SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA REGIONAL PREP BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP GAMES : Girls’ Division I : Morningside’s Greene Takes Charge, and It’s All Over

Shaunda Greene said she knew the game was over before it even began. And anyone who saw Greene take charge in the last two minutes of the girls’ Division I Southern Regional final Saturday night would agree: she knew exactly what she was talking about.

Greene scored 21 points and pulled down 14 rebounds--including the last 4 points and 3 rebounds of the game--in Inglewood Morningside’s 52-44 win over Lynwood at the Sports Arena, which advanced the Lady Monarchs to the State championship game next Saturday in Oakland.

Greene, a 6-foot All-Southern Section forward, took sole control of the inside game when Morningside lost 6-foot-5 sophomore center Lisa Leslie to fouls with 1:47 remaining in the game.

And when was it safely put away for Greene?

“At the beginning of the game.”

So it was for Morningside (33-1), which was given its toughest tests in three previous games against Lynwood. The teams traded victories in December and Morningside took the series lead with a 60-55 win in last Friday’s Southern Section 4-A championship.

Lynwood shot 23.5% from the field. All-Southern Section guard Trise Jackson ended her Lynwood career on 3-of-16 shooting. Against Morningside in the 4-A final, Jackson shot 5 of 17.

Morningside led by eight points at the half, then opened up a 35-22 lead as Lynwood missed its first eight shots of the third quarter, in which they scored just five points.

Still, the Lady Knights were in the game with 2:12 remaining in the fourth, trailing, 46-42, despite losing floor leader Jackson to fouls.

It was then that Greene assumed control, as she had in the last four minutes of the 4-A championship game after another forced exit by Leslie.

Leslie finished with 13 points, 12 rebounds and 3 blocked shots despite spending nearly half the game on the bench.

Center Natasha Norris led the way with 15 points and 12 rebounds for Lynwood, which finished 30-4.