Marina’s Nakase Takes Over to Put Away San Clemente

LONG BEACH —  Everyone in the Pyramid for Saturday’s Southern Section Division I-A girls’ basketball championship knew a quick, defensive-minded, up-tempo team was going to win.

The only question was which one?

But after getting a look at Natalie Nakase’s act, there was only one answer.

Marina rode Nakase’s brilliant 27-point performance to its first section basketball title, a 67-58 victory over San Clemente, a team that is nearly its mirror image.

Nakase, a 5-foot-1 senior point guard, again showed why she is one of the county’s biggest players.

She had five points and three assists, accounting for 11 Marina points in its 14-2 run to begin the third quarter, breaking a 32-32 halftime tie.

Then after San Clemente whittled the deficit to one, 48-47, Nakase scored the game’s next 11 points. It was part of a 16-2 run, of which she had 13 points, to finally put the Tritons away.

“That was a different notch--I hadn’t seen her play at that level,” said ninth-year Marina Coach Pete Bonny. “She was not going to let any team beat Marina.

“She had a very determined look, like she was not going to let us lose.”

Marina is 27-4; San Clemente is 27-5.

Nakase made nine of 18 field-goal attempts, and also had eight assists and eight rebounds. Her performance managed to overshadow junior Chanda McLeod, who finished with 18 points and a career-high 19 rebounds. Karyn Fierst added 12 points.

“[Nakase] was pretty quiet, which is unusual before a game,” McLeod said of Nakase’s pregame focus. “Every time we made a run and San Clemente would come back, Natalie would make a basket or get an assist.”

Both teams made 14 of 32 shots in the first half, which had 18 ties or lead changes. But Nakase’s steal and assist to McLeod for a layup in the first minute of the third quarter was the only lead change that mattered.

McLeod followed with a block of Andrea Jacobs and Nakase assisted to Nikki Lee under the basket. Then Nakase drove the lane and hit a four-foot jumper. Then a three-pointer. Then assisted on Karyn Fierst’s three-pointer, all in a span of less than three minutes.

“We picked it up in the third quarter,” Nakase said, “and we never lose the fourth.”

Colleen Turnbull, who had 18 points at halftime and finished with 26, scored eight as San Clemente drew close. But after cutting the deficit to one point, 48-47, there was still too much Nakase. She hit a three-pointer, drove for a basket, made two free-throws, drilled a 19-footer, and converted two more free throws. Her 11 consecutive points provided Marina a 10-point lead, 59-49.

“She was on fire,” said Mary Mulligan, making her championship debut in her 13th season as San Clemente coach.

“They left our kids open and we didn’t make the big shots--and they did.”

The teams played at a torrid pace. Almost identical philosophically and matchup-wise; it was, as McLeod said, “like playing yourself.”

In a game on Jan. 3, Marina also defeated San Clemente by nine points, 77-68.