GIRLS’ BASKETBALL : Lady Cougars Find They Have No Fight Left, 72-57

Mater Dei High earned the respect of Crenshaw Coach Greg Cobbs on the court Thursday night.

But the Monarchs’ behavior after their 72-57 victory in the Southern California Regional Division I semifinal playoff game at Cal State Fullerton left something to be desired.

Particularly a postgame comment from Mater Dei forward Melody Peterson, who told her teammates not to shake hands with Crenshaw players following the game.

“Don’t shake hands with them, all they want to do is fight,” Peterson said within earshot of the Crenshaw bench.

Cobbs restrained his players while voicing objections to Mater Dei administrators before allowing his team to shake hands with Monarch players. Mater Dei Coach Mary Hauser said she did not see the incident and Peterson, receiving treatment on a sore back, was not available for comment.

“Are they afraid of us because we’re from L.A.?” said Cobbs. “That’s ridiculous. I think Mater Dei has a great team and I respect their program. But if that’s what they are teaching their kids, that’s a terrible attitude to have. And for the only black player on that team to say something is pitiful.”

The incident put a damper on a game-high 34-point performance by Crenshaw’s Naila Moseley. The sophomore center scored 25 points in the second half to help Crenshaw, the last unbeaten team in the state, trim an eight-point deficit to 42-41 with 1 minute 28 seconds remaining in the third quarter.

The Southern Section Division I-A champions responded with an 18-4 spurt over the next four minutes, running off 11 consecutive points during one stretch after Crenshaw had closed to 49-45, to open a 60-45 advantage with five minutes to play. Most of the baskets came on layups after the Monarchs broke Crenshaw’s full-court press.

“Mater Dei played a good game, but I can’t say they beat us by themselves,” Moseley said. “They broke our press because we weren’t playing it right. We had to fight more than five girls on the court. They had the crowd . . . they had everybody you could think of on their side. We didn’t come out playing the way we had in other games when we were on fire.”

Moseley, along with Kristi Lattin and Bridget Jemison, were among three starters to foul out for three-time City 4-A champion Crenshaw, which led only twice in the game. Lattin had 10 points, including two three-point baskets, and Sommer Tillett added seven for the Cougars.

Records: Crenshaw 29-1; Mater Dei 27-1.