ORANGE COUNTY GIRLS’ BASKETBALL PLAYOFFS : 2-A : La Quinta Can’t Keep Pressure On, 51-33

Unable to maintain its defensive momentum through the second half, La Quinta High School was defeated, 51-33, by Hesperia in a girls’ Southern Section 2-A quarterfinal basketball game at La Quinta.

The Aztecs, utilizing both the full-court press and half-court trap that gave them a 30-point victory over Artesia last week, frustrated Hesperia (24-3) in the first half.

The target for most of the Aztecs’ defense was Jeannette Baker, Hesperia’s 6-foot 4-inch center. Baker was held to six points and committed three fouls in the first half.

Freshman Amy Jalewalia and junior Cindi Kollar each had three steals for La Quinta, which held a two-point advantage through most of the half. But a 15-foot jump shot by Scorpion guard Wendy Milsap with 45 seconds remaining gave Hesperia an 18-16 halftime lead.

In the second half, the Scorpions outscored the Aztecs 18-10 in the third quarter and 15-7 in the fourth. Baker scored 10 of game-high 17 points after halftime.

Kris Takayama, the Garden Grove League’s most valuable player, led La Quinta with 11 points. Cindi Kollar added 10 points for the Aztecs, who finished 19-6.

Chino 73, Fullerton 55--Janine Jones scored 22 points to lead second-seeded Chino (23-4) past Fullerton at Chino. Heidi Shikuma scored 24 points and Vicki Silva added 20 for Fullerton (16-7).

Woodbridge 62, Indio 61--Woodbridge upset the third-seeded Rajahs, taking a 33-26 halftime lead and then thwarting a comeback rally to win a quarterfinal game at home.

Indio (23-3) missed an off-balance, 10-foot shot that would have won it at as time expired. Gilly Powell, who finished with 17 points and 17 rebounds, gave the Warriors a 62-58 lead when she made two free throws with 20 seconds remaining. Indio’s Amber Drury completed a three-point play with 18 seconds remaining to cut the lead to 62-61. Indio got the ball back after Randee Mahony (18 points) missed a free throw with 13 seconds remaining, but missed its final shot. Sarina Strange scored 27 points for Indio. Woodbridge (22-7) advances to a semifinal game Tuesday against Chino.