Palmdale Girls Win Tear-Jerker

Palmdale High’s Marje Knott was weeping at one end of the court. Simi Valley’s Tawnee Cooper was sobbing at the other.

With seven seconds to go in Tuesday night’s Southern Section Division I-AA semifinal game at Highland High, Knott, an unheralded forward, made the game-winning shot in a 61-60 victory that sent Palmdale to the championship game. The Falcons will play the winner of tonight’s Peninsula-Lynwood game.

Knott buried her head in her hands and began to cry as soon as the final buzzer sounded.

“By the grace of God,” she said.

Cooper, Simi Valley’s all-time leading scorer (1,428 points) who had 24 points in her final high school basketball game, had a chance to win it for the Pioneers.

The 5-foot-9 senior raced up the floor and unleashed a shot from above the key at the buzzer. It landed short of the rim, and, as screaming Palmdale fans began to mob Knott, Cooper broke down.

“We played so hard. . . . we had a great year,” Cooper said. “But we aren’t satisfied. We wanted to go further.”

Simi Valley did its best, forcing 19 Palmdale turnovers and taking an early seven-point lead. But the Marmonte League co-champion Pioneers (27-3) were left short-handed when guard Jamie Griffin fouled out with 3:09 left. She had 18 points and five steals.

Palmdale (28-2), which shot 57%, fought back to lead by six early in the fourth quarter but appeared to hit the skids when it missed four consecutive free throws and let Simi Valley retake the lead, 57-55.

But with 29 seconds left, Cooper missed one of two free throws, leaving Palmdale with the ball and trailing, 60-59.

Palmdale ran down the clock and looked for center Kristi Rose, who scored 23 points. When Rose drew two defenders, forward Monique Nolan found a wide-open Knott, who finished with 13 points.

Knott, a 6-2 junior, received the ball three feet from the basket, squared her shoulders and banked it in.

“I wasn’t thinking nothing,” Knott said. “All I know is it was going in.”

The victory meant poetic justice for Palmdale Coach George Corisis, whose Falcons were ranked No. 3 in the section at one point and who lobbied for a playoff seeding. Simi Valley was seeded second, but Palmdale entered the tournament unseeded.