HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIPS : No. 1 Cornerstone Foiled by a Buzzer-Beating Gem

The official score sheet states that Pilgrim High guard Tiffany Tomvoy played one minute in the Southern Section Division V-A girls’ basketball championship game.

The truth is she played only 4.4 seconds.

But that’s all Tomvoy needed to ruin the season for top-seeded Cornerstone Christian of Camarillo on Friday at the Pyramid.

The 5-foot freshman made a 12-foot jump shot at the buzzer to lift second-seeded Pilgrim to a 41-39 victory.

Tomvoy, the only nonstarter to score, entered the game with the score tied after Cornerstone’s Karen Breshears missed a free throw and teammate Julia Tamai grabbed the rebound, apparently giving the Eagles another chance to score the winning basket.

But Breshears stepped over the line for a lane violation on her free throw, which stopped the clock and gave the ball to Pilgrim.

Pilgrim Coach Gene Hicks then inserted Tomvoy because she is the team’s quickest player.

Patriot Sharon Locsin threw an inbounds pass to Tomvoy, who was near midcourt. Tomvoy dribbled unguarded into the lane and threw up a 12-foot jump shot that shocked the Eagles.

“I saw the ball [when it left my fingers] and I could tell it was going in,” Tomvoy said.

Cornerstone (19-2) elected not to defend the inbounds pass and didn’t front Tomvoy when she knifed toward the key.

“What we wanted to do was pick up high in the half court to deny shooting position,” Cornerstone Coach Oliver Harvey said. “We didn’t come up quick enough.”

Guard Gina Nicholson had 19 points and 15 rebounds for Pilgrim (22-7).

Julie Siebert had 14 points for Cornerstone, which trailed by seven points in the third quarter but came back to lead, 39-37, with 1 minute 18 seconds left.

Tamai had 11 points, including three three-point baskets, and 13 rebounds. Breshears had five points and 13 rebounds.