Southern Section Girls’ Basketball Playoffs : Gahr Defeats Fountain Valley, 73-67

Molly Wampler scored 34 points to lead Cerritos Gahr High School to a 73-67 victory Saturday over Fountain Valley in the quarterfinals of the Southern Section girls’ 4-A basketball playoffs at Gahr.

Wampler, a 6-foot, 1-inch junior forward who transferred from Crescenta Valley, also added 16 rebounds to lead the Gladiators into the semifinals. Gahr trailed the entire first half, but Wampler scored eight points in the third quarter as Gahr outscored Foutain Valley, 18-9, to take the lead for good.

Gahr’s opponent in the semifinals will be none other than Pasadena Muir, the No. 1 ranked team in the country according to USA Today. Muir gained the semifinals with a 51-44 win over defending 4-A champion Compton.

Ventura Buena, ranked No. 3 in the country and ranked No. 2 in the 4-A Division, had a tougher time than expected, winning 56-49 at home against Long Beach Millikan. Trailing 36-34 with three minutes left in the third quarter, Buena (26-0) finally got on track, scoring 12 straight points against a tiring Millikan starting five to take the lead for good.

In the 3-A, Brea-Olinda and Tustin Foothill appear to headed towards a rematch of last year’s championship game, won by Foothill. Brea-Olinda (25-3) advanced to the semifinals with a 69-51 win over Anaheim Esperanza, while Foothill (27-1) defeated Anaheim Katella, 60-37.