4-A Girls : Easterly Finds Range, Katella Reaches Final

Katella High School guard Joni Easterly provided a dramatic finish for the Knights’ 56-55 victory over top-ranked Palos Verdes in the Southern Section 4-A semifinal girls’ basketball game Saturday night at Foothill High.

But the Knights (25-3) would not have gained entry to the final had Easterly, who finished with a game-high 19 points, continued a first-half shooting slump.

“It was the worst half of my life,” Easterly said of her one-for-nine shooting performance in the first half. “I just knew I had to have a better (second) half.

She did, hitting eight of 11 field goal attempts.

After knocking off Palos Verdes, the Knights’ appearance in the 4-A final might be somewhat of a letdown.

That’s the belief of Katella Coach Barb Bausch, whose team faces Muir Thursday at Chapman College in the final.

“Yeah, you could definitely consider this an upset,” Bausch said. “The final may be anticlimactic. It was almost like winning the finals right here.”

For Katella, Easterly’s teammates Karen Jensen, Margaret Harker and Wendy Carlson responded in the first half to keep Katella in contention with the Sea Kings.

Palos Verdes was led by twins Heidi (17 points, eight rebounds) and Heather Burge (12 points, eight rebounds).

Despite Easterly’s lack of offensive production in the first half, the Knights were tied, 23-23, at the intermission.

“Joni didn’t give up,” Bausch said, “even though she knew she was off in the first half.

“She just came out in the second half, hit one shot and I could see her confidence go right up.”

“I just knew down in my heart we could win,” Easterly said.

“I definitely think it’s an upset,” Palos Verdes Coach Wendel Yoshida said. “The reaction from the crowd tells the whole story.

“We’ve been ranked No. 1 all year; they were seeded fourth. We just didn’t do a very good job of stopping Easterly.”