DIVISION III GIRLS’ CHAMPIONSHIP : Our Lady of Peace Takes Another Shot at Slowing Lincoln

There are more contrasts than similarities between the teams in tonight’s San Diego Section Division III girls’ basketball final at Golden Hall.

Our Lady of Peace relies on basics. Lincoln is highly aggressive and tries to play at a fast pace. OLP’s tallest player is 5-feet-10, and its leading scorer is 5-1 senior Tammy Tavares. Lincoln’s shortest player is 5-5, and the Hornets are led by 6-3 1/2 junior Sheila Dixon. OLP has a first-year coach, Yvonne Sanchez. Dorothy Robinson has coached at Lincoln since 1979.

The one thing the teams have in common is that both lost in semifinals in the section playoffs last year, OLP to USDHS and Lincoln to Ramona.

This year, top-seeded Lincoln (20-6) had a first-round bye, then defeated Kearny, 60-35, in the semifinals Tuesday. Second-seeded OLP (22-4) reached the final by beating USDHS, 54-47.

In the last game of the regular season, Lincoln defeated OLP, 57-45. Robinson said it was “aggressiveness of my team that made the difference, along with height.”

“We’re fundamentally sound,” she said. “We keep to our own game plan.”

Sanchez is glad to be getting another chance to play Lincoln.

“I think I made a few coaching mistakes, so I’d like to redeem myself and see what we can do,” Sanchez said. “They know it’ll be a tough game, and they’ll have to execute real well. They know it’s not going to be a game where one team will lay down and die.”

Dixon, who is averaging 17.8 points a game, was the only sophomore named to The Times’ All-County team last year. Dixon, Abena Byrd and Dianna Lewis are each averaging about 10 rebounds.

Tavares has a 19.5 average. In OLP’s playoff games, she scored 28 against La Jolla and 21 against USDHS.

“She’s amazing,” Sanchez said. “Her presence is felt on the court among the team.”

Senior April Vlek is the leading rebounder, averaging 10.5 a game. But one thing Sanchez said OLP is lacking is a big person in the middle.

“I really don’t have a center,” said Sanchez. “I have two post players. Ashleigh Mathes is a (5-9) forward but she jumps for us.”

Sanchez said having a team of upperclassmen--four seniors and a junior in the starting lineup--made her first year as OLP’s coach run smoothly.

“The older players are real good role models,” Sanchez said. “I inherited a lot of talent. They knew what they had to do.”