ROUNDUP : Gahr’s Third-Quarter Defense Enough to Upend Woodbridge

With a 66-43 semifinal victory over Woodbridge in hand, Cerritos Gahr Coach Tom Pryor will take his Gladiators to the girls’ Southern Section II-AA basketball final, their first trip to a final since 1982, when he lost to a Riverside Poly team that included Cheryl Miller.

Pryor has been to the semifinals five times since 1982, falling each time. But the Gladiators (24-4) showed Tuesday night at Cerritos High School why they are this season’s top-seeded team, outscoring Woodbridge, 40-22, in the second half.

Gahr took a 15-6 lead into the second quarter, and Pryor decided to change from a man-to-man defense to a zone. Woodbridge (20-8) took advantage of the switch, as guard Lisa Ramos scored three three-pointers, and the Warriors pulled to within 26-21.

Pryor told his team to go back to a man-to-man, and the Gladiators held Woodbridge to scoreless stretches of two and three minutes in the third quarter. Then, led by guard Kris Waldorf, who made three of her five three-pointers and 16 of her 22 points in the second half, Gahr maintained the lead for the victory.

“The key was the start of the second half,” said Woodbridge Coach Eric Bangs. “Waldorf . . . made it a 12-point game, and that took the starch out a bit.”