Palmisano, Thousand Oaks Come Up Short, 58-56

Michelle Palmisano ended one of the most successful girls’ basketball careers in state history Thursday night wanting just one more shot.

Palmisano scored 35 points and grabbed 15 rebounds for Thousand Oaks High, but her desperation three-quarter-court effort at the buzzer fell short in the host Lancers’ 58-56 loss to Lynwood in a Southern California Division I regional semifinal.

“Both teams played their hearts out,” Palmisano said. “It’s hard to lose by two points, but somebody had to win.”

Trailing by as many as eight points in the fourth quarter, the Lancers (30-2) turned to Palmisano, the fourth-leading scorer in state history, and she nearly pulled off a miracle, scoring 15 of her team’s 20 points in the quarter.

But Lynwood held on with some clutch free-throw shooting by sophomore forward Timicha Kirby to avenge an early-season 47-46 loss to Thousand Oaks. Kirby, who led the Knights with 22 points, hit six consecutive foul shots in the final two minutes.

“I was trying to stay in focus,” Kirby said. “I told myself to take my time, bend my knees and ignore the crowd.”

Missed free throws by two seniors, La Tasha Burnett and Janet Davis, left the door open for Thousand Oaks to steal the game in the final minute. However, with Thousand Oaks trailing, 56-53, with 33 seconds left, Palmisano missed the front end of a one and one.

Kirby nailed two free throws to make it a five-point margin, but Melissa Wood scored a three-point basket to make it 58-56 with eight seconds remaining. The Lancers fouled Davis with three seconds left and she missed her first free throw, but all Palmisano had time for was the desperation heave.

Lynwood Coach Maurice Roberson said his game plan was to concentrate more on the other Lancer players, knowing Palmisano would get her share of points.

“What I wanted to do was give (Palmisano) hers and shut down everyone else,” Roberson said.

Lynwood held junior forward Marion Jones scoreless, although she did pick up nine rebounds before fouling out late in the fourth quarter. Samantha Clarke was Thousand Oaks’ second-leading scorer with seven points.

Davis had 10 points, eight rebounds and five blocked shots for the Knights, who will play Peninsula on Saturday in the Division I final.