

Johnson and Jasmine Rutledge did lead the Mustangs with 10 points each.

“She got a look at a three at the end,” Mira Costa Coach Don Braunecker said. “We couldn’t ask for a better look to tie the game up ... It was a good semifinal game. The difference probably was, they moved the ball a little bit better than we did offensively. The better team tonight won.”