GIRLS’ REGIONAL BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT : Tustin Hits the Road Leading to Carlsbad

No coach likes to have his team play away from home, particularly in the playoffs, but Tustin girls’ basketball Coach Rick Falk had already resigned himself Saturday to hop on a bus today for a road game in the first round of the Southern California Division II girls’ regionals.

Falk figured the Tillers’ fate was sealed after they lost to Cerritos Gahr, 63-37, in the Southern Section Division II-AA finals Saturday at UC Irvine.

“We thought we would play either at Carlsbad or Sanger,” Falk said.

He was correct.

The Tillers (21-8) travel to Carlsbad (23-2) today for a 7:30 p.m. game. The Lancers won the San Diego Section Division II championship Saturday with a 53-43 victory over University City. Carlsbad is seeded first in the Division II regional, and Tustin is seeded eighth.

Though Falk anticipated Tustin’s probable opponent in the opening round, his team’s placement in the draw was somewhat unexpected.

“I was kind of surprised at being No. 8,” Falk said. “I thought maybe we’d be sixth. The way it is now, we’ve got to win two on the road (to reach the finals).”

To qualify for the championship game at 12:30 p.m. Saturday at Cal State Dominguez Hills, the Tillers first need to get past a Carlsbad squad that Falk says is similar to Tustin in its style of play. If Tustin wins, it will play either Mission Hills Alemany or Fresno Edison.

“From what I’ve heard about them, they kind of mirror us,” Falk said. “They have about the same size inside that we have, they play zone and they don’t press a lot.”

Leading the Lancers are 6-foot-1 center Vanessa Nygaard (16.0 points), 6-0 forward Holly Gerdes (15.5 points) and 5-11 point guard Renee Demirjian (10.5).

The Tillers’ two main scoring threats are 6-0 center Christine Garner (17.8 points) and 6-0 forward Shari Needham (18.7 points).

“Nygaard is a cross between Christine and Shari,” Falk said. “She pretty much free-lances and they look for her to be open.”

In order for Tustin to remain in the game, Falk said Garner will have to stay out of foul trouble and control her emotions. Against Gahr, she fouled out in the third quarter and waived goodby to the officials with an obscene gesture the referees didn’t see, but Falk did.

“We spent an hour talking today (Monday),” Falk said. “We arrived at a discipline that won’t include a suspension. But one of her conditions is she has to make a formal apology to the Gahr players and her teammates.

“She gets too intense . . . (Tonight) we’ll have San Diego referees, not neutral referees, and it’s even more critical that she keep her cool.”

Or it will be one long--and final--bus ride for the Tillers.

The Division III tournament includes the only two other county teams involved in the regionals.

In one game, top-seeded Brea-Olinda (28-2) plays host to No. 8 Santee West Hills (8-16), the San Diego Section Division III champion.

The Ladycats, the defending State Division II champions, advanced to the regionals by winning the section Division III-AA title Saturday with a 49-35 victory over Inglewood Morningside.

Also at home is second-seeded Rancho Alamitos (21-2), which meets Wasco (22-5), the seventh-seeded squad and one of two Central Section representatives in the division.

Rancho Alamitos beat West Covina South Hills, 68-66, to win the section Division III-A championship Saturday. It was the first section title for the school in any sport.

Brea and Rancho Alamitos could meet in the finals at 9 a.m. Saturday at the L.A. Sports Arena.