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Esperanza and Troy played a riveting showcase game Saturday at Orange Lutheran as excitement for high school girls basketball swept through Orange County.
With Ontario Christian and Archbishop Mitty of San Jose dueling in a national showdown at Mater Dei at the same time, Esperanza and Troy combined for 20 3-pointers — 10 apiece — at the Matson Classic.
Emily Min and Charlotte Muller sank consecutive 3-pointers in the middle of the fourth quarter and Alexa Muller made a floater for the decisive points as Esperanza held on a 61-60 victory in a clash of highly-ranked county teams.
Alexa Muller’s floater from about 7 feet gave No. 10 Esperanza (11-9) a 61-54 lead with 2:08 left. No. 7 Troy (13-7) pushed toward the finish but missed a running 3-pointer as time expired.
At Mater Dei, junior Kaleena Smith scored 50 points as undefeated Ontario Christian — ranked No. 1 in the nation — defeated No. 3 Archbishop Mitty in double overtime 96-87 to highlight the Kay Yow Showcase.
“We’re a lower division (than those teams) but I’m proud of the girls,” said Esperanza coach Jimmy Valverde, whose team fell to Ontario Christian earlier this season.
“They worked hard out there. Troy played good, too. That’s two solid teams going after each other. It’s fun, and nice event.”
“(Troy was) a perfect matchup,” the coach added. “Those games are the best.”
With the score tied 51-51 with just under five minutes left, Min, a sophomore reserve, sank a 3-pointer off a turnover for her only points.
Charlotte Muller, a four-year varsity forward, followed with her fifth 3-pointer with 4:08 left for a 57-51 advantage.
Early in the second quarter, the senior sank consecutive shots from beyond the arc to snap a 21-21 tie and break Kaiya Mack’s career scoring record of 1,615 points for Esperanza.
Afterward, Muller thanked her teammates and credited Mack for being a role model when she was a freshman. But she was most excited about the victory.
“It’s a great win for us and definitely brings us more together,” she said. “I love games like this. It’s so fun. Every basket is intense. The crowd is into it.”
Esperanza sophomore point guard Avery Kame scored 15 points, including two 3-pointers. Alexa Muller had a team-high seven rebounds and five assists.
Princeton commit Mei-Ling Perry scored 19 points and grabbed nine rebounds for Troy, which played without her sister Aoki (ankle).
Lexi Joko and freshman Rilynn Robinson each sank three 3-pointers for the Warriors.
Troy trailed by eight points in the second quarter but fought back to take a 50-49 lead early in the fourth on a 3-pointer by Robinson.
“That was a good game,” Troy coach Kevin Kiernan said. “We’re a work in process, especially against good teams.”
“Our defense wasn’t what it should be in the first half,” the coach added. “Esperanza played really good and I thought our defensive response in the second half was better.”
In other Matson Classic games:
Orange Lutheran 69, Rolling Hills Prep 55: Kayla Watanabe scored 31 points, including seven 3-pointers, to lead the Lancers (15-4).
Pacifica Christian 36, Canyon 34: Freshman Alison Cliff sank a go-ahead 3-pointer with five seconds left in the fourth to lift the Tritons (13-8) to a ninth consecutive victory.
In the Kay Yow Classic:
Mater Dei 59, Francis Parker 47: Harmony Golightly scored 10 of her game-high 21 points in the third quarter as the Monarchs erased a 29-25 deficit at halftime.
Mater Dei (14-4) outscored Francis Parker, which lost to Sage Hill 57-55 earlier in the season — 18-2 in the third quarter.
Stella Hoss had 15 points, five rebounds and three steals for the Monarchs.
“These girls put on a show today, all day long,” Mater Dei coach Jody Wynn said of the second-year showcase. “How could you not get excited for the future and girls basketball.”
“Hats off to Jesse Vargas, my assistant, for getting all these phenomenal teams,” the coach added.
Fairmont Prep 67, La Jolla Country Day 55: Sarah Aldeguer had 18 points and 15 rebounds to pace the Huskies (10-9).
Beckman 51, Rosary 38: Natasha Jafari had 14 points, including one of the Patriots’ nine 3-pointers, in the victory. Beckman improved to 14-4.
In the San Gabriel Valley Showcase:
JSerra 75, Flintridge Prep 73: Vivian Grenald had 24 points and 11 rebounds at Rowland as the Lions (16-2) overcame foul trouble for an eight consecutive victory. Rosie Santos added 18 points and six assists for Orange County’s No. 1-ranked team.