5-A Girls : Tanabe Leads Edison Past Cerritos

Randy Williams, the Edison High School girl’s basketball coach, knew the key to Thursday night’s 5-A first-round playoff game would be the play of Krisden Tanabe.

Tanabe, a senior forward, responded with one her best efforts of the season, scoring 21 points and grabbing 8 rebounds as Edison beat Cerritos, 59-57, before 1,000 fans at Edison High.

“We wanted to get the ball inside to Tanabe early and often,” Williams said. “When Cerritos tired to double-cover her, we were able to open up the middle for some of our other players.”

Junior guard Debbie Fisher scored 14 points, most on long-range jump shots. Senior point guard Stefanie Moorman added 10 points.

Sophomore forward Erika Miller sank two free throws with 1:25 remaining in the game to give Edison 59-57 lead.

Junior guard Tina Griffith missed a layup with 42 seconds to play that would have tied the score for Cerritos. Tanabe grabbed the rebound and Edison ran out the clock for the victory.

Cerritos held a 27-25 halftime lead and stayed close the entire game. Senior forward Shannon Haraga had 21 points and sophomore guard Yvette Fujimura added 18 for the Dons.

The Chargers (14-10), third-place finisher in the Sunset League, will play Thousand Oaks (22-4) in a second-round game Saturday at Thousand Oaks. Cerritos, which tied for second place in the San Gabriel Valley League, ends 17-9.