Girls’ basketball: Rialto wins thriller in 2AA final

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Janae’ Sharpe made a five-foot jumper in the lane at the buzzer to lift top-seeded Rialto to a 55-53 victory over Ventura Buena in a thrilling Southern Section Division 2AA championship game at the Anaheim Convention Center.

Sharpe played all 32 minutes and finished with 23 points, five assists and four steals for the top-seeded Knights (30-3), who outscored Buena 24-18 in the fourth quarter. Summer Webb added 18 points for Rialto, including a three-pointer that tied it 49-49 with 1:20 left and a layup with 1:05 left that gave the Knights a 51-49 lead.

Taylor McGuire had 21 points and seven rebounds for the second-seeded Bulldogs (24-7), including a layup that tied the game 53-53 with 17 seconds left. Ater receiving the ensuing inbounds pass, Sharpe dribbled to the frontcourt, waited until the five-second mark to make her move, then drove into the paint to deliver the winning basket.

Keani Albanez added 19 points, 13 rebounds and four blocks for Buena in a back-and-forth contest in which there were 13 ties and 12 lead changes. Sharpe’s steal and layup gave Rialto a 53-51 lead with 30.7 seconds left.

The stage is now set for the last game of the day, the Division 1AA showdown between Santa Ana Mater Dei and Brea Olinda, the two top teams in the nation.

-- Steve Galluzzo