Regional Girls : Point Loma Beats Crenshaw, 63-51

The Point Loma High School girls basketball team entered Tuesday’s Division I Southern Regional first-round playoff game against Crenshaw with 70 consecutive home-court wins. Midway through the opening quarter, the stage was set for Point Loma’s 71st.

Chanelle McCoy and Terri Mann paced Point Loma to a 16-2 first quarter lead as the Pointers (26-0) beat Crenshaw, 63-51, at Point Loma High School. Point Loma will play Delano for the Southern Regional championship on Saturday at the Los Angeles Sports Arena.

McCoy, a 5-2 point guard, scored 10 points in the first quarter and Mann, a 6-1 center who had 16 rebounds, scored 11 of her game-high 27 points in the second quarter to give Point Loma a 38-20, haltime lead. The Pointers led by 20, 44-24, as late as three minutes into the third quarter.

But Crenshaw rallied as guard Tanya Braggs scored six points from the outside and forward Yolanda Kelley added six from inside in the third quarter to cut the Pointers’ lead to 48-36. Crenshaw continued its strong play into the final quarter.

Point Loma, meanwhile, only had three field goals in the fourth quarter. And none until the final three minutes as Crenshaw was threatening to make a game of it. Kelley’s layup with 2:45 left cut the lead to nine, 58-49. After Point Loma’s Jessica Benton made one of two free throws, Crenshaw’s Joann Lee drove the length of the court to make it an eight point game, 59-51. But the Cougars got no closer.

Kelley was the only Crenshaw forward able to penetrate the tall Point Loma front line. Kelley finished with 17 points and seven rebounds. The Crenshaw guards, Braggs and Maria Elzy had 14 and 12 points respectively. Crenshaw ended the season 15-4.