Village Christian Turns Tables on Bell-Jeff, 68-58 : Girls’ basketball: Crusaders reach Division IV-A final by beating last season’s nemesis.

Deja who?

Last season, the Bell-Jeff High girls’ basketball team trounced Village Christian in a playoff semifinal behind standout guard Lori Talley, now playing for Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.

Saturday, the same two teams met in their second consecutive Southern Section Division IV-A semifinal, but any memories of last season were just that--memories.

Village Christian raced to a 23-point lead in the first half and held on for a 68-58 victory at Pasadena Poly High. The Crusaders (25-1) will face Cerritos Valley Christian, a 54-37 winner over Crossroads, in the final March 4.

“The difference between last year and this year was that last year we had a poised player on the floor--Talley,” Bell-Jeff Coach Jim Couch said. “I think Village Christian looked the same.”

The same, only better, Crusader Coach John Domke said. “Obviously, they don’t have Talley, but every player on our team has stepped up her level of play,” he said.

Certainly forward Lindy James and point guard Jeanne Beauchamp did. James, a 5-foot-10 sophomore, had a game-high 24 points and 11 rebounds.

She was fouled and made a layup with 2:36 to play that boosted Village Christian’s lead to 60-50 and took the last ounce of energy out of the Guards’ comeback effort.

Beauchamp made four of five free throws in the fourth quarter. She finished with 10 points and six assists, and her poised play and steady ballhandling helped thwart Bell-Jeff’s frantic efforts to pressure the Crusaders.

“She’s been the anchor of our team for 3 1/2 years,” Domke said.

Bell-Jeff (22-6) was led by senior guard Christina Ticsay, who had 24 points, 20 in the second half.

Ticsay didn’t score until midway through the second quarter, however, and the Guards, who took a 5-2 lead, were outscored 32-8 the remainder of the half. “We started off looking great,” Couch said. “Then our girls went to sleep.”

The Guards woke up in the second half, twice cutting the deficit to seven. But they could draw no closer, and this year’s happy ending went to the Crusaders.