DIVISION II-AA ROUNDUP : Gahr Holds On to Beat Woodbridge by Two Points

When the prognosticating turns painful . . .

Before Woodbridge was to visit Cerritos Gahr in the quarterfinals of the Division II-AA Southern Section girls’ basketball playoffs Saturday, Woodbridge Coach Eric Bangs theorized that if the third-seeded Warriors held Gahr, the defending section II-AA champion, to 45 points, Woodbridge would win.

Bangs called it, and watched as Gahr scored 46, gasping several times before holding on for a 46-44 victory to advance to Tuesday’s semifinals.

“It was a good game,” Bangs said. “Unfortunately, we turned it over with 10 seconds to go.”

Woodbridge’s fate was sealed in the final seconds of the game, with Gahr leading, 45-44. With 10 seconds left, Woodbridge senior Flo Luppani inbounded the ball from the baseline to junior Jamie Oenning, who tried to pass.

But Gahr’s Geena May sneaked up behind Oenning and wrestled away the ball. Oenning immediately fouled May with 2.6 seconds remaining. May missed both free throws, but Woodbridge wouldn’t get another chance. Gahr’s Michelle Wineke was fouled, and she hit one of her two free throws to finish the scoring.

“If they only had one or two passes, I thought we’d be okay,” Gahr Coach Tom Pryor said. “If they had gotten another pass and made an open shot, I think we would have been in trouble. Geena was lucky enough to get that steal.”

Bangs said he believed his team’s only chance to win the game was to keep the ball outside and swing it around to the weak side.

“Unfortunately, it went the wrong way, and they got that turnover,” he said.

With a little over a minute left, the Warriors (22-6) had a chance to tie the game, when Melanie Pearson stepped to the free-throw line to shoot a one-and-one. Pearson’s first shot was good, but the second dribbled over the side of the rim.

It was a disappointing end for Woodbridge in a game in which it led through much of the first three quarters. The Warriors held a 15-10 lead after the first quarter, and a basket by May with two seconds left in the half tied the game at 25-25.

Gahr’s first lead of the night came late in the third, and it led by two going into the fourth. During the final period, Woodbridge tied the game three times, and even took a 43-42 lead on a three-point shot by Luppani. But Gahr’s Wineke answered with a short jump shot that gave the Gladiators a 45-43 lead before Pearson was fouled.

Oenning, who got into early foul trouble, finished with 14 points. Wineke was the game’s leading scorer with 17, and Shannon Gale added 16.

In the Division II-AA quarterfinals:

Brea-Olinda 85, Burbank Burroughs 36--Colleen Hudson had 28 points and Nicole Erickson had 21 to lead top-seeded Brea-Olinda (26-2), which led 20-3 after one quarter. Sarah Beckley added 14 for the Ladycats, who play Hemet, a 78-51 winner over Edison, in the semifinals Wednesday.

Hemet 78, Edison 51--Angela Darnell led Hemet with 31 points and 13 rebounds to lead Hemet over Edison in a II-AA win at home. Hemet’s front court scored the first 12 points of the game to lead Hemet to a 42-23 first halftime lead.