Wilson Throttled, So Dionne Keeps Hart Girls Soaring, 50-43

Stopping Sara Wilson, Hart High’s 6-foot-3 All-American center, was a tall order for Coach Ray Panici and the Capistrano Valley girls’ basketball team.

But the Cougars measured up, holding Wilson, a senior who will attend Oregon in the fall, to 10 points in Wednesday night’s Southern Section 5-A Division quarterfinal game at Hart.

Capistrano Valley came up short, however, in stopping 5-foot-8 sophomore point guard Anjanette Dionne.

Dionne, a starter last season on Hart’s 5-A champion team, scored a game-high 22 points, including nine in the pivotal fourth quarter, to lead Hart to a come-from-behind 50-43 victory.

Hart (23-4) will play Rubidoux, a double overtime winner over Ontario, in a semifinal game Saturday night.

While Wilson was shackled by a double team, Dionne, a nimble dribbler, scurried free to sink six jump shots, including four from three-point range.

“We knew about her too,” Panici said. “We knew she was great. We wanted to stop one of the two, and I think we did.”

Small consolation. Dionne made six of six free throws in the fourth quarter when Hart extended a precarious 35-31 lead. Dionne’s three-point swish shot from the top of the key with 1 minute 35 seconds left gave the Indians a 48-43 lead.

“They were fronting (Sara) and backing her and packing her in pretty much,” Dionne said. “They were aggressive for a not-too-tall team. I don’t know if I, personally, took control. I just tried to do my part. I think everybody came through at the right time.”

Hart was in trouble early as Capistrano Valley (18-10) leaped to 7-0 and 13-2 first-quarter leads. Sophomore guard Alisa Farr (19 points) made two of her five three-point shots in the first quarter, in which the Cougars made seven of 10 shots from the field.

Hart led, 17-16, early in the second quarter, but the lead changed hands eight times before halftime.

Dionne sank a pair of three-point shots in the second quarter, but Wilson, who scored six points in the first quarter, was scoreless.

“I found it harder to get open tonight than in other games this season,” said Wilson, who managed to muscle for a game-high 10 rebounds. “They put a lot of pressure on me. But that left Anjanette open for the three-pointers.”

A short jump shot by Wilson gave Hart a permanent lead at 33-31. Capistrano Valley made only three of 14 shots in the period.

“We missed about three layups in the second half,” Panici said. “That’s the game.”

Capistrano Valley was 19 of 52 from the field. Hart made 16 of 41.