Providence girls’ basketball stopped in semis by top seed
WILMINGTON — Whether inside or outside, it became apparent from the outset that the Providence High girls’ basketball team was going to have a troubling time containing No. 1 seed Rolling Hills Prep or getting its offense going.
And that’s ultimately how Saturday night’s CIF Southern Section Division 4-A semifinal played out for the Pioneers, who fought valiantly until the final seconds but could not topple the Huskies in a 77-55 loss at Los Angeles Harbor College.
“They’re a very good team,” said Providence coach Andrew Bencze of the Huskies, who won the Division VI championship last season. “They’re very well-coached and they’re very talented. They have all the pieces.”
In the backcourt and the front, Rolling Hills (25-2), which won the Coastal League, gave the Liberty League champion Pioneers (22-8) troubles as it led, 25-11, after the first quarter, upped the lead to 44-22 at the half and led, 64-29, going into the final stanza.
Six-foot-4 freshman Clarice Akunwafo had 26 points for the Huskies, who won their 16th game in a row. Macy Pakele added 19 and Alyssa Maxey had 17.
Freshman Melissa Zozulenko had 27 points, with 17 coming in the final quarter, to go with five rebounds, four steals and four assists, while Ariel Gordillo had 13 points for Providence, which allowed a season-high in points scored.
“I just think we needed to play our game,” Zozulenko said. “We just really forced our shots and we needed to take our time.”
Providence, which defeated St. Genevieve, Avalon and Arroyo to get to the semifinals for the first time since 2013, never settled in in the early going and Rolling Hills was rolling right along.
Prior to Saturday, the Huskies’ closest playoff win was a 29-point victory over La Quinta La Quinta in the quarterfinals and they have won all of their games by double-digits since their last loss, a 66-47 setback to Nevada Liberty on Dec. 30. Liberty was the state runner-up.
A team certainly unkind to the city of Burbank, Rolling Hills Prep was the Division V state runner-up last year, having defeated Bellarmine-Jefferson in the SoCal final in what would be the last game in Guards’ program history.
However, the semifinal loss won’t be the last game of the season for the Pioneers, who earned a berth in the upcoming state playoffs, which will start after the Pioneers have more than a week off.
“We’ll do some fun things,” Bencze said. “We’re gonna have a good week.”
For the most part, the Pioneers were in good spirits considering the loss and much of it was likely do to their biggest highlight coming with their play in the fourth quarter, which they won, 26-19, and started with a 14-2 run. Though realistically the game had been decided, Providence surely showcased its fortitude in the final eight minutes.
“What they did is they didn’t give in and that’s what I appreciate more than anything,” Bencze said. “I can’t help but be proud of them for their effort.”
The Huskies won the opening tip and took control from there on, jumping out to a 7-0 lead before a pair of Zozulenko free throws with 5:45 to go in the quarter.
But the Pioneers’ first field goal didn’t come until Gordillo hit a three-pointer with 2:14 to go and Rolling Hills had already built a 20-3 advantage before that.
Trailing, 25-11, after a first quarter in which it shot just two of 10 from the field and committed seven turnovers, Providence saw Rolling Hills extend its lead to 33-11 thanks to back-to-back threes by Pakele just seven seconds apart.
A Zozulenko layup and a Francesca Maravilla jumper were the first consecutive baskets for the Pioneers but only cut the score to 40-19 with 3:19 to play in the half.
A 12-0 run by the Huskies started the second half and erased any thoughts of a phenomenal comeback.
But Gordillo scored a lay-in just three seconds into the fourth period and the Pioneers gave their strong cheering contingent something to make noise about for the final eight minutes.
“It really meant a lot,” Zozulenko said of her team’s performance in the fourth quarter, “because the first three we didn’t play like we were supposed to. If we played like that earlier, maybe the score would’ve been a lot different.”
Twitter: @TCNGrantGordon
