SOUTHERN SECTION GIRLS’ BASKETBALL PLAYOFFS : Trippet, Marina Stop Pasadena’s Comeback

Marina’s Jessica Trippet scored 16 points and ended a third-quarter Pasadena rally with back-to-back scoring plays to lead the Vikings to a 49-37 victory Saturday night in a Southern Section Division I-A girls’ playoff quarterfinal at Marina High.

Marina (24-4) advanced to a semifinal Tuesday night against Thousand Oaks at a site to be determined.

Marina held a 30-24 halftime lead and pushed the advantage to 10 points midway through the third quarter, but Pasadena (22-4) rallied to close to within three. Trippet then went to work, hitting two shots--and completing a three-point play when she was fouled on one of them--to increase the lead to back to eight.

Marina’s Tracy Nakamura scored 12 points on four three-pointers.

Pasadena made just four of 18 from the line.

In other Division I-A games:

Thousand Oaks 88, Edison 55--Michelle Palmisano scored a game-high 30 points, and Marion Jones (11 points) returned after missing nearly two months because of injuries to help Thousand Oaks (27-1) at Edison (15-11).

Ocean View 60, Thermal Coachella Valley 52--Kristy Bell had 16 points and 11 rebounds and Nikki Vivion had 14 points and 12 rebounds to lead Ocean View (22-6) past second-seeded Coachella Valley (22-2).

Trailing, 30-27, at the half, the Seahawks began going inside to Vivion and Bel and outscored Coachella Valley, 16-7, in the third quarter.

Ocean View advanced to the semifinals against Buena at a site to be determined.

In Division II-AA:

Woodbridge 54, Walnut 29--Belinda Taub had her second consecutive triple-double, with 12 points, 10 rebounds and 10 steals, to lead Woodbridge (20-7) past visiting Walnut (19-8).

Woodbridge, which reached its ninth consecutive 20-victory season, will play Gahr, an 87-48 winner over Garden Grove, in the semifinals at a site to be determined.

Tustin 54, Torrance 33--Third-seeded Tustin (20-7) stayed in its zone and used its height advantage to take a 28-12 halftime lead and eventually overpower Torrance (19-7).

Tustin’s front line punished Torrance inside, scoring 49 points led by Christine Garner’s 28 points and 14 rebounds.

The Tillers will play Ventura in the semifinals at a site to be determined.

In Division II-A:

Rubidoux 53, Cypress 46--Jan’l Wilson and Aisha Dennis each scored 15 for top-seeded Rubidoux, which remained unbeaten at 26-0. Julie Adams scored 20 for Cypress, which finished at 20-5.

Assistant John Selbe coached Cypress in the absence of his wife, Denise Selbe, who delivered the couple’s second child, Nicholas Ryan, at 4:30 a.m. Saturday at Los Alamitos General Hospital.

North Torrance 57, Savanna 45--Savanna finished 19-7. North Torrance is 20-6.

In Division III-A:

Costa Mesa 62, Covina Northview 48--Olivia Di Camilli had 19 points for visiting Costa Mesa (21-6), which advanced to the semifinals against Rancho Alamitos at a site to be determined.

Rancho Alamitos 56, La Canada 35--Rancho Alamitos improved to 19-2 with the victory at Rancho Alamitos.

In Division IV-A:

Kern Valley 50, Orange Lutheran 40--Orange Lutheran’s Kristin Weddick made the first basket of the fourth quarter to cut the lead to 33-32, then Kern Valley (19-3) ran off nine consecutive and was never again threatened.

Tasha Preston led Kern Valley with 19 points, and Jenny Merta had 16.

Weddick had 12 points for Orange Lutheran, which made only 12 of 30 foul shots.

In Division V-AA:

Encino Holy Martyrs 54, Capistrano Valley Christian 45--Marcy Giosa had 10 points and six assists for the Eagles (12-14) who lost to the fourth-seeded Armens (23-2).