Hoopla Builds as Area Teams Try to Take Another Step : Girls’ preview: Peninsula battles Poway, Bishop Montgomery plays Gahr, and Morningside meets Rancho Alamitos in regional semifinals.

Wendell Yoshida, coach of the Peninsula High girls’ basketball team, respects the physical size of Poway, his team’s opponent at 7:30 tonight in the semifinals of the Southern California Division I regionals at Peninsula.

“They’re big and physical,” he said, “but we’re a lot quicker.”

Yoshida speaks from experience. Peninsula defeated Poway, 67-39, in the Santa Barbara Tournament of Champions in December, an indication that the Panthers might have an easy road to the regional final at 7 Saturday night at the Sports Arena.

In other semifinals at 7:30 tonight, Bishop Montgomery (25-7) plays at Gahr of Cerritos (26-4) in a Division II game and Morningside (18-11) travels to Rancho Alamitos of Garden Grove (22-2) for a Division III contest.

Peninsula (30-0) opened the regionals Tuesday night by scoring the first 22 points and leading by as many as 53 before defeating L.A. City Section 3-A Division champion Granada Hills, 88-39. Poway (27-3), the San Diego Section champion, advanced with a 46-42 victory over Buena of Ventura.

Four players scored in double figures for Peninsula, led by 6-foot-3 forward Monique Morehouse with 19 points and 6-5 center Jeffra Gausepohl and sophomore forward Mimi McKinney with 18 each.

Alison Brady, a 6-foot forward who has signed to play volleyball for Cal Poly San Luis Obispo in the fall, is Poway’s top player.

Ranked No. 1 by USA Today, Peninsula is in control to win the mythical national title and boasts four seniors who have signed to play basketball for Division I colleges.

Yet, when Parade magazine’s All-America team was recently published, no Peninsula players were among the 40 players named to the squad. The only Californians selected were Washington forward Charisse Sampson, a first-team pick, and Lynwood center Janet Davis, a second-team choice.

Yoshida thought his players were slighted, particularly senior point guard Kristen Mulligan.

“I think we have some kids that are deserving,” he said. “Obviously it’s a hard choice to make, but I don’t think (the Parade All-America team) is completely accurate . . . Kristen Mulligan is an All-American.”

However, Mulligan has been named to the inaugural Kodak Women’s Basketball Coaches Assn. All-America team, expected to be published today in USA Today. Mulligan, who was one of 20 seniors honored, will play in an all-star game in conjunction with the All-America team on April 17 in Jackson, Tenn.

While Peninsula was cruising into tonight’s semifinals, Bishop Montgomery and Morningside both needed last-minute heroics to survive Tuesday’s opening round.

Senior point guard Mirlen Martinez scored 16 points and made a baseline jump shot with two seconds left to give visiting Bishop Montgomery a 52-51 victory over Sanger of the Central Section.

At Lemoore, junior forward Tina Thompson had 29 points, including two free throws with 26 seconds left, to lead Morningside to a 54-51 victory over the Central Section champion. Thompson also had 15 rebounds, five assists and four blocked shots.