GIRLS’ BASKETBALL ROUNDUP : Turnovers Help Marina Continue Streak

After losing to four league rivals in nonleague tournament games, Marina High School has turned it around by winning its first five Sunset League games, including a 72-53 victory over Huntington Beach Thursday night at Marina.

The victory improves Marina’s record to 14-4, 5-0 in league. The Vikings will face Fountain Valley (12-7, 4-1) Saturday night with first place at stake.

Huntington Beach (15-6, 3-2) forced Marina to commit 34 turnovers during a 15-point victory in the Cypress Tournament in mid-December. But Thursday, the Vikings forced Huntington Beach to turn the ball over 11 times in the third quarter and outscored the Oilers, 23-12, to turn a one-point halftime advantage (28-27) into a rout.

With 5 minutes 31 seconds remaining in the third quarter, Marina Coach Pete Bonny called a timeout with the Vikings trailing, 33-30. Sophomore forward Jennifer Trippet responded by scoring seven points for the Vikings in one minute, sparking a 21-6 run to close the quarter.

“Sophomores are either awesome, or you have to replace them,” Bonny said, “and tonight, Jennifer had a great game.”

Trippet scored 11 points in the third quarter, finishing with 18 points and 12 rebounds. The Vikings received balanced scoring from Gillian Bean and Leslie Ono (12 points each), and Colleen Hatch (11).

Claire Walker scored 16 and Dana Jahr 15 for Huntington Beach.