SPORTSSCOPE : Cal Poly Women Face Tough Test on Way to Finals

The Cal Poly Pomona women’s basketball team is just one win away from its second straight berth in the NCAA Division II final four tournament.

But the Broncos, who won the Division II West Regional last week, have a difficult opponent standing in the way.

Pomona, 27-3 and ranked No. 2 in Division II, will host fourth-ranked North Dakota--which is also 27-3--in the division quarterfinals at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Kellogg Gymnasium in Pomona.

The Sioux, which have a four-game winning streak, defeated rival North Dakota State, 90-58, to win the Division II North Central Regional in Grand Forks last week.

The winner advances to the final four tournament that will be played March 23 and 24 at an undetermined site. Pomona is among the schools bidding to host the final four, and the site will be announced by the NCAA on Sunday.

The Broncos have won three national titles and finished second three times since joining Division II in the 1981-82 season, and take a 20-game winning streak into the North Dakota game.

Pomona has been led by a strong inside game that features center Niki Bracken and forward Marcine Edmonds. Bracken, a 6-2 senior, is averaging 19.3 points and 9.5 rebounds and Edmonds, a 6-1 senior, 13.8 points and 6.8 rebounds.

The Broncos have also received consistent play from reserve center Danielle Carter, a 6-2 freshman from Fontana High who is averaging 9.9 points and 6.8 rebounds.

In addition, Pomona has a top player at guard in Stephanie Coons. The 5-11 junior, who had a career high of 22 points and 16 rebounds in the team’s 89-63 win over Air Force in the first round of the playoffs, is averaging 9.8 points, 5.4 rebounds and 4.1 assists.

While the Broncos have flourished with their inside game, North Dakota has been sparked by potent outside shooting from players such as guards Durene Heisler and Whitney Meier. Heisler is averaging 18.7 points and has made 67% of her three-point attempts and Meier averages 18.1 points.

The Sioux also have good size on their starting front line including 6-1 junior center Nadine Van De Kerckhove.

The game will be the first-ever meeting between the schools and marks the first time that North Dakota has advanced to the quarterfinals. In fact, North Dakota’s two playoff wins last week were the first in school history.

It’s been a season of firsts for the Muir High School girls basketball team.

Two weeks ago, the Mustangs captured their first CIF Southern Section title with a 56-49 victory over Ventura in the 4-AA Division championship game.

Last week, Muir won the Southern California regional title for the first time with a 43-38 decision over Point Loma in the Division II final.

The Mustangs hope to cap the season by winning their first state championship against San Ramon of Danville at 1:15 p.m. Saturday at the Oakland Coliseum.

Muir will take a 29-5 record into the game, which will mark the first appearance in the state final for the Mustangs. San Ramon, which defeated Moreau of Hayward by a 59-51 score in the Northern California regional final last week, also has a 29-5 record.

The Mustangs, who also defeated San Pasqual (56-39) and Ventura (58-44) in regional play before playing Pt. Loma, will have a size advantage against San Ramon.

Muir’s front line includes seniors Melinda Armstrong (6-1) and Karin Banks (5-10) at forward and Josie Pacheco (6-0) at center. Armstrong is the team’s scoring leader, averaging 14 points and 7.9 rebounds, and Banks averages 13.5 points and 5.4 rebounds.

In addition, the Mustangs also have an outstanding floor leader in point guard Rose Jong. The 5-2 senior averages 10.1 points and 10.1 assists and may have saved her best game for the regional final, when she scored 23 points including two three-pointers.