Breakers Girls Beat Godinez, Take Control of Own Playoff Fate

Laguna Beach High’s girls basketball team took control of its playoff fate with a 49-38 victory over Godinez in an Orange Coast League game Monday night at Godinez High in Santa Ana.

The teams came into the game tied for the league's third-place spot, which carries with it an automatic berth into the CIF Southern Section playoffs. Godinez had beaten the Breakers in their first meeting, but Laguna Beach stepped up its intensity this time around.

The Breakers improved to 5-4 in league play, while the Grizzlies dropped to 4-5, with each team having one game left in the regular season. The teams were separated by only one point at halftime, but the Breakers began to take control just past the midpoint of the third quarter.

“I think it was all about desire," Laguna Beach's senior center, Sam Garner, said. "This game was crucial to us making [the playoffs] and we knew, it being so close at halftime, we knew we were going to have to make a push.”

The Breakers fell behind, 27-22, early in the third quarter before beginning to rally. Senior guard Emily Writer got them going with a three-pointer that cut the deficit to 27-25. Writer was playing despite being under the weather and managed to put in 11 points. Gardner led the team with 18 points, while sophomore guard Lola Cowie added 14 points.

In their first meeting, Godinez beat the Breakers, 56-41, by using their speed and by hitting a lot of outside shots. The Breakers knew they had to defend those shooters better on Monday. The Breakers held the Grizzlies to only five baskets from beyond the arc and held all by one player to single digits in scoring.

“When they [Godinez] get their feet set, they’re good shooters," Breakers coach Jon Hendrickson said. "But we scrambled on defense and made them shoot quickly."

After the Grizzlies took a 29-27 lead with just over three minutes left in the third quarter, the Breakers went on an 11-2 run to finish the quarter. Cowie hit a three-pointer that gave the Breakers a 35-31 lead. Garner added a free throw and ended the quarter with an offensive rebound and put-back to push their lead to 38-31.

Garner opened the fourth quarter with a layup basket off a give-and-go play with freshman Mandi Wisbaum. Cowie followed with a baseline jump shot that gave the Breakers a 42-31 lead. A minute later, Wisbaum added a rebound and put-back of her own that gave the Breakers a 44-31 lead almost midway through the fourth quarter.

The Breakers had lost to Costa Mesa and Godinez in their first meetings, but in the past two games, Laguna Beach has beaten both those teams in convincing fashion. The two victories are the first back-to-back wins for the Breakers since a three-game winning streak in early December. They might be peaking at the right time, and Hendrickson likes the way his team has come together.

“It’s been great to watch this team progress throughout the year and a lot of tribute goes to them, they work hard,” Hendrickson said.

The Breakers will finish the season with a league game at Saddleback on Wednesday at 7 p.m. The Breakers defeated the Roadrunners, 45-39, in the first round. That night, Godinez travels to Calvary Chapel in Santa Ana.