HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL GIRLS’ SOUTHERN SECTION PLAYOFFS : Palmdale Unable to Match Up With No. 1 Peninsula in 70-31 Loss

For two weeks, Palmdale High had looked forward to a matchup with Peninsula, the nation’s top-ranked team. But after the Falcons were trounced, 70-31, Saturday night in a Division I-AA quarterfinal, that longing probably turned to regret.

The host Panthers (27-0) ran off 10 consecutive points in the first four minutes behind a relentless press and a multifaceted attack. Peninsula took a 20-3 first-quarter lead en route to a 37-10 halftime advantage.

“We played about the best we have all year,” Peninsula Coach Wendell Yoshida said.

Peninsula forced Palmdale into 19 turnovers and held the Falcons to 25% from the field. In three playoff wins, Peninsula has won by a total of 113 points.

The Falcons (21-8) came into the contest with a 15-game winning streak and a pair of impressive playoff wins. But the Panthers held Palmdale’s All-American point guard, Kim Schielke, to nine points.

Aimee Grimes, a 6-foot-2 center, was Palmdale’s only consistent offensive threat with 11 points.

For Peninsula, 6-5 senior center Jeffra Gausepohl had 26 points and 14 rebounds.