Point Loma Loses Trepanier’s Final Game

Lee Trepanier knows a thing or two about motivation.

For 14 years, he has coached Point Loma girls’ basketball teams. The success he has had is well-documented, and staggering.

Saturday he took his 1989-90 edition to the Los Angeles Sports Arena to meet Muir for the Division II Southern California Regional final, in which his Pointers have appeared for seven of the past eight years.

Point Loma let a 28-13 halftime lead escape and lost, 43-38.

Trepanier then announced he had coached his final game. He had hoped to disclose his plan after a victory, as a means of spurring Point Loma to its fifth state title in seven years.

“I thought if we won, (the announcement) would be motivation for them to work hard all week for state,” Trepanier said.

Muir’s Rose Jong didn’t give them the chance. Jong, a 5-foot-1 point guard dug deep, stretched high and came up with a critical four-point play that sent Muir to its first state championship game.

Muir trailed Point Loma, 38-37, with 30 seconds remaining before Jong made a three-point basket to give Muir its first lead, 40-38, since 2-0.

“(Jong’s) tough,” Trepanier said. “I didn’t think she’d take that shot. I thought they’d give it to (Melinda) Armstrong inside and then crash the boards.”

To make matters worse for Point Loma, the referees ruled Jong had been fouled after the shot. She made the first half of the one-and-one and missed the second, giving Muir a 41-38 lead.

“I thought she was shooting one,” Muir Coach Mel Sims said.

So did Jong, Point Loma and almost everyone but the officials.

“That wasn’t a five-point play (situation),” Trepanier said. “But, hey, that’s all part of the game. I’m not taking anything away from them.”

Point Loma’s Tyeast Brown missed from three-point range with 20 seconds left, and Armstrong--who had played with four fouls since 5:58 remained in the second quarter--ended it by hitting both ends of a one-and-one.

Win or lose, Trepanier had decided this was the day to make his decision to step down official. Trepanier, who compiled a 335-51 record at Point Loma, told his girls afterward that he was leaving for health reasons.

“I think it’s time,” he said. “Physically, I don’t feel so well. This is a good way to go out.”

Brown, a senior playing in her third regional final, said “Coach T” had confided in her at the beginning of the season that this was indeed his final year. She only regretted that they hadn’t won for him.

“I wanted this so bad for him,” she said. “He’s still proud of us though.”

Point Loma (29-4) performed well in the first half. The Pointers’ shooting was reasonably accurate (11 of 24, 46%), their defense tight, and they held a 24-20 rebounding edge.

Muir’s transformation could be traced in part to an improved defense. The Mustangs (29-5) started in a man-to-man, switched briefly to a zone, then went back to man to start the third quarter.

“Their defense is as good as we’ve seen,” Trepanier said.

Muir center Josie Pacheco inherited the job of guarding Brown, who scored 12 points in the first half. Pacheco held her to two points in the second half, when the Pointers were outscored, 30-10.

“She’s good,” Pacheco said. “I thought I couldn’t guard her, but coach told me I could.”

Sims, in his second year at Muir, said the comeback was because of a number of factors.

“It’s part luck, part fate, part hustle; you can’t dismiss any of those,” he said.

Muir struck Point Loma with a 12-0 run in the third quarter, but the Pointers still took a 32-29 lead into the fourth.

Jong finished with a game-high 23 points, while Muir’s leading scorers combined for just 17: Armstrong (10), Pacheco (three) and Karin Banks (four).

Muir will meet Northern Regional Champion San Ramon Valley, a 59-51 winner over Moreau, Saturday in Oakland.