Girls’ State Division II Final : Woodbridge vs. Sacramento El Camino, 6:15 p.m. today

Where--Oakland Coliseum Arena

Woodbridge (32-0)--The Warriors, who were seeded first in the Southern California Regional, defeated No. 2-seeded Mission Hills Alemany, 46-41, for the regional championship. No matter the outcome, this has been the Warriors’ best season. Woodbridge won its second Southern Section title, defeating Hemet, 59-47, in the Division II-AA championship game. The Warriors, who also won the II-A championship in 1991, broke the previous school record for victories in a season (25), set in 1988 and tied in 1991. Moreover, the Warriors won their ninth league championship in the last 11 seasons. Woodbridge is led by senior guard Jamie Oenning, who hit a key shot in the fourth quarter against Alemany despite playing poorly for most of the game.

El Camino (35-0)--The Eagles were seeded No. 1 in the Northern California Regional. El Camino defeated Pleasanton Amador Valley, 60-26, in the regional title game. Senior center Emily Hart had 17 points, 16 rebounds and five blocked shots in the victory. El Camino lost in the regional championship game in 1991 and 1993. The Eagles, champions of the Metro League, defeated Roseville, 58-30, to claim their second Northern Section Division II title. El Camino won the section title in 1991, and finished second last season and in 1990.

Key to the game--Each team is making its first appearance in a State championship game. El Camino, however, has four seniors in its starting lineup compared to one for Woodbridge. Both teams like to apply several forms of pressure defense to force steals and spark an up-tempo game. Despite its record and relatively easy path to the championship game, El Camino has not been able to run the way Coach Bill Baxter thought possible entering the playoffs. “Our league is pretty weak, so we could press a lot of teams,” Baxter said. “But we haven’t been able to press as much in the playoffs because the teams are better and have kind of dictated that we do other things.” Woodbridge should have an edge if Oenning and freshman guard Erin Stovall are in sync. Stovall leads the team with an average of 4.7 steals and Oenning is second (3.7). The battle between Woodbridge junior center Angela Burgess (6 feet 4) and Hart (6-3) is also important. Burgess led the Warriors with 12 points and eight rebounds, seven on offense, in the regional title victory over Alemany. Warrior Coach Eric Bangs said Burgess has made major strides in her overall game during the last month. Hart has not played against anyone Burgess’ size, Baxter said. Another interesting matchup is between Oenning and El Camino guard Kristin Niemann, who has an excellent touch from the outside and is cleared to shoot as much as she desires. Woodbridge has a deeper bench and more balance on offense. Woodbridge should come out on top if Oenning avoids another sub-par game and Burgess avoids foul trouble.

Starting Lineups

WOODBRIDGE

P Name Ht. Avg. F Melanie Pearson 6-1 11.8 C Angela Burgess 6-4 12.4 G Jamie Oenning 5-7 13.0 G Erin Stovall 5-7 11.3 G Tami Weaver 5-5 6.9

Coach: Eric Bangs

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EL CAMINO

P Name Ht. Avg. F Melissa Hopper 5-9 3.8 F Kristina Barry 5-10 7.3 C Emily Hart 6-3 12.6 G Kristin Niemann 5-8 22.5 G Carolyn Jedin 5-3 5.0

Coach: Bill Baxter