Girls’ Basketball: HB hot to start league play
Huntington Beach High put three players in double-figures Tuesday and the Oilers registered their second-straight big victory to open the Sunset League girls’ basketball season by bolting past visiting Newport Harbor, 66-28.
Huntington ran out to a 23-6 lead after one quarter and extended its lead to 37-14 at halftime. Senior guard Sammy Gray scored a game-high 21 points. Junior guards Frankie Wade-Sanchez and Kaylyn Nakaji scored 15 points and 13 points, respectively.
The Oilers, ranked No. 4 in CIF Southern Section Division 1A, went to 2-0 in league and 17-3 overall.
In a Sunset opener Friday, Nakaji scored a game-best 22 points, Wade-Sanchez added 10 points and Huntington won the Water vs. Oil rivalry game against host Marina, 65-24.
“The girls are firing on all cylinders right now,” Huntington Coach Russ McClurg said. “We will continue to remain humble and work hard in the gym.”
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•In another Sunset game Tuesday, Edison went to Marina and jumped out to and early lead and came away with a 65-40 win over the Vikings. Sophomore center Ashley Niemand scored a career-high 23 points and senior forward Jackie Bento had 12 points for the Chargers.
Edison, which took a 20-8 lead in the first quarter, squared its league record at 1-1 and improved to 6-10 overall.
Senior guard Christina Mark led Marina (0-2, 6-11) with 11 points.
“Marina played us tough for 32 minutes but we came together as a team and pulled away in the end,” Edison Coach Sara Brown said. “It was a good win for our team as everyone was able to contribute.”
Edison had dropped its Sunset opener Jan. 7, 65-45 at Los Alamitos. Shooting guard/forward Justine Modde led the Chargers with 10 points and nine rebounds.
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•In the third Sunset game Tuesday, Los Alamitos kept pace (2-0) with Huntington in the league standings by rolling past visiting Fountain Valley, 77-19. Senior point guard Kayleen Amimoto led the Barons (0-2 league) with seven points.
The Sunset League schedule for 7 p.m. Thursday finds Huntington hosting Edison and Fountain Valley playing at Marina.
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•Ocean View collected its initial win in the early stages of the Golden West League race by dominating visiting Loara, 72-24. Senior guard/forward Treasure Robinson led the way for the Seahawks with 14 points, senior guard Danelle Almiranez had 12 points, senior guard Sally Morris 10 points and five assists, and senior center Madisyn Newberry five points and six rebounds.
Coach Kim Morris called the performance by her Seahawks, who improved to 1-1 in league and 9-7 overall, a “combination of a team in hyper-focus after a loss, meeting a team (Loara) of young players learning to compete at the varsity level.”
In its league opener Friday, Ocean View was edged by host Segerstrom, 41-39.
The Seahawks, No. 15 in CIF-SS Division 3A, are back in league action Friday for a 7 p.m. game at Orange.
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CIF Weekly Rankings: Huntington Beach (No. 4, Division 1A); Ocean View (No. 15, Division 3A).
