SOUTHERN SECTION CHAMPIONSHIPS : Bishop Montgomery Defeated by Woodbridge

The Bishop Montgomery High girls’ basketball team normally is a free-wheeling, high-scoring machine. But in its first Southern Section Division II-A championship game against Woodbridge of Irvine, the Knights’ powerful offense was met by an equally strong defense.

It was the stronger of those forces--Woodbridge’s defense--that ultimately contributed to Bishop Montgomery’s downfall Saturday night in a 47-37 defeat at Cal Poly Pomona.

Woodbridge (25-4) automatically advances to the State regional playoffs, which begin Tuesday. Bishop Montgomery (24-6) can only hope it is granted an at-large berth.

“We just didn’t stick to our game plan,” said Bishop Montgomery Coach Cedric Hurt after the Knights were held to their lowest point total this season.

“We wanted to come out running just like we did all season.”

But this game was unlike any of the Knights’ previous games this season.

“It was sure a low scoring game,” Hurt said. “At the end of the third quarter when we had 28 points, I knew something was wrong. We usually have 37 points midway through the second quarter.”

Bishop Montgomery committed 23 turnovers to Woodbridge’s 10, and the Knights shot 25% on 15-of-58 shooting. Woodbridge made 40% of its shots on 16-of-40 shooting.

Bishop Montgomery took a 3-2 lead on a three-point basket by Lily Cabaleiro 1:35 into the game. Cabaleiro finished with 14 points. Bishop Montgomery held the lead until early in the fourth quarter when Woodbridge’s Deanna Harry broke a 28-28 tie. Harry led the Warriors with 21 points and 21 rebounds.

But the key to Woodbridge’s victory was its defense.

“I think (our) defense was the key because we didn’t let them run,” Harry said. “If they had (run), they probably would have won.”

Instead, it was Woodbridge that ran away with its first-ever sectional championship.

“That was a team I was worried about,” Woodbridge Coach Russ Davis said of Bishop Montgomery. “They had scored close to 100 points in a game this year and they averaged in the 70s, so we knew we’d have to keep it close to win. I said before the game, if we keep it in the 50s, we’d win.”