Southern Section Girls Basketball : Los Altos Advances, 64-56

Los Altos, the No. 3-seeded team in the Southern Section Girls 4-A Division, defeated Coachella Valley Thursday night, 64-56, in a first-round playoff game at Los Altos High.

Susan Peters, a 5-foot-11 senior forward who has signed a national letter of intent with USC in volleyball, led the Conquerors (25-1) with 25 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists. Peters is averaging 22 points and 12 rebounds overall.

Jenny Valenzuela, averaging 22 points a game for Coachella Valley (12-8), was held to 13 points. In other first-round playoff games:

Montclair 53, El Monte 51--Montclair’s Nika Dunn sank one of two free throws with four seconds left to break a 51-51 tie in the 5-A Division game at El Monte. El Monte (16-9) then turned the ball over when one of its players stepped out of bounds. Lorena Gonzalez, a Montclair junior varsity player who was brought up for the playoffs, was intentionally fouled with one second remaining. She made one of two free throws. Montclair is 13-11.

Downey 64, San Clemente 49--Downey (18-7), an at-Large entry from the San Gabriel Valley League, outscored San Clemente (18-7) to win their 4-AA division game at Downey High. After a competitive first half which ended, 31-29, Downey pulled ahead to a 45-39 lead at the end of the third quarter. Heidi Crammer, who led Downey with 20 points, scored six of her points in the fourth quarter to ensure the win.

Santa Ynez 62, Kern Valley 55--Santa Ynez (17-5), the third-seeded team in the 2-A Division, opened a 17-0 lead and was never threatened. Amy Kisling, 5-11 junior forward, led the Pirates with 27 points and 11 rebounds. Crossroads 60, Whitney 58--Jamila Banks scored 34 points and had 13 rebounds to lead the Roadrunners (20-2) to a 2-A Division overtime win at Santa Monica High. Banks scored all six points in overtime on a fast-break basket, a jump shot and a 10-foot shot with 23 seconds remaining.