By Uy Pham
Yet again, Kailey Nishi has broken another Fountain Valley High School girls’ basketball three-pointer record.
After setting the record for nine three-pointers in a game two weeks ago, Nishi scored two three-pointers on Saturday for a total of 54 three-pointers so far this season — with a third of the Barons’ season still left. Her performance broke the previous record of 53 three-pointers in a season, set by Margaret Tengan in the 2021-2022 season.
“Honestly, I’m not surprised Kailey [Nishi] broke the record. At the rate she’s going … I’m really proud of her, and I can’t wait to see where she ends up going at the end of the season.”
Ultimately, the Barons (12-6, 3-1 league) battled and secured a 57-48 win against the Marina High School Vikings (9-9, 1-2 league).
Leading the scoresheet, senior Victoria Om scored 17 points for the Barons, and sophomore Kaylie Sasaki played crucial minutes to facilitate the Barons’ offensive with Om. Defensively, senior Candice Tran held Fountain Valley’s defense firm against the Vikings’ strong and explosive offensive. Senior Karley Waite, despite navigating foul trouble through the game, dominated with offensive and defensive rebounds, and junior Avery Jones continued her strong performance in Waite’s absence.
“That was a close one. It was a little scary,” co-head coach Izabella Om said. “We did struggle to follow our game plan. I do feel that the game was a little closer than it should have been. A win’s a win, I can’t be mad, but it’s got to be better next game.”
Victoria Om found Waite under the basket for the Barons’ first points, and a steal by Hsieh led to Victoria On drawing a foul. Following the free-throw conversion, the Vikings converted a layup.
Tying the record, Nishi scored a three-pointer, and with 4:47 remaining, Nishi converted her second three-pointer to break the season record. Capitalizing on her own steal, Waite drove down the court for a fastbreak and converted a two-pointer. Tran secured a rebound and scored a put-back to extend the Barons’ lead to double digits, 13-2.
The Vikings responded, as Marina’s junior Rylee Bradley worked her way to the basket and shot the ball over the Barons’ hands. Followed by a Marina free throw, the lead was closed to 13-5, but Victoria Om assisted Waite for another under-the-basket field goal.
“Marina has a really good player [Bradley], and we struggled to stop her today. Luckily, we were able to get some good shots up, and we are able to hold her to maybe not as many points as she usually gets,” Izabella Om said. “We did a base guard, where we stick one girl [that] never leaves [Bradley]. We try our best to keep the ball out of her hands, and then if the ball does get in her hands, we put as much pressure as possible.”
A pair of three-pointers, one scored by Tran and the other by sophomore Sidra Siddiqi, pushed the Barons’ offense. However, with a minute remaining, the Vikings ended the quarter on a four-point run converting quick layups for a score of 21-11.
The theme of tough defense from both sides continued into the second quarter, forcing the Barons to focus on maneuvering the ball around the court and finding scoring opportunities.
However, the Barons would miss several shots to start the second, but Victoria Om’s downcourt pass to Hsieh earned Fountain Valley’s first points of the quarter. Hsieh stole the ball on the defensive end, and Waite dished a pass out to Victoria Om for a three-pointer.
Marina responded with a three-pointer of their own, but Hsieh found Sasaki driving toward the basket. Converting the floater, Sasaki extended the Barons’ lead to 28-14 with 4:31 remaining in the second.
Hsieh and Waite, both starters for Fountain Valley, recorded their third fouls of the game and sat out for the rest of the quarter. A three-pointer and a floater brought the Barons’ lead down to single-digits, with Fountain Valley struggling to convert shots and rebound the ball to restrain the Vikings’ high-tempo offense.
“Sophie [Hsieh] and Karley [Waite] are a big component of our team. At the end, Hsieh gave us really important baskets, but [Hsieh and Waite] got three, four fouls super early, and we didn’t want to risk her to sit out of the game,” Izabella Om said. “Avery [Jones] did a really good job when she was in.”
Om scored another three-pointer to break the Barons’ offensive troubles, and a Marina free throw ended the half at 31-21.
Checking back into the third quarter, Hsieh quickly secured an offensive and defensive rebound but quickly recorded her fourth foul. A combination play between Sasaki and Om led to Waite’s hook shot. The Vikings responded with a three-pointer, and pairs of free throws exchanged by Om and Marina brought the score to 35-27.
With Waite recording her fourth foul, the Barons transitioned to an all-guard lineup to counter the Vikings’ defense.
“We just wanted to see if going with a smaller lineup could help us pick free buckets. I feel that the other team isn’t as fast as us,” Izabella Om said. “So if we had all these guards in, we could push the ball in transition, get some quick buckets.”
The Vikings closed the lead to 37-31, but a second-chance shot from Sasaki pushed the Barons ahead. While the Barons struggled with turnovers and were unable to find shots, Marina capitalized, scoring a three-pointer and inside layup to close the lead to four points.
However, the tides would shift after a key Barons’ defensive stop, and Victoria Om drove down to the court to draw a foul at the basket. Converting the free throws, the Barons would force a shot clock violation turnover from the Vikings on the next play and improved their lead to 42-36 entering the fourth.
Completing a crossover move to find space, Om drained her third three-pointer of the game. Tran quickly scored four points for Fountain Valley’s 49-38 lead, converting two free throws and driving to the basket. With 4:53 remaining, Marina responded with a five-point scoring run, yet it was halted by Hsieh’s corner three-pointer.
Holding back the Vikings’ offense led by Bradley, Tran drew a charge and several Barons recorded rebounds to secure possession amidst Fountain Valley’s lead. Maneuvering through the defense, Hsieh found a layup. Marina responded, but Hsieh yet again drove through the Vikings’ line.
“We’re up, we wanted to put people that had composure,” Izabella Om said. “The girls that were in, we knew could take good care of the ball, play hard on defense, and get good stops. They did exactly that.”
A pair of defensive rebounds by Waite with 30 seconds remaining led to Victoria Om’s spin move and conversion of the Barons’ final points of the game. Marina, looking to ignite a final scoring run, shot a quick three-pointer but missed, ending the game at 58-45.
Girls’ basketball plays Huntington Beach High School (11-6, 2-1 league) in an away league game on Thursday at 7:00 p.m.
“We need to work on for the next game is our communication with each other on defense. A lot of the baskets that the other team got were because we didn’t talk,” Izabella Om said. “ [Marina] set screens on us, somebody got cut or beat and we just let it happen … That’ll be a big difference.”
