Division II Girls : Missed Free Throws Costly in Palos Verdes’ 52-49 Loss

Palos Verdes High School’s inability to make free throws in the second half, or even to get to the free-throw line when it counted most, cost the Sea Kings a 52-49 loss to Sacramento Grant Saturday in the State Division II girls’ championship game at the Oakland Coliseum Arena.

Palos Verdes (27-8) made only 1 of 11 free-throw attempts in the second half and lost a one-and-one opportunity with 32 seconds remaining when it failed to break a huddle after a timeout in the allotted time. The loss snapped the Sea Kings’ 19-game winning streak.

Grant (27-7) ended two years of frustration in state title games as forward Tina Green scored 36 points and her sister, Tesia, added 10. The Pacers had lost to Point Loma and its standout center, Terri Mann, in the Division I title game the past two years.

The Sea Kings, with identical 6-foot 4-inch twins Heather and Heidi Burge in the middle, figured to give Grant problems inside, but Grant outrebounded the Sea Kings, 58-42, and had 31 offensive rebounds.

“Our goal was to get 25 offensive rebounds, but I really didn’t think that was possible because those girls are awfully big,” said Connie Zuercher, Grant’s first-year coach. “We practiced all week against the boys and that helped prepare us.”

The Burge twins each scored 20 points, but their inability to make free throws hurt. Heather missed four consecutive shots at the line after Zuercher was assessed two technical fouls with 31 seconds remaining in the third quarter.

Palos Verdes had an opportunity to pad a 39-36 lead when Heather Burge went to the line, but the junior didn’t come close to making one of her shots. Grant ultimately took the lead for good, 44-43, when Tesia Green scored with 3:47 remaining.

“I could have switched her (Heather Burge) after she missed the first two shots, but I felt she could make the next two,” said Wendell Yoshida, Palos Verdes coach. “She’s a 65% free-throw shooter. But I don’t think you can pin the loss on that one play.”

There were other blunders, such as the Sea Kings’ failure to break their huddle after a timeout, costing Heidi Burge a chance at a one-and-one free-throw opportunity with 32 seconds left to play.

Palos Verdes trailed, 52-49, when the Sea Kings were tardy. Yoshida admitted that he had never seen the violation called but insisted that play didn’t cost the Sea Kings a shot at the title, either.

“We had a poor effort on the defensive boards,” he said. “We allowed them three and four shots. We did a poor job blocking out, and you can’t do that against a team like Grant and expect to win.”

Tina Green, who attempted 46 shots and made 17, said an injury to her sister late in the third quarter provided the inspiration for a 12-point outburst in the fourth quarter.

“They (Palos Verdes) tried to hurt my sister and I got mad,” Green said. “ . . . We came in with a positive attitude, and I was confident we could win.”