Fountain Valley prevails in thriller against Marina on late bucket by Karley Waite
The winds of change were swift on Wednesday, the tension tightening with each passing possession.
When junior center Karley Waite went to the free-throw line and made one of two attempts to break a tie that had lasted for more than two minutes with 28 seconds remaining, she could have easily dwelled on the miss.
It had left the door open, and Marina was prepared to walk through it, sophomore sensation Rylee Bradley weaving through traffic for a driving right-handed layup that reclaimed the lead.
Waite did not wait long for her next opportunity. After a timeout, Waite started at the top of the key, then rolled to the back side of the lane. Sophie Hsieh fired an inbounds pass over the top of the defense, and Waite’s finish was true.
Fountain Valley emerged victorious 59-58 over Marina in the riveting affair to kick off Sunset Conference crossover competition.
“I’m just thinking I got to start [with the] catch, and then I got to finish,” said Waite, who had 12 points, 12 rebounds and three blocked shots. “Catch and look. Sometimes, I forget to do that, but tonight, I did it, and it paid off.”
Fountain Valley coach Marianne Karp placed her hand over her heart in relief after Bradley lost control of the ball on a final drive to the basket, ending the game. She said she had seen another team attempt to run the same after-timeout play that led to Waite’s heroics, but on that occasion, the pass had not been executed. Still, she sent it to her team as a film study. Again, it was not long before a chance presented itself.
“I recorded it, sent it in our group [chat] and said, ‘A better pass gets this win,’” Karp said. “I’m like, ‘Wow, that’s so crazy how I just sent that yesterday.’”
The Barons had led for a good portion of the contest, not relinquishing the lead until Haley Nguyen converted an offensive rebound for a 26-25 Vikings advantage with 3:15 left in the first half.
Marina (11-7), which advanced to the CIF State Division V final last season, went on an 18-5 run in the third quarter, capped by a Bradley three-pointer. Sydnie Smith scored 11 of her 13 points in the period, as the Vikings held a 50-41 lead going to the final frame.
Bradley had a game-high 24 points to go with eight rebounds and four steals for Marina. Anaya Rivera also stood out with six points, 14 rebounds, three blocks, three assists and two steals. Maria Tejeda scored 10 points and added two steals.
“The energy’s there,” Marina coach Daniel Roussel said of Rivera. “She’s long and athletic. She causes problems for people defensively. Really, we’re just trying to continue to build her confidence, and she’s improved every game throughout the season. Just watching her grow before our eyes, she’s going to be a solid player for us.”
Fountain Valley (11-8) chipped away, pulling even at 56-56 with just under three minutes remaining on a three from the right corner by Melody Nishi.
The streaky Barons snapped a three-game slide to close out 2023. They opened the season with four straight losses, before rattling off 10 wins over an 11-game span.
Kaylie Sasaki scored a dozen points for Fountain Valley. Dasani Pham chipped in with 11 points. Hsieh contributed 11 points, five rebounds, five assists and three steals.
“Teaching them that composure and managing the clocks is really tricky, especially when there’s only one senior that starts,” Karp said. “They’re doing a great job. They’re learning so much. We’ve had some battles. We’ve been beat up, kicked around, and they’re resilient. It’s great.”
Nonleague
Fountain Valley 59, Marina 58
SCORE BY QUARTERS
Marina 11 - 17 - 22 - 8 — 58
Fountain Valley 13 - 16 - 12 - 18 — 59
M — Bradley 24, Smith 13, Tejeda 10, Rivera 6, H. Nguyen 4, Grasse 1.
3-pt. goals — Bradley 3, Smith 2, Tejeda 1.
Fouled out — H. Nguyen, Rivera.
Technicals — None.
FV — Sasaki 12, Waite 12, D. Pham 11, Hsieh 11, M. Nishi 6, Tran 4, Alani 2, Fast 1.
3-pt. goals — Pham 3, Hsieh 2, M. Nishi 2, Sasaki 1.
Fouled out — None.
Technicals — None.
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