Marina opens postseason with easy win over Sunny Hills

Mike Sciacca, Independent

Boy, how going through the rigors of the Sunset League can really

prepare a team.

When you play teams like Edison and Esperanza week in and week out during

the course of a league season, which the Marina High girls basketball

team has done, such games would have any team ready for postseason

competition.

Well the Vikings, who also had formidable league competition in

Huntington Beach, Los Alamitos, and Fountain Valley, were more than ready

for their CIF Southern Section Division I-A first round playoff game

Thursday against Sunny Hills, which left the Marina gymnasium bullied and

beaten in a 79-33 defeat.

It was one of those feel good games for the Vikings, but who knew that it

would come against postseason competition?

“When you do play the Edisons and Esperanzas -- any of our league teams

-- it’s a whole step above any other league, really,” said Marina’s Butch

Fredlow, who secured his first playoff victory at the school in this, his

first season as head coach. “Our league is so tough from top to bottom,

that you can’t help but be prepared once the playoffs roll around.”

Marina (19-9) turned in one of its best performances of the season

against a team that finished third in the Freeway League.

Everyone on the Viking roster had a hand in the victory, and 12 of the 13

players (which included three up from the Marina junior varsity squad)

broke into the scoring column.

The 79 points were the most scored by the Vikings this season, and their

29-point third quarter outburst was the best output in a quarter this

season.

Still, Fredlow didn’t think the outcome would be so lopsided.

“I had no idea that it would end up like this,” he said. “As a coach, you

always want all of your players to have a chance to play and tonight,

it’s great to be able to get everybody in...and in a CIF game.

“I really liked our girls attitude before the game. I just told them to

relax and have a good time. We came out and played hard right from the

start.”

Whatever nerves the Vikings might have possessed before tip off quickly

were put aside when junior guard Miranda Emde nailed a three-point shot

to open the game. From there, Marina was off and running.

The Vikings scored the final 12 points of the quarter to go up 21-4 on

the Lancers (11-16), then used a 10-0 run in the early stages of the

second quarter to gain their first 20-point cushion (27-6) of the game.

Marina led by as many as 25 points in the first half and went into the

locker room with a commanding 35-12 lead.

Sunny Hills never scored consecutive baskets in the opening half.

Fredlow was able to substitute freely throughout the night, but no matter

what lineup he put on the floor, the Vikings continually scored easy

transition baskets. They outscored Sunny Hills, 29-6 in the third

quarter, to take a 64-18 lead into the final eight minutes of play.

Emde topped all scorers with 15 points, sophomore forward Cara

Congelliere finished with 14, and senior forward Nikki Lee contributed 13

to power Marina, which visits Mission Valley League champion Arroyo

(15-11) Saturday in second round action.

Tip off is set for 7:30 p.m.