Huntington Beach Edges Marina

The Huntington Beach girls’ basketball team stunned Sunset League favorite Marina, 57-54, Tuesday night despite playing without their leading scorer, Phouangmaly Pravongviengkham. Pravongviengkham sprained her ankle last week in Huntington Beach’s loss to Edison.

“I can’t describe how big it is, especially without Phouangmaly,” Oiler Coach Bill Thomson said.

The Oilers (12-4, 1-1) battled back from a 10-point deficit in the second quarter Tuesday night and held off the cold-shooting Vikings (12-3, 1-1).

Kelly Medlen and Stephanie Draeger did an admirable job filling in for Pravongviengkham. Medlen made seven of 11 field goals and led Huntington Beach with 16 points. Draeger, the only senior in the Oiler lineup, had 13 points and 17 rebounds, helping Huntington Beach take a 47-42 advantage on the boards.

Huntington Beach trailed, 23-13, early in the second quarter before scoring 10 straight points to tie the score. Marina, ranked fourth in the county, led, 30-27, at halftime, but the host Oilers tied the score at 32 on a Medlen jumper 1:38 into the second half. Moments later, the Oilers took the lead on another Medlen basket.

The Oilers never trailed again, as Marina struggled to a 7-of-33 (21 percent) shooting performance in the second half. The Vikings tied the score at 50 on an Amy Yamamoto three-pointer with 2:15 left to play, but Erica Waetjen, Medlen, and Christine Kimoto each made two free throws down the stretch to secure the victory.

Marina played without starting guard Marisa Emde (13.4 points per game), and her absence was felt as the Vikings shot only 26% from the field.

Natalie Nakase led all scorers with 19 points.