Wayte stepped up in Sea Kings’ time of need

femaleathleteofweekCorona del Mar senior may be undersized for a center, but she’s more than holding her own against taller inside foes.When Corona del Mar High’s Katie Schulte went down with a foot injury, her teammates on the girls’ basketball team were urged to pick their game up a notch.

“We lost our primary shooter, so at the next practice I was stressing the fact that somebody needs to step up,” Corona del Mar Coach Scott Kahawai said.

Among the players who shined both offensively and defensively last week in Corona del Mar’s run to the championship game of the Garden Grove Tournament was 6-foot senior center Kristina Wayte.

Wayte’s basket with 20 seconds remaining gave Corona del Mar the lead for good in the team’s 44-43 win over Torrance. She tallied 12 points in the game.

In the tournament semifinals, Wayte limited Sage Hill’s 6-foot-2 center, Haywood Wright, to 11 points, and scored 10 points herself in Corona del Mar’s 55-51 win over the Lightning. The Sea Kings reached the championship game before losing to Santa Monica, 82-41.

Wayte said she was fired up to go against Wright, one of the top post players in the area.

“It was difficult. But I always wanted to play her, because she’s the best,” Wayte said.

“Kristina really distinguished herself as being one of our best players,” Kahawai said. “She stepped up her scoring, she anchored our defense and was strong on the boards, especially against Sage Hill. They had an obvious height advantage. She went head to head against Wright and held Haywood to one of her lowest point totals of the season. She was a standout defensively in that game.”

Wayte, as Corona del Mar’s center, almost always ends up defending bigger players.

“Yeah, most of the time,” Wayte said. “I just have to play straight-up defense.”

Because she usually gives up height and weight to the players she guards, Wayte has to be aggressive and creative on defense.

“She’s subtle, crafty and economical in how she does things,” Kahawai said. “She’s always in the right spot.”

It’s fair to say Wayte doesn’t, well, wait around on defense.

“I try to get to the spot their going before they do,” she said.

Kahawai said her toughness makes up for her lack of size in the post.

“She’s undersized, but she won’t back down,” Kahawai said. “She’s able to hold her own.”

When Kahawai said other players had to step up in Schulte’s absence, Wayte was among those who took it to heart.

“Usually I’m more reserved on the offensive end,” Wayte said. “Now I’m more aggressive.”

The good news for Corona del Mar is that Schulte could return as soon as next week -- just in time for the heart of the Pacific Coast League season.

When she returns, she’ll add extra firepower to a group of players like Wayte, Megan Benbow and Allie Duernberger, who have stepped up their offensive production as the Sea Kings make their bid for a league title.

“We have to play tough defense, rebound and control the ball -- no turnovers,” Wayte said. “If we don’t give up second chances, we have a good chance.”

The Kristina Wayte File

Hometown: Costa Mesa

Height: 5-foot-10

Weight: 160

Sport: Basketball

Position: Center

Coach: Scott Kahawai

Favorite food: Parents cooking, especially the gumbo.

Favorite movie: “The Boondock Saints”

Favorite athletic moment: “Definitely beating Sage Hill and playing against Haywood Wright. I always wanted to play against her.”

Week in review: Wayte’s basket with 20 seconds left gave CdM the lead for good in the team’s 44-43 win over Torrance. She scored 12 points in the game. In the semifinals of the tournament, Wayte put the clamps on 6-foot-2 center Haywood Wright and scored 10 points in Corona del Mar’s 55-51 win over Sage Hill. Corona del Mar lost in the tournament championship to Santa Monica. 200601062S1MMLLQNo Caption20060106isnfc1ncKENT TREPTOW / DAILY PILOT(LA)