Hot Hart Defeats Perris, 69-56

Perris was knocked out of the Southern Section playoffs the last three seasons by Fullerton Troy, the best team in the division, and on Saturday fourth-seeded Newhall Hart appeared to make it four in a row.

The host Indians, looking very much like the best team in Division I-A and playing at a blistering pace for three quarters, scored a 69-56 victory over Perris to advance to the semifinals Tuesday against Pasadena.

“I think they’re going to win it all,” Perris Coach Marvin Johnson said. “They’re the best team in the division.”

Troy, the No. 1-ranked team in the Southland by The Times entering the playoffs, moved to Division II-AA.

Hart (25-4) sure looked the part. The Indians made eight of their first nine shots, and Taylor Lilley scored seven of her 17, as they opened a 17-4 lead through the first 6 minutes 6 seconds of the game. Perris made only one of seven, and never got closer than eight points the rest of the night. It trailed, 64-56, but did not score over the final 4:58 of the game.

Citing “home-court advantage,” Lilley scored all of her points in the first half, but her presence opened holes elsewhere on the floor. Hart made 26 of 43 field-goal attempts through the first three quarters and finished 29 for 54 for the game. The Indians made five of 10 from the three-point line and Lilley, the state’s leading three-point shooter, made two of five.

Even Perris (25-5), despite its horrid start, shot well through three quarters, as it trailed 61-48, making 16 of 34 shots.

The loss prevented Perris from reaching a championship game for the third time in four years, despite 27 points by senior Brandie McCann and 20 from junior Breanna Estell.

Sophomore Megan Ford added 15 points and seven rebounds and KaLana Anemer had nine points and 13 rebounds for Hart, which has reached the title game three of the last four seasons.

-- Martin Henderson

Brea Olinda 68, Newbury Park 47 -- Jeanette Pohlen scored 29 points to lead the fifth-seeded Ladycats (19-11) over the top-seeded Panthers (23-7) in a Division II-A semifinal game at La Habra Sonora.

Pohlen, a junior point guard, had 16 rebounds and eight assists. She broke the school record for rebounds in a season with 355. Jenny Lane added 12 points and Stephanie Servin had nine points with eight rebounds.