Rabello Steps Up to Lead Point Loma

The girl they expected a lot of ended up with so little, while the girl they expected little of ended up with so much.

So who switched roles in the girls’ Division II Southern California Regional basketball semifinal Thursday night at Point Loma?

Top-seeded Point Loma eventually escaped with the 39-36 victory over No. 4 Westminister La Quinta, but other than the Pointers advancing to the final Saturday at the Los Angeles Sports Arena--where they will meet Pasadena Muir at 1:30 p.m.--nobody did what they were expected to do.

UCLA-bound Amy Jalewalia, the second leading scorer in the state (34.2-point average), was supposed to lead La Quinta’s charge. The 6-foot-2 center finished with eight points.

“She hasn’t scored that low since her freshman year,” La Quinta Coach Kevin Kiernan said.

Robin Rabello wasn’t supposed to be the key. The 6-0 senior center played soccer for three years until a coaching change coaxed her into trying her hand at basketball. She scored a season high 12 points, pulled down 13 rebounds--seven in the first quarter--and had three steals for Point Loma (29-3).

“This game, I just got open, and Claudine (Neves) got me the ball,” Rabello said.

And at the most opportune times. Point Loma trailed, 36-35, when Tyeast Brown scored off her own rebound and gave the Pointers a 37-36 lead with a minute left.

Point Loma called a timeout, and after missed shots by both teams, Point Loma’s Stacy Wainwright was fouled with 13 seconds left. She missed the front end of the one-and-one, but Rabello was in perfect position, grabbed the rebound and posted up for the basket that gave Point Loma a 39-36 lead. La Quinta’s desperation shot as time ran out was way off target.

Rabello was there in other key situations: She hit a layup at the buzzer that ended the half to pull Point Loma to within 16-15; she hit two free throws with no time remaining in the third quarter to pull her team to within 28-26; she opened scoring in the fourth when she took a Neves pass and laid it in to make it 28-28, and she also gave Point Loma back-to-back one-point leads with a basket and two free throws as time wound down.

Nevada Las Vegas-bound Brown, Point Loma’s scoring answer from inside and outside, was supposed to command the spotlight as usual. But after her miserable one-for-eight field goal shooting in the first quarter, a change was in order, and that meant Rabello.

La Quinta (28-4) also was hurt when Jalewalia fouled out on a charging call with 3:36 remaining.

“That was a big factor, mentally for them,” Point Loma Coach Lee Trepanier said.