Girls’ basketball: Long Beach Poly claims Division I
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Top-seeded Long Beach Poly is en route to its fifth consecutive state championship appearance after defeating second-seeded Fresno Clovis West, 68-53, in the Southern California Division I regional championship on Saturday at the Galen Center.
Poly led 28-25 at halftime, then Clovis West went on a run behind Katie Ogden’s three-point shooting to tie the game at 33-all with 5:20 left in the third quarter.
The Jackrabbits took control of the game in the bottom third, finishing the quarter with a 49-38 advantage, and held on in the fourth for the victory.
The key to this game was rebounding, and Poly won that contest, 40-28. In fact, Clovis West had a higher shooting percentage---43.6% compared to Poly’s 41.4%---and was 15-for-20 from the free throw line, while Poly was three-for-nine.
Ariya Crook-Williams scored four three-pointers for a team-high 16 points, Sheila Boykin had 14 and Ta’nitra Byrd added 13 for Poly (32-2).
Brianna Orlich converted eight-of-nine free throws for a team-high 16 points for Clovis West (27-5). Janae Coffee added 14 points for the Eagles, andOgden nailed three three-pointers and finished with 12.
--Melissa Rohlin
