The Los Alamitos girls basketball team rallied to defeat Mira Costa High of Manhattan Beach, 57-53, in overtime and win the championship of the Segerstrom High Tournament on Saturday at Segerstrom High.
The Griffins trailed 47-39 at the end of the third quarter against the Mustangs, which came into the last week ranked No. 5 in the Maxpreps State rankings. But the Griffin defense clamped down on the Mustangs, as the offense chipped away. Sophomore guard Maya Asumbrado hit a three-pointer and followed up with a driving scoop shot that quickly cut the Mustang lead to 47-44. Tam Yoshida then hit another three-pointer to tie the game at 47-47 with more than 5:00 left in the game.
The Griffins took the lead soon after, when senior center Kassidy Beach set a pick for Yoshida on a drive. After the pick, Beach broke down the key and Yoshida fed her a perfect pass for an easy layup that gave the Griffins a 49-47 lead. The rest of the quarter was a defensive battle with the game going to overtime, tied 52-52.
Los Al took the early lead when senior guard Megan Lee broke along the baseline and Beach fed her a pass from the free throw line for an uncontested layup. Mira Costa missed a few free throws and when Beach was fouled a Mustang player gave her a shove and drew a technical foul. The two free throws by Beach and the possession was essentially enough to seal the game.
“We’re tired of getting second, so it’s good to get first,” Beach said. “We’re just looking forward to league now.”
Beach and Lee each had 17 points to lead the offense, with Lee hitting five three-pointers. Kayli Liew chipped in 11 points. The Griffins are 11-4 and will host Corona High on Friday at 5:30 p.m. and then play at Buena Park on Wednesday at 2 p.m.
