Girls’ Division II : Sacramento Grant Dominates Katella for Easy Victory

It did not take long for Joni Easterly of Anaheim Katella High School to come up with reasons why her team lost, 59-43, to Sacramento Grant in the State Division II girls’ championship game Saturday at the Oakland Coliseum Arena.

“We could have run our press break better,” said Easterly, a Katella guard. “We could have made some layups and blocked out a lot better on the boards.”

And that was just for starters.

Grant outplayed Katella in most every category to win its second consecutive Division II title.

It was Grant’s fifth consecutive appearance in a state championship game. The Pacers finished the season with a 32-3 record. Katella, which was playing in its first state final, was 29-4.

Tina Green, one of four Grant players who scored in double figures, had 19 points and 11 rebounds. Shawyna Robertson had 15, Kimyatta Horton 12 and Tesia Green 10 for Grant.

Easterly, who will attend USC, led all scorers with 22 points, but it was not close to being enough for the Knights.

After a slow start--Grant trailed, 16-12, at the end of the first quarter--the Pacers jump-started their game. Tina Green, a senior forward, and Robertson led a second-quarter attack that effectively broke Katella’s momentum. The Pacers outscored the Knights, 14-7, in the second quarter to take a 26-23 lead.

After Robertson’s three consecutive baskets opened the third quarter, Grant led, 32-23, and had control.

Katella made a couple of second-half runs to close the deficit but Grant responded each time.

The Knights rallied to within four late in the third quarter, 34-30, on a three-point shot and a fast break layup by guard Angie Gomez.

But Tina Green scored on a follow shot and then made a jumper as Grant regained control, 38-30.

Grant then put the game away for good by outscoring Katella, 14-4, in the first four minutes of the fourth quarter.

Easterly fouled out with 3:00 minutes left, but it made little difference by then.

“They were the quickest, best shooting team we’ve faced,” Katella Coach Barb Bausch said. “We can’t hold our heads down. We got beat by the best team I’ve seen this season.”

Grant’s goal was to hold Easterly, who averages 22 a game, to no more than 20, and to control the rebounding.

“If we stopped her from scoring 30 points and outrebounded them I thought we would win,” Coach Connie Zuercher said.

Grant outrebounded Katella, 48-25. The Knights had only four offensive rebounds.

“We worked in practice on allowing them one shot and that’s it,” Zuercher said.