Mustangs Put Scare Into Brea-Olinda

To say that Brea Olinda’s run through their 2010-11 season has been one of dominance is an understatement.

The Wildcats' average margin of victory this season is 38. 

So when they traveled north to Fisher Gym to face Mira Costa in the second round of CIF playoffs, the Mustangs would have been excused if they lost by 30 to 40 points.

“Not everyone gets the chance to play against a number one ranked team," said Coach Craig Takahashi. "This is a game that they might not remember the score, but they will remember this game for the rest of their lives.” 

The girls from Manhattan Beach had another idea as they went toe-to-toe for 28 minutes, staying within five points before succumbing to the number one ranked team in the nation 67-53.

“We came to win.  The numbers don’t say it, but this was like a win for us,” senior Joelle Herron said.

Takahashi implored his team to take a “nothing to lose” mindset and despite falling behind 10-2 in the early going, the Mustangs gave Brea all they could handle.

“We went out with nothing to lose. The girls kept their focus when we struggled early on,” Takahashi said.

The Wildcats went on a 7-0 run to finish the third quarter as Alexis Perry buried a three-pointer and Keitra Wallace scored four quick points to give the Wildcats a 47-35 advantage going into the fourth.

The Mustangs would answer with a corner three from Ashley Reese that was followed up by Kylie Nakamine grabbing a steal at half court and taking the ball to the basket, drawing a foul and getting her shot to fall at 47-41.

“Suddenly, I looked up and thought, 'We are only down six, we can hang with them,'” Nakamine said.

The rock-solid senior completed the three-point play pulling the Mustangs to within six, and led the Mustangs with 19 points, steadying the ship early with seven of the team’s first nine points.

UCLA-bound Justine Hartman was difficult to contain all night as the 6’2” senior shot over the top of the Mustangs' undersized front line.

Hartman scored 16 on the night. Herron did an admirable job in the front court, scoring 14 and keeping the Mustangs in the game midway through the fourth, knocking down a jumper with four minutes to play at 53-48.

“The coach said we played them as hard as anyone quarter for quarter this year. I think we had him nervous,” Herron said.

Brea would go on another 7-0 run fueled by Hartman and Wallace, who finished with a game-high 23 points.

With the Wildcat lead again in double-digits, the Mustangs were unable to mount one last run and ended up succumbing to Brea 67-53.

“This was definitely one of our best games," said Nakamine. "We played together and had a really good performance. It feels great to play well in our last game.”

After the game, an impressed Brea head coach Jeff Sink congratulated the Mustangs on their effort.

“My adrenaline was going all night," said senior Jenna Stephanoff. "We fought hard and played one of our best games this season.” 

“It’s a great way to go out for our seniors," said Takahashi. "They competed hard with the number one team in the country and nobody can take that away from them."