Alemany Gets Run Over and Goes Under, 56-52

SANTA ANA — The Alemany High girls’ basketball team got hit by a Peterson Saturday night, but it felt an awful lot like a Peterbilt.

“I don’t know what happened,” Coach Melissa Hearlihy said after Melody Peterson scored 31 points to lead Mater Dei to a 56-52 victory at Calvary Chapel High.

The Indians (10-3) led the Monarchs by 19 points with under three minutes left in the third quarter before Peterson took over.

Benched by Coach Mary Hauser earlier in quarter, Peterson hit a three-point shot with two seconds left in the third, pulling Mater Dei (11-0) to within 46-36.

Peterson added 12 points in the final quarter.

“She didn’t come ready to play,” Hauser said of Peterson, who had eight points as Alemany took a 31-23 halftime lead. “She needed to think about it for a while.”

Peterson agreed with the move.

“That was the right thing to do,” she said. “The first three quarters were theirs. I had to have the fourth quarter.”

Alemany turned a 17-11 deficit after one quarter into a 46-27 lead on Carly Funicello’s basket late in the third quarter.

Funicello had 20 points, 13 rebounds and six blocked shots.

The Indians trailed, 53-52, in the final minute but were unable to get the ball to Funicello, and Kelly McKay missed a three-point shot.

Mater Dei’s Charlene Mendoza rebounded, and Alemany was left looking for a license number.