Segerstrom tops Ocean View in battle for first

A case of déjà vu was far from the experience that the Ocean View High girls’ basketball team was hoping for on Thursday.

For the second year in a row, the Seahawks took on rival Segerstrom with first place on the line in the Golden West League.

In both instances, the Jaguars were out for revenge. Twice, Ocean View has been unable to thwart Segerstrom’s retaliatory strike.

Junior guard Tati Zazuetta scored a game-high 32 points, all of which came in the final three quarters, to lead host Segerstrom past Ocean View 61-53.

Zazuetta, a dynamic player who was MVP of the league last season, sat on the bench to start the game. When she entered, it took her just a couple of minutes to swing the momentum.

The Jaguars star gathered defensive rebounds, taking the ball coast to coast for layups. She scored nine points in the second quarter, cutting an 18-5 Ocean View lead to 25-22 at halftime.

Zazuetta, who added nine rebounds, three assists, three steals and two blocked shots, continued to heat up. She scored 11 points in the third quarter. A three-point play with 50 seconds left in the quarter gave Segerstrom (12-8, 5-1 in league) its first lead at 38-36.

In the fourth quarter, Zazuetta poured in 12 more points, showcasing herself as one of the best finishers in Orange County.

“It means a lot,” Zazuetta said of closing out Ocean View at home. “They beat us the first time. It happened last year. They beat us the first time. We want that league championship. We want it.

“It means everything. We just have to keep playing like this. We can’t let another one slip.”

Ocean View (15-7, 4-2) stayed competitive for most of the game, thanks to the standout play of its post players. Junior center Helen Reynolds had 18 points and 15 rebounds. Freshman forward Hosanna Walker scored 18 points with 11 rebounds.

Seahawks coach Kim Morris says that Walker’s all-around game has blossomed this year.

“She’s strong and long, and she does a good job of locking down people,” Morris said. “She can bother some really good offensive players, and I’m very pleased with that. We’re putting her in so many pressure situations as a freshman that she’s only going to continue to get better.”

A couple of factors figured into Segerstrom’s comeback. While Ocean View did well to create second chances on the offensive glass, the Seahawks were not as proficient at boxing out defensively.

Apart from the creativity of Zazuetta, the defensive rebounding issues led to a bevy of second-chance opportunities. The Jaguars also shot 19 free throws to just eight by the Seahawks.

“We had a rough start just because we weren’t communicating very well,” Jaguars senior forward Zoe Velez said. “Yesterday at practice, we noticed that something was off. We weren’t communicating.

“As soon as we came together and talked as a team, we just came out there and executed.”

Velez had nine points, 10 rebounds and four assists, while senior guard Emma Vasquez added 10 points and four steals for Segerstrom.

The Seahawks’ jump shooters also struggled. Senior guard Erica Almiranez (eight points and five rebounds) connected on just three of 17 shots. Senior guard Emi Yamasaki scored just four points, rarely putting up shots.

“This has been like this for about two weeks,” Morris said of the Seahawks’ shooting woes. “Right now, for whatever reason, their confidence has been shaken. They’ve got to get it back.”

Ocean View remains on the road at Loara (4-12, 1-4) for a league game on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m.

*

Segerstrom 61, Ocean View 53

SCORE BY QUARTERS

Ocean View 18 – 7 – 15 – 13 — 53

Segerstrom 5 – 17 – 16 – 23 — 61

OV – Walker 18, Reynolds 18, Almiranez 8, Solis 5, Yamasaki 4.

3-pt. goals – Almiranez 2, Yamasaki 1, Solis 1.

Fouled out – None.

Technicals – None.

S – Zazuetta 32, Vasquez 10, Velez 9, Vega 6, Souvannavong 4.

3-pt. goals – Zazuetta 5, Vasquez 1.

Fouled out – None.

Technicals – None.

andrew.turner@latimes.com

Twitter: @ProfessorTurner