SOUTHERN SECTION I-AA GIRLS’ BASKETBALL : Peninsula’s Title Has a Familiar Ring, 54-44

Peninsula High’s CIF-Southern Section Division I-AA girls’ basketball championship had a familiar look to it.

It was the same look that Palos Verdes High had when it won the Section championship last season.

In fact, it had the same starters.

Palos Verdes combined with Rolling Hills High and Miraleste High to form Peninsula High this season and all five starters from Palos Verdes came back to haunt its section rivals.

Peninsula improved to 30-0 with a 54-44 victory over Lynwood at UC Irvine Saturday.

After taking a 33-18 halftime lead, Peninsula came out for the second half like the game was in the bag.

“Sometimes it breaks momentum to go in at halftime,” Peninsula Coach Wendell Yoshida said. “But we knew how good Lynwood was, we knew it wasn’t over.”

But the Panthers didn’t play like they knew it.

Lynwood (26-2) outscored the Panthers, 12-6, during the third quarter and carried the momentum into the fourth quarter.

Shefonda Colbert made two baskets inside the key and Timicha Kirby added a three-pointerafter a turnover to start the fourth quarter and Peninsula led by only 39-38 with 6 minutes 43 seconds to play.

Yoshida called a timeout.

“We were scared about that much,” Peninsula point guard Kristen Mulligan said, holding her fingers about an inch apart.

After the timeout, Mulligan had two baskets and Jill Kennedy added a basket and a three-pointer as the Panthers pulled away with an 11-6 run.

Jeffra Gausepohl had 18 points and Mulligan added 15 points, nine rebounds and eight assists for Peninsula.

Janet Davis scored 15 points for Lynwood.