DIVISION II-A GIRLS’ QUARTERFINALS : Cypress Gets Boost From Eggleston

Jessica Eggleston scored 31 points and grabbed 20 rebounds to carry Cypress to a 52-39 victory over Troy in a Division II-A quarterfinal Saturday, putting the Centurions in the Southern Section semifinals for the first time in school history.

Eggleston, the county’s leading scorer with a 29.5-point average, scored four consecutive baskets as the Centurions (26-3) outscored the Warriors, 15-4, in the fourth quarter.

Troy (20-6) stayed with Cypress behind the efforts of point guard Dinah Shah and center Jennie Gadd, but in the end, it was Eggleston who made the difference.

“She’s been our leader all year, so what happened tonight doesn’t surprise me,” Cypress Coach John Selbe said.

“This wasn’t one of our better games, but we had a great fourth quarter.”

Eggleston scored 15 of the Centurions’ 25 first-half points and kept the Warriors from getting second shots by controlling the boards. Gadd, 6 feet 3, tried to contain her Cypress counterpart, but was saddled with her third foul with 23 seconds left in the first quarter.

Cypress, which will play San Bernardino on Tuesday at a site to be determined, never has won a quarterfinal game.

“We’ve always lost this game, but this year we were seeded for the first time and got a better draw,” Selbe said.

“If we’re going to advance though, all of our players will have to contribute, not just Jessica.”

Shah led Troy with 11 points. Gadd added seven points and seven rebounds.