STATE HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT : Division I Girls : Edison Wins, Will Take On Point Loma

Stacee Johnson, exploiting a gap in the Mission Viejo defense, scored 19 points and had 7 rebounds to help Huntington Beach Edison High School to a 46-42 victory in the semifinals of the Division I Southern California Regional Thursday night at Huntington Beach High.

Mission Viejo (29-3) was intent on stopping Edison’s 6-1 center Kristi Smith, who averaged 20 points and 10 rebounds this season. The Diablos played a four-man zone with one player, Suzy Powers, assigned to follow Smith everywhere.

“She was my shadow,” Smith said. “I couldn’t shake her.”

The defense stopped Smith, who scored only three points in the first three quarters, but it opened up the middle for Johnson, a 5-9 junior.

Johnson scored 10 of Edison’s 11 third quarter points to give the Chargers (31-1) a 33-32 lead by the end of the quarter. Mission Viejo had 17-11 lead after the first quarter, and 24-22 lead at halftime.

“Any gimmick defense has its weak spot,” said John Hattrup, Mission Viejo coach. “Johnson found it tonight.”

Edison, the Southern Section 4-A champion, will play Point Loma, San Diego Section 4-A champion, in the regional final, Saturday night at 6:15 in the Sports Arena.

Two-time high school All-American Terri Mann scored 11 of Point Loma High School’s 13 fourth-quarter points to lead the Pointers (32-0) to a 56-50 victory over Granada Hills Kennedy (23-4) in a semifinal game of the Southern California girls’ Division I basketball championships at Serra High in San Diego.

Mann, playing her final game in San Diego as a high school player, dominated the game by scoring 40 points.