Oilers remain in first

The Sunset League girls’ basketball title chase is coming to a close and with three games left, the Huntington Beach High Oilers are close to closing in on a championship.

The Oilers stayed undefeated in league play Monday by defeating visiting Fountain Valley, 81-53. Senior guard Paola Roa scored a game-high 23 points, and senior guard Stephanie Louie and freshman forward Frankie Wade-Sanchez had 15 points apiece for the Oilers.

Senior post Emily Krause scored 16 points to pace Fountain Valley (9-14, 2-5).

“The girls played really well in the second half as Fountain Valley played really tough on defense,” Huntington Coach Russ McClurg said.

The win gave Huntington, ranked fourth in CIF Southern Section Division 1A, a 7-0 league record and a two-game lead in the standings. The Oilers’ road to a potential league title won’t be easy, as they have Marina, Edison and Los Alamitos remaining on their schedule.

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•In a tight Sunset game Tuesday at Los Alamitos, a Marina rally in the fourth quarter fell short as the Vikings were edged by the Griffins (5-2 league), 41-37. Senior guard Danielle Kennedy scored 14 points to go with three steals, junior forward Kydell Pearson scored 10 points with five rebounds; and senior forward Natasha Mangham had eight points and five rebounds for the Vikings.

Marina, the No. 15 team in CIF Southern Section Division 2AA, are 4-3 in league and 13-10 overall.

The Vikings had picked up a key league win Jan. 29 at Edison as Mangham had 13 points and 11 rebounds, Kennedy nine points and three assists, Pearson eight points and six rebounds, and senior guard Melissa Lindquist had five points, four assists and four steals, in a 53-41 win that gave the Vikings a league sweep of the Chargers.

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•Edison got its third Sunset League win Tuesday by overpowering visiting Newport Harbor, 65-43. Senior forward Loli Gomez’s impressive performance included 11 points, 12 rebounds, seven steals and five assists for the Chargers who improved to 3-4 in league and 12-8 overall. Sophomore point guard Jasmyn Winters scored 10 points and sophomore guard Alyssa Atencio had nine points.

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•Ocean View won two Golden West League games in the past week to keep its hopes alive for a league title.

The Seahawks, the No. 11 team in CIF Southern Section Division 3A, won Tuesday at Santa Ana, 49-33. Sophomore forward Treasure Robinson scored a game-best 19 points and Coach Kim Morris called sophomore guard Dailyn Nguyen a “defensive stopped” who led a full-court press by the Seahawks (7-1 league, 16-6 overall) who Morris said helped overcome a “subpar offensive performance.”

The Seahawks previously upended Loara, 57-35, in league play. Robinson and another sophomore post, Madi Newberry, combined for 28 points.

In girls’ hoops action at 7 p.m. Thursday, Marina is home to Huntington, Edison plays at Los Alamitos and Fountain Valley plays host to Newport Harbor in the Sunset League, and Ocean View entertains Segerstrom in the Golden West League.

Next week, the Sunset League goes to a Monday-Wednesday schedule in the final week of the league and regular season. At 7 p.m. Monday, Huntington plays host to Edison and Fountain Valley goes to Marina. At 7 p.m. Wednesday, Fountain Valley plays host to Edison, Huntington plays host to Los Alamitos and Marina travels to Newport Harbor.

Ocean View closes out its Golden West League season with a 7 p.m. home game Tuesday against Westminster, and finishes on the road Feb. 13 at Orange.

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CIF Weekly Rankings

Girls’ basketball: Huntington Beach (No. 4, Division 1A; Marina (No. 15, Division 2AA); Ocean View (No. 11, Division 3A).