Division II Girls : Easterly Shrugs Off Slow Start, Leads Katella’s Fast Finish

With 2 minutes 11 seconds left in the third quarter of the Southern California Regional Division II girls’ championship game Saturday, Joni Easterly was stuck in a spot she least wanted to be. She was sitting on the bench with four fouls.

She watched and worried, shouting encouragement to her Katella High School teammates. She shot anxious glances at the Sports Arena scoreboard.

Katella trailed Vista and there was nothing Easterly, the Knights’ leading scorer, could do about it.

Easterly got back into the game with 7:15 left to play, but not before asking Coach Barb Bausch “about five times” to go back in.

When she returned, Easterly led Katella to a 56-50 victory.

“I’m still in shock,” Bausch said. “I don’t know how we did it.”

Katella (29-3) advances to the state Division II championship game against Sacramento Grant next Saturday in Oakland. Vista finished its season 28-4.

Easterly, a 5-foot-11 forward who has signed a letter of intent to play at USC next season, had a game-high 24 points.

Most important for Katella, she had 12 of the Knights’ 16 points in the fourth quarter to lead them back from a five-point deficit with 6:50 left.

First, though, she had to suffer through an agonizing first half and through the 3 minutes on the bench.

Easterly’s first two shots were blocked by Chris Enger, Vista’s 6-4 center. She made only three of 16 shots from the field and had eight points in the half.

Katella still managed to lead, 28-22, at the half, largely because of the accurate shooting of point guard Angie Gomez.

Gomez had 12 points at the half and finished with 19. She made nine of 16 shots from the field and came up with numerous loose balls in the Knights’ scrappy defense.

“There’s always someone who takes up the slack,” Bausch said. “That’s why it’s so hard to play us. Even I never know who’s going to do it.”

In the third quarter, Easterly started to find her shooting touch, but she got into foul trouble not long after and Vista rallied and took the lead.

Enger, who had 20 points, led the comeback, scoring six consecutive points for Vista late in the third quarter. Vista led, 44-41, at the end of the quarter.

When Kelli Schott, who had 12 points, made a jumper, Vista’s lead was 46-41.

But Easterly returned shortly thereafter and took control of the game.

“She’s the type of player who never gives up,” Bausch said. “She’ll keep shooting. She knows it’ll fall sooner or later.”

Easterly kept shooting and made five of seven shots from the field in the second half.

“It took awhile, but my confidence came back,” Easterly said.

A basket and a free throw by Wendy Carlson with 5:13 left got Katella even with Vista, 48-48.

Two free throws by Easterly with 5:05 left put Katella ahead for good, 50-48. She added a short jumper, then drove around Enger, who also had picked up her fourth foul, for another basket.

Easterly, who had a game-high 13 rebounds, added two free throws with 5 seconds left to seal the victory.

Vista seemed to run out of gas late in the game. And even Enger, who also had 12 rebounds and eight blocks, could do little to rally the Panthers.

They were scoreless in the last 3 minutes and had just two points in the final 5:05.

“Once we started falling behind, we seemed to get more fatigued,” Vista Coach Joe DeMaria said.