CdM advances to tournament final

CHINO HILLS --- Sometimes the Corona del Mar High girls’ basketball team meets a team that just can’t contend with its size.

Walnut certainly had that problem Tuesday night in an Ayala Best in the West Tournament semifinal game.

The Mustangs had nobody above 5-foot-9, and nobody to really contend with CdM’s 6-4 junior Natalia Bruening and 6-2 junior Krista Anderson.

Bruening and Anderson each posted double-doubles as the Sea Kings won easily, 53-30, at Ayala High to advance to the Best in the West championship game Wednesday at 7:30 p.m.

CdM will face a tougher challenge in the tournament title game against perennial powerhouse Serra of Gardena, which beat Colony, 64-44, in the other semifinal game.

While the ball is getting ready to drop in Times Square, CdM will be trying to figure out a Serra team that is ranked No. 8 in CIF Southern Section Division 1AA. CdM is ranked No. 4 in Division 3AA.

“That will be a really good test for us,” Decker said. “It’ll be fun. Nowhere I’d rather be on New Year’s Eve than with our team here.”

Bruening and Anderson helped make it happen. Bruening had 17 points and 17 rebounds for the Sea Kings (10-3). Anderson chipped in 11 points and 10 boards, and each post player had two blocks.

But other CdM players also stepped up. Kat Hess, a talented soccer goalie who is playing basketball this winter, matched her season-high with nine points. And junior guard Melody Yoo made two three-pointers off the bench for the Sea Kings, who also got six points and four assists from senior point guard Kelly Tam.

The efforts helped overcome the absence of senior guard Brianna Westrup, who Decker said is out of town this week for the holidays. And making 14 of 15 free throws also helped matters.

“I thought we did a good job of running through the offense and finding our best options,” Bruening said.

Senior point guard Kim Mayekawa, a team captain, led Walnut (7-4) with 10 points. But the Mustangs struggled with their shooting all night.

Walnut made just four of 27 shots in the first half, which ended with CdM already up double-digits at 20-10. The Sea Kings kept adding to their lead all the way until five seconds remained in the game, when Hess nailed a corner three-pointer.

“I’d say they executed their game plan very well,” Walnut Coach Lori Huckler said. “Our game is about speed and running, and they slowed us down and shut down the key. They did a great job. They’re a great team … I think we were intimated by their overall size, not just [Bruening and Anderson]. They weren’t outside guarding us. I think we just got it in our mind that they were big and tall.

“When you don’t have height, you’ve got to find another way to win. It’s like I told the girls, this isn’t a short girls sport, it’s a tall girls sport. It definitely wasn’t our night.”

The Sea Kings hope that New Year’s Eve will be another night to remember.

“It’s different,” Hess said. “I’ve never played a game on New Year’s Eve, but it should be fun, regardless.”

Bruening grinned, nearly repeating the line her coach had used just minutes before.

“No place I’d rather be,” she said.

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Ayala Best of the West Tournament

Semifinal

Corona del Mar 53, Walnut 30

SCORE BY QUARTERS

Wal 5 – 5 – 10 – 10 — 30

CdM 10 – 10 – 16 – 17 — 53

Wal – Mayekawa 10, Yee 8, Koay 5, J. Pitpit 3, C. Pitpit 2, Echavez 2.

3-pt. goals – Yee 2, Mayekawa 1, J. Pitpit 1.

Fouled out – None.

Technicals – None.

CdM – Bruening 17, Anderson 11, Hess 9, Tam 6, Yoo 6, King 4.

3-pt. goals – Hess 2, Yoo 2, King 1.

Fouled out – None.

Technicals – None.