Erickson’s 25 Points Lead the Way as Brea-Olinda Romps Past Gahr

Nicole Erickson scored 25 points and had four assists to lead Brea-Olinda to the championship of the Ladycat Classic girls’ basketball tournament with an easy 65-38 victory over Cerritos Gahr Saturday night at Brea-Olinda High.

Erickson, the tournament MVP, made eight of 13 shots, including four three-pointers, to offset a cold shooting night by her teammates as Brea shot only 40% from the floor. That was still a lot better than Gahr, which shot only 34%.

Brea (8-0), the state’s top-ranked team, struggled until Erickson keyed an 11-0 run early in the second quarter; Lauri Jordan’s basket on an assist from Kiyoko Miller with six minutes left in the half gave Brea a 20-8 lead, and Gahr (6-2) never recovered.

The Ladycats led, 58-29, with 3:45 remaining, when Coach John Hattrup emptied his bench.

In the third-place game:

Ocean View 54, Bishop Montgomery 45--Dustine Yamamoto had 15 points, Becky Fraser had 13, and Sarrah Magee had nine points and 14 rebounds for Ocean View (3-1).

Ocean View outscored Bishop Montgomery, 20-6, in the third quarter, led by Yamamoto’s 10 points. Alison Juroe, Ocean View’s leading scorer in the tournament, was named to the all-tournament team.