GIRLS’ DIVISION II-AA : Needham Leads the Charge as Tustin Upsets Ventura

Second-seeded Ventura had an answer for almost every Tustin challenge during a Southern Section II-AA semifinal game Wednesday at Costa Mesa High School.

“I felt like we were on a treadmill,” Tustin Coach Rick Falk said.

But Ventura had no answer for Tustin’s 6-foot forward Shari Needham, whose fourth-quarter outburst helped the Tillers upset the Cougars, 50-45.

Needham scored 13 fourth-quarter points to help erase a 13-point deficit, and Tustin (21-7) advanced to Saturday’s championship game against top-seeded Cerritos Gahr at UC Irvine’s Bren Center.

Needham finished with 28 points, 11 rebounds and three three-pointers, picking up the slack for center Christine Garner, who sprained an ankle in the first quarter but remained in the game and finished with 10 points and 17 rebounds.

Needham also made two three-pointers in the final 2 minutes 40 seconds. Needham had made only one three-pointer this season before Wednesday.

Tustin freshman Katie Scheuerman came off the bench to score eight points, all in the second half, and sank a three-pointer with 4:15 remaining to cut Ventura’s lead to 41-40.

Tustin took the lead, 45-43, on Needham’s 24-footer from the left wing with 2:40 to play, and Needham’s three-pointer from the right corner made it 48-43 with 1:00 remaining.

Ventura (21-4) led, 39-28, after three quarters but couldn’t stop Tustin’s rally. Ventura shot only 29% for the game (18 of 63). The Cougars made only two of 12 shots from the field in the fourth quarter, when they were outscored 22-6.

“I wouldn’t have given us much of a chance when we were down 13,” Tustin Coach Rick Falk said.