Marina girls' basketball beats San Pedro, captures CIF SoCal Regional Division V title

The Marina girls' basketball team celebrates after winning the CIF State Southern California Regional Division V final.

By Andrew TurnerStaff Writer

March 8, 2023 6:15 PM PT

SAN PEDRO — A senior-laden Marina High girls’ basketball team has many enjoying the ride of their lives in the final season of their prep career.

There is now one game left for the Vikings’ 10 seniors, and for a group that has gone where no Marina team has gone before.

Senior guard Tiana To scored a game-high 19 points, as visiting Marina upset San Pedro 51-43 in the CIF State Southern California Regional Division V final on Tuesday night.

The Marina girls' basketball team poses for a picture with the CIF State Southern California Regional Division V plaque.

Marina (21-15), the No. 8 seed in the Southern California regional, will face Angels Camp Bret Harte (25-7), the No. 3 seed from the Northern California regional, in the state championship game. The final will tip off at 10 a.m. on Saturday at the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento.

The Vikings poured out onto the court and embraced each other after the clock ran out. It had been a clinic in applying defensive pressure, as the Vikings created turnovers and dived on the floor for loose balls.

“Once we get going, we don’t stop,” said To, who added five steals, five rebounds and three assists. “All gas, no brakes.”

Marina's Tiana To (31) holds the CIF State Southern California Regional Division V plaque as she celebrates with her team.

Marina coach Daniel Roussel called To the hardest worker that his program has had since Katie Nguyen, who earned Daily Pilot Girls’ Basketball Dream Team Player of the Year honors in 2019.

“She tried out her freshman year with no basketball experience,” Roussel said of To. “She has worked so hard to get to the skill level that she is at and the confidence that she’s gained through these playoffs. I’m not one bit surprised at the way she played tonight.”

During its state playoff run, Marina overthrew top-seeded Cerritos Gahr 49-33 in the second round. The Gladiators had handed Marina a 39-38 loss in the Southern Section Division 5AA semifinals en route to a runner-up showing in the bracket.

Marina's Rylee Bradley (23) drives to the basket against San Pedro on Tuesday.

Only senior guard Kim Nguyen had ever been a part of a playoff team before — a first-round exit her freshman year. Nguyen drained a three-pointer from the right corner to start the fourth quarter, a critical basket that answered a 7-0 run for San Pedro and reestablished a 44-34 lead for Marina.

“This year, I didn’t even think we would do that, get as far as we did.” Nguyen said. “Beating Gahr is another one of our goals that we set, and it was like, ‘Wow, we could really do this.’”

Marina had just four points five minutes into the game, and it trailed 12-10 after the first quarter. Rylee Bradley’s finish through contact following a steal by To gave the Vikings a 14-13 lead with 5:23 on the clock in the second quarter.

Marina's Sydnie Smith (25) grabs a rebound against San Pedro on Tuesday.

To’s transition layup, off another successful scramble on the defensive end, extended Marina’s lead to 40-28 with 2:34 left in the third quarter, the Vikings’ largest lead of the game.

Bradley, a freshman guard, had 14 points, five rebounds, three steals and three assists for Marina. Sophomore center Sydnie Smith had nine points and 10 rebounds. Senior forward Mia Grasse also pulled down 10 rebounds, and sophomore guard Maria Tejeda chipped in with four points and three steals.

“I’m really happy with how my team played,” Grasse said. “Mostly, I’m just happy for the rest of the seniors like me that get to experience this championship, get to win. We did not do a lot of winning last year, so I’m really happy that I can be a part of that for the rest of the seniors.”

Marina coach Daniel Roussel instructs his team against San Pedro on Tuesday.

Marina went 6-20 overall last season. Now, the Vikings seek the program’s first state crown.

Junior guard Noelani Raigans contributed 13 points, seven rebounds and five assists for San Pedro (24-9), which beat Chatsworth 52-51 in overtime in the Los Angeles City Section Division II final, marking the program’s first section title since 1986.

Junior forward Shalia Coleman and freshman guard Madison Adrid each had nine points for the Pirates. Junior forward Maia Wooldridge had eight points, 11 rebounds and three blocked shots, and senior forward Aliesha Fizer chipped in with four points, 13 rebounds and three steals.

“We are truly the underdogs in this whole thing,” To added. “That’s what I felt from the beginning. … We’ve always been overlooked, especially because of the past, but we’re a new team. We’ve rebuilt our team chemistry and our culture.”