Pep Talk Helps Woodbridge Hang Tough, Beat Alemany : Division II: Coach Bangs inspires Burgess and her teammates to come back for 46-41 victory and trip to State title game.

Time was short, so Eric Bangs spoke quickly--but with purpose.

Bangs, the Woodbridge High girls’ basketball coach, knelt in front of junior center Angela Burgess during the third quarter and encouraged her to stay inspired despite the Warriors’ poor play during the Southern California Regional Division II final. Things were not going smoothly for the Warriors, and Bangs knew how much worse the situation would become if Burgess let down.

Fortunately for Woodbridge, Bangs’ impromptu pep talk was the charge Burgess needed.

Led by Burgess’ strong, consistent play near the basket, top-seeded Woodbridge defeated No. 2-seeded Mission Hills Alemany, 46-41, Saturday at Anaheim Arena to claim the regional division championship.

Undefeated Woodbridge (32-0), which also won the Southern Section Division II-AA title, will play Northern California Regional Division II champion Sacramento El Camino (35-0) for the State title at 6:15 p.m. Friday night at Oakland Coliseum Arena.

The powerful 6-foot-4 Burgess is a big reason Woodbridge, playing in the State tournament final for the first time, is making travel plans.

Burgess made six of 11 shots and had a team-high 12 points, but she was at her best rebounding. Burgess grabbed eight missed shots--including seven of her team’s 18 offensive rebounds. Her presence helped the Warriors dominate the Indians, 36-22, in rebounding.

“I sat her down and talked to her because I saw her getting a little frustrated,” Bangs said. “Her defense and rebounding were keys, so I needed her to stay focused.

“I just wanted to give her a little shot in the arm and tell her, ‘Go for it.’ ”

Said Alemany Coach Melissa Hearlihy: “(Burgess) controlling the boards was definitely a key factor. Both teams were missing shots, but the difference was she was grabbing theirs and putting them back in (the basket).”

At times, Alemany looked like the team in control.

The Indians (30-1), who won the Southern Section Division II-A championship, outscored the Warriors, 13-10, to lead, 35-32, after three quarters.

Woodbridge had problems attempting shots during the quarter because of Alemany’s fierce half-court, man-to-man defense. And when Woodbridge was able to shoot, Bangs was not pleased.

“Our offense was really struggling for a while--especially in the third quarter,” Bangs said. “We weren’t shooting the way we normally do.

“The shots just didn’t look the same.”

Woodbridge shot only 40.8% for the game compared to 45.2% for Alemany, but Burgess would not let the game get away from Woodbridge in the third quarter.

She scored six points during the quarter and had five rebounds and one blocked shot. What’s more, after Bangs’ talk, Burgess picked up her intensity on defense.

“I felt I was successful,” Burgess said. “Coach told me what I had to do and I did it.”

Said Bangs: “I think she could have easily stopped playing hard in the third quarter because of the problems we were having. But you have to give her a lot of credit because she kept going.”

The Warriors made their move with 2 minutes 58 seconds remaining, when sophomore forward Melanie Pearson (11 points, five rebounds) made a three-pointer to tie the score, 39-39.

Sophomore center Carly Funicello (12 points, eight rebounds) made a shot in the lane over Burgess with 2:42 left to give Alemany its final lead, 41-39. Moreover, the points were the last Alemany would score as Woodbridge got tough on defense.

Burgess made a shot over Funicello with 2:25 left to tie the score, 41-41.

After freshman guard Erin Stovall (nine points) made one of two free throws to give Woodbridge a 42-41 lead, senior guard Jamie Oenning (eight points, five assists, four steals) made a 15-foot jump shot on the baseline with 1:25 to play to put Woodbridge ahead, 44-41. Pearson sealed the victory and closed the game’s scoring with two free throws with 17 seconds to play.

“It’s real easy to be united when you’re undefeated, but it’s real tough not to point fingers and blame people when things are going bad like they were in the third quarter,” Bangs said. “But we stayed together and we got through it like we’ve been able to get through a lot of things--together.”