SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA REGIONAL BASKETBAL PLAYOFFS : DIVISION III GIRLS : DiCamilli’s Shot Gives Costa Mesa Dramatic Victory

Freshman Olivia DiCamilli’s last-second basket gave Costa Mesa High School a 44-42 victory over Selma in a first-round Southern California Regional Division III game Tuesday at Costa Mesa High School.

Selma had tied the game, 42-42, with 26 seconds left on a three-point basket by Anjelica Guzman.

Then Costa Mesa ran down the clock before DiCamilli scored from close range as time ran out.

“I told my girls to wait for the last shot and get the ball to the right person,” Costa Mesa Coach Jim Weeks said. “They got it to our MVP and she made it happen.”

Added DiCamilli, who scored 10 points: “I got the ball, looked at the clock and shot the ball with two seconds on the clock. I didn’t realize it went in until the buzzer sounded.”

Costa Mesa (18-11) will meet Palos Verdes (28-5) in a playoff semifinal Thursday night. Palos Verdes defeated San Diego Lady of Peace Tuesday night, 53-37.

Costa Mesa dominated the first half. The Mustangs outscored Selma, 13-4, in the second quarter to lead, 29-14, at halftime.

“Our girls were tight in the first half,” Selma Coach Rick Evans said. “The drive, the large gymnasium, and the large Costa Mesa crowd distracted us from settling down and running our offense.”

In the third quarter, Selma (14-11) contained the Mustangs’ inside shooting which allowed it to outscore them 17-6 and narrow the Costa Mesa lead to 35-31.

Weeks said he was disappointed in the Mustangs’ second-half performance. He added he didn’t worry about the game’s outcome until Guzman’s three-point game-tying basket.

Thuy Nguyen led Costa Mesa in scoring with 14 points, including two three-pointers.