Division II Girls’ Basketball Playoffs : San Pasqual Tops El Camino, 53-30 : Julie Doria’s Big Second Half Solves Puzzling Defense

Perhaps the San Pasqual girls’ basketball team was a little overconfident entering its San Diego Section Division II playoff game against El Camino Thursday night at San Pasqual High.

After all, San Pasqual is the top-seeded team in the division and the defending section 2-A runner-up with all its players back. It is also the Avocado League champion and was playing a team it had defeated twice during league play by an average of 25 points.

Furthermore, in El Camino’s 37-36 first-round victory over El Cajon Valley, Nellie Malauulu, its leading scorer, was lost for the season with a knee injury. Also missing from the El Camino lineup was starting point guard Letrice Crayton.

Even San Pasqual co-head Coach Brad Merrill was confident. He left after the first quarter to scout the Serra-San Marcos game, leaving co-Coach Lori Becker in charge.

Yet, after the first four minutes of play, El Camino was playing an aggressive diamond-and-one zone and had a 5-4 lead.

However, San Pasqual (23-2) got going, and breezed to a 53-30 victory. It will play host to Serra (13-12) in quarterfinal play Saturday at 7:30.

“We would have had to play a near perfect game to win,” El Camino Coach Duane Coleman said.

“This is the playoffs and you can’t take anyone for granted,” Becker said. “Every single team we play is going to be out for blood.”

Leading the way for San Pasqual was two-time Avocado League player of the year Julie Doria, who scored 16 of her 22 points in the second half. She also had six rebounds, three assists and three steals.

“We weren’t trying to look past them,” said Doria, who will play at the University of San Diego next season. “They play a weird pick-up zone. You can’t run your man offense and you can’t really run your zone offense, either.

“In the second half, I figured I’d come out and try to drive and make something happen.”

She did, scoring four of San Pasqual’s first six points of the second half and its first six of the fourth quarter.

“I want to get back to the Sports Arena really bad,” said Doria, reflecting on a four-point loss to La Jolla there last season. “Last year it was great just getting there. This year we want to get there and win.”