Philman Playing With Confidence Now

HUNTINGTON BEACH — Cheers erupted around an exhausted Marie Philman as she slumped in a chair and hung her head. This was not the way things were supposed to end, she thought.

The Edison forward had played her final game as a freshman and the visiting Chargers had lost to Hemet, 78-51, in the quarterfinals of the Southern Section Division II-AA playoffs last season.

Philman overcame a knee injury, surgery and self-doubts to help the Chargers during their playoff run. She figured the best was ahead and that nothing could stop Edison--or her--en route to a section title.

Then came more pain.

“I just sat there, moping,” Philman said. “I was having so much fun (in the playoffs), so it was just depressing to have everything end like that.

“But I gained a lot of confidence and that’s what I’m bringing into (the playoffs) this year.”

Indeed.

Buoyed by her development late last season, Philman, 15, has become one of the county’s dominant players. The sophomore forward leads Edison against Chino, which plays host to the Chargers tonight in the opening round of the Division I-A playoffs.

“I’m really determined (to win a championship),” Philman said. “I wasn’t thinking that way going into the playoffs last year.

“Last year, I just wanted to prove to everybody what I could really do because I had a lot of problems early on (in the season).”

Philman’s left knee was the culprit.

She missed the Chargers’ first nine games last season after undergoing surgery to repair cartilage damage. But the surgery did not repair the damage to her psyche.

Usually aggressive on the court, Philman was timid when she returned to the team. She acted less like a budding standout and more like a perfect child: seen and not heard.

“I had missed a lot of time and I was afraid of making mistakes,” Philman said. “I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to do everything I used to do (before the surgery) and I was scared of losing my starting position.”

And then there was the whole freshman thing.

Philman had five senior teammates and she did not want to overstep her bounds--in the game plan or with her mouth. That, added to the other concerns, could create enough emotional baggage to weigh down the sagest individual let alone a cherub-cheeked newcomer.

But Philman eventually carved her niche. And she used the playoffs as a coming out party.

She averaged almost 15 points and 15 rebounds in the Chargers’ three playoff games, which increased her season totals to 11 and 12, respectively. Philman had arrived.

“I felt renewed in the playoffs,” she said. “I finally felt like I was doing the things I thought I could do.”

Charger Coach Philip Abraham noticed, too.

“She blossomed during the playoffs,” Abraham said. “Once when she was having some problems early in the season, she told me she was better than she was playing.

“We knew what we had in her, but it wasn’t until the playoffs that she really started to get going. That’s when she really started dominating.”

She hasn’t stopped.

Philman averaged 27 points and 14.3 rebounds during the regular season, finishing second and third, respectively, among county girls. She also made 53% of her field goals and 80% of her free throws.

She has scored 30 points 10 times and 40 points four times. What’s more, she set seven school records for rebounding.

Philman, 5 feet 10, is too quick for most centers and too physical for most forwards. She moves with ease from all front-court positions and is one of the Chargers’ best players running the floor.

And there’s more .

“She does so many things well, but the thing she’s probably best at is understanding the game situation,” Abraham said. “She really understands exactly what we need from her and she gives it to us.”

Philman now hopes to help bring the Chargers a title.

“I’m not going to be satisfied with us making it far,” she said. “I want us to go all the way.”

Division I-AA at a Glance

Defending champion: Lynwood.

Top-seeded teams: Lynwood (25-1), Palos Verdes Peninsula (21-3), Long Beach Poly (20-4), Fontana (20-4).

Dark horse: Long Beach Millikan (16-8). The Rams finished second in the Moore League behind Poly but have one of the most talented teams in the division.

Top players: Keisha Allison (Fontana A.B. Miller), Staci Andrews (Arroyo Grande), Alecia Balich (Chino Hills Ayala), Tawnee Cooper (Simi Valley Royal), Nina Hawkins (Victor Valley), Amy Heaton (Lakewood), Angela Holt (Nogales), Kristy Kierulff (Esperanza), Timicha Kirby (Lynwood), Blanca Loza (Millikan), Mimi McKinney (Peninsula), Kelly Morris (Diamond Bar), Sharmayne Murphy (Fontana), Kristina Silva (Central Union), Nicole Strange (Fountain Valley), Felicity Willis (Apple Valley).

Best draw: Peninsula (21-3). The second-seeded Panthers should cruise into the championship game and a probable matchup with top-seeded Lynwood.

Worst draw: Santa Monica (9-13), which plays Lynwood in the first round. Few teams in the state can compete with Lynwood, and Santa Monica is not one of them.

Notes: Lynwood defeated Capistrano Valley in the championship game last season, 58-41. Capistrano Valley is in Division I-A this year. Lynwood also won the State Division I title and finished 30-0. . . . Peninsula won the division and State titles in 1992. . . . Arroyo Grande’s Andrews, a guard, has team-leading averages in scoring (20.1), rebounding (10.1) and assists (5.4).

Division I-A at a Glance

Defending champion: Ventura Buena.

Top-seeded teams: Buena (20-2), Oxnard Channel Islands (22-3), Mater Dei (20-3), San Clemente (18-5).

Dark horse: Marina (19-6). The Vikings might advance deep in the playoffs if they can get past a talented Dana Hills (17-7) team in the first round.

Top players: Nina Alexander (Century), La Cresha Clark (Newhall Hart), Michelle Giordano (Buena), Doveal Goins (Moreno Valley Canyon Springs), Karun Grossman (Dana Hills), Michelle Macintyre (San Clemente), Leticia Oseguera (Mater Dei), Shannon Perry (Cerritos), Melody Peterson (Mater Dei), Marie Philman (Edison), Shandy Robbins (Marina), Sara Samimi (Thousand Oaks), Susan Scott (Capistrano Valley), Kori Sebek (Buena), Rhonda Smith (Downey), Jennifer Stanley (University), Michelle Stremel (Montclair), Lisa Tamamasui (Westminster), Maribel Uribe (Arroyo), Karen Villafuerte (Rialto), Laura Zepeda (Century), Nicolle Zuniga (Dana Hills).

Best draw: Mater Dei. Being seeded third keeps the Monarchs out of Buena’s half of the bracket. A Mater Dei-Buena final? Could be.

Worst draw: Westminster (10-15). The Lions face Mater Dei in the first round, which should lead to an early exit.

Notes: Perennial powerhouse Buena, which won its 17th league title in 18 seasons, defeated Ventura County-rival Thousand Oaks in the division championship game last season, 44-43. Thousand Oaks was seeded first and entered the game undefeated (29-0) . . . Marina, which won its fourth consecutive Sunset League title, was the county’s lone representative among the final four teams. The Vikings were defeated by Thousand Oaks, 65-49 . . . Dana Hills tied a school single-season record for victories. Grossman set Dolphin single-season records for (549 points) and rebounding (252), and all-time scoring (1,061).