SOUTHERN SECTION BASKETBALL PLAYOFFS : DIVISION I-AA GIRLS : Capistrano Valley Shows Fondness for Working Overtime

If you want to dare Capistrano Valley into a game of overtime, you’re tempting the wrong team. It’s an automatic invitation to your own pity party.

Long Beach Millikan learned that the hard way in a Division I-AA girls’ basketball semifinal at El Toro High Wednesday night. After trailing almost all of regulation, Capistrano Valley forced a double overtime before the Cougars emerged with an 86-80 victory.

Capistrano Valley advanced to Saturday’s championship at Loyola Marymount against top-seeded Lynwood, the No. 2 team in the state. Lynwood, runner-up in the I-AA championship a year ago, was a 56-37 winner over Long Beach Poly.

“We’ve already gone into overtime two or three times,” said Capistrano Valley senior guard Angie White. “We haven’t lost this year.”

In fact, as White watched teammate Susan Scott miss a layup with less than 30 seconds left in regulation, she was more irritated than concerned.

“When Susan missed that layup, I got mad at her,” White said with a laugh. “But I was confident.”

Turns out for good reason. In the first overtime, third-seeded Millikan (18-8) scored first, but second-seeded Capistrano Valley (26-3) matched the Rams basket for basket--Katie Scott scored the Cougars last two field goals in the period--to make a long evening a little bit longer.

When the teams began the second overtime, Capistrano Valley took advantage of a Millikan turnover and took an early 79-77 lead on a long jump shot by Megan Baker, who scored four of her six points in the overtime periods.

It was the Cougars first lead since midway through the fourth quarter.

Jennifer Garrett hit the first free throw of a one-and-one situation for an 80-77 advantage and Millikan hurt its cause when the Rams immediately turned the ball over and watched as White scored from long range.

Millikan, the Moore League champions, called time out and when play resumed, Susan Scott took a pass inside from White and scored for an 84-77 lead with less than a minute remaining. The Rams were out of time.

“(There were) a couple of turnovers, a couple of bad calls that happened to go against us toward the end,” said Millikan Coach Lorene Morgan.

After watching his team trail by as many 12 points (26-14) early in the second quarter, Capistrano Valley Coach Harlan Peet enjoyed seeing his team come back.

“We really battled back,” he said. “We have great belief in ourselves.”

Millikan’s Blanca Loza led all scorers with 33 points. Five Cougars scored in double figures: White (19), Jennifer Garrett (18), Susan Scott (17), Katie Scott (14) and Stacey Howes (12).

White shot an uncharacteristic two-of-nine from the field in the first quarter and had only four points at halftime, but she seemed to calm down after the intermission and was steady the rest of the game.