Buena Gets Shut Down by Marina

WESTMINSTER —  Championship-game appearances had almost become a birthright for Buena High girls’ basketball players, or so it seemed.

The region’s proudest program owned five Southern Section Division I-A titles and had appeared in eight consecutive section finals.

There will not be a ninth.

The Bulldogs were routed by Marina, 60-39, on Tuesday night in a semifinal at Westminster High, the first time Buena has been ousted this early since 1989.

The 39 points were the second-fewest scored this season by the two-time defending division champions, ranked No. 1 in the region by The Times.

“I did not recognize our team,” said 6-foot-2 freshman center Kelly Greathouse, who was limited to nine points and nine rebounds before fouling out with 5:17 left. She had averaged 14 points and 15 rebounds in three previous playoff games. “I’ve never seen our team play like that.”

The Bulldogs (26-3), who were making their 13th consecutive appearance in the semifinals, had built their dynasty with a foundation of solid fundamentals. That foundation betrayed them Tuesday night.

Buena shot 32 percent from the field (14 for 43), made only eight of 18 free-throw attempts and committed 22 turnovers.

“When you get into games like this, your field-goal percentage, free throws and turnovers become very big items,” said Buena Coach Joe Vaughan, who has a 559-58 record in 22 seasons at Buena. “This is so difficult to swallow.”

Marina (26-4) did its best to help the Bulldogs swallow by driving the contest right down their throats.

The Vikings went on a 21-0 run in the first half to turn a 9-6 deficit into a 27-9 second-quarter runaway.

“We dug ourselves a hole and we just couldn’t get out of it,” Vaughan said.

Marina guard Natalie Nakase collected 18 points and six assists and constantly pressured Bulldog guards Kelly Murray and Renae Hofmann, forcing nine turnovers.

Karyn Fierst added 14 points, while Chanda McLeod added 13 for the Vikings, who will meet San Clemente (27-4), a 65-59 winner over Moreno Valley, on either Friday or Saturday at the Long Beach Pyramid for the championship.

It will be Marina’s first appearance in a final after losing its previous three semifinals.

“We still have quite a ways to go to catch up to Buena in final appearances,” said Marina Coach Pete Bonny, whose team defeated San Clemente, 77-68, in a nonleague game Jan. 3.

“We didn’t really care about history or anything like that,” Nakase said. “We just wanted to play our game.”

Hofmann finished with 13 points, but made only three of 10 field-goal attempts. Murray, who was averaging 14 points in the playoffs, scored only six before fouling out.