Prep Basketball Playoffs : Girls’ 3-A Semifinals : El Toro Comes Up Short Against Taller Palos Verdes in 45-41 Loss

Greg Yeck, El Toro High School coach, pointed out a few key statistics that led to his team’s downfall in the semifinals of the Southern Section 3-A girls’ basketball playoffs Tuesday night.

Yeck cited poor shooting and lack of rebounding as probable causes of the Chargers’ 45-41 loss to Palos Verdes at Miraleste High School. But, when it came to the bottom line, Yeck said that his team was just too small.

El Toro found little room to maneuver against a Palos Verdes front line that featured twin sisters--Heather and Heidi Burge--both 6-feet 4-inches tall.

Heather Burge finished with 15 points, 11 rebounds and 5 blocked shots. Heidi Burge had 7 points, 8 rebounds and 3 blocked shots.

“When those twins are on their game, they can dominate,” Yeck said. “Tonight they dominated.”

With the Burges in the middle of Palos Verdes’ zone defense, the Chargers (24-6) were forced to go outside, where they found little success. El Toro made 4 of 26 field-goal attempts in the first half and was usually limited to one shot each time down on offense. Still, Palos Verdes led by just three points, 14-11, at halftime.

“I was hoping it was just a psychological thing after the first half,” Yeck said. “I was hoping that the team had gotten use to shooting against their size.”

Palos Verdes (23-8) concentrated its defense on stopping senior center Elaine Youngs, one of the top high school players in California.

Youngs failed to make a field goal in the first half as the Chargers were unable to get the ball inside to her.

Yeck moved Youngs outside in the second half, where she found a little more success. Youngs finished with 16 points, including two three-pointers, before fouling out with 1 minute 14 seconds remaining.

“We told the kids to be aware of where Youngs was at all times,” Palos Verdes Coach Wendell Yoshida said. “When she went outside, we put Heidi on her in almost a matchup zone.”

Even without Youngs, El Too nearly pulled out the victory.

Trailing, 41-33, with a minute remaining, the Chargers pulled to within two points with 19 seconds remaining on a 7-1 run.

However, Susan Whilhite made two free throws and Heather Burge one in the final 15 seconds. Sara Bone hit a free throw for El Toro with five seconds left, but it wasn’t enough.