CITY 4-A GIRLS’ FINALS : Crenshaw Outlasts Roosevelt, 75-68

It was a long road back to the City Section 4-A championship.

The Crenshaw High Cougars needed to win the longest game in girls’ City final history to repeat as champions Friday at the Sports Arena.

Crenshaw, which finished in a three-way tie for the Southern Pacific Conference title, outlasted Roosevelt in two overtimes, 75-68, to win its third City girls’ title.

Although three Crenshaw starters fouled out, the Cougars held the Roughriders scoreless for the final 2:22 of the second overtime to put the game away.

Shannon Burton scored on a steal with 1:31 to play to break a 68-68 tie. Kimberly Howse added a basket 16 seconds later and the Cougars made three free throws over the final 1:04.

“This was a game that could have gone into five overtimes,” said Howse who had 19 points. “When we went into the second, we put our foot down and told ourselves weren’t going to go into another overtime.”

The Roughriders had trailed 59-49 with less than four minutes left in regulation, but rallied to tie the score at 60 on a layup by Zenobia Tyson Hunt with 1:01 remaining to force overtime.

Crenshaw took a 65-63 lead on a free throw by Sophia Walker with 12.8 seconds left in the first overtime only to watch Roosevelt’s Denise Caudillo send the game into a second overtime on a buzzer bank shot beneath the basket.

“We couldn’t get rid of them,” said Crenshaw Co-Coach Greg Cobbs said. “It was a roller-coaster ride. There were a lot of ups and downs. We kept digging holes for ourselves and they kept coming back.”

The Cougars poured in a City girls’ final record 10 three-point baskets. Crenshaw made five in the third quarter, four by Kristi Lattin, to overcome a 39-32 third-quarter deficit to take a 49-43 lead entering the fourth quarter.

Lattin finished with 18 points and Naila Moseley grabbed 13 rebounds for the second-seeded Cougars

Caudillo finished with a game-high 30 points and nine assists and Hunt had 23 points and 21 rebounds for fourth-seeded Roosevelt, which made its first appearance in the 4-A final.

“We were proud to make it this far and could have won, but (Crenshaw) just had more heart when they needed it,” said Roosevelt forward Leona Jacobs.

Records: Roosevelt 21-2; Crenshaw 22-5.