GIRLS BASKETBALL PLAYOFFS : Holm’s Three-Pointer Keys El Cajon Valley

Limited to just seven points in the first half, Heather Holm rallied to score 23 in the second half, including 13 in the fourth quarter.

No shot, however, was quite as big as the three-pointer that sparked a 7-0 run and gave El Cajon Valley a 60-53 victory over Castle Park.

The surge sent the Braves to the first San Diego Section championship game in the school’s history.

With the girls’ Division II semifinal victory Wednesday in front of approximately 1,500 at Grossmont College, top-seeded El Cajon (26-1) will play Carlsbad at 2:30 p.m. Saturday at the San Diego Sports Arena.

Castle Park, also seeking its first trip to the title game, lost for the first time in 13 games and finished 23-5.

With the score tied and 1:40 remaining, Holm effortlessly dribbled into the right wing and buried the 21-foot shot. Thirty-six seconds later, she made a free throw--then two more. Carmen Johnson ended the run and the scoring with a free throw with 23 seconds left.

“If my old man was sitting on the bench, I don’t know if I’d have the guts to shoot that shot,” said Robert Holm, El Cajon’s coach and Heather’s father. “But her role is shooting. She didn’t hesitate at all.”

Said sister Heidi Holm, who had seven points to go with three blocks and three steals in the fourth quarter, “We all have roles, and Heather fulfilled hers well tonight.”

Castle Park’s inside threat of Christina Murguia and Erica Ockert kept the game close. Murguia, the county’s leading scorer this season, had 18 points--eight under her average--13 rebounds and three blocks. Ockert added a team-high 19 points and pulled down 10 rebounds.