Cerritos Gahr vs. Laguna HillsWhere--Pyramid, 6:45 p.m.Cerritos...

Cerritos Gahr vs. Laguna Hills

Where--Pyramid, 6:45 p.m.

Cerritos Gahr (19-8)--Gahr (19-8), a wild-card team, is coming off a 56-54 victory over second-seeded Woodbridge, and a 52-48 victory over third-seeded North Torrance. The Gladiators have averaged 59 points their last eight games. The rise in play of Monet Sykes (16 points, eight rebounds) has coincided with the team’s improvement.

Laguna Hills (26-3)--The top-seeded Hawks, ranked No. 2 in the state, have not given up more than 50 points in a game this season, in large part because of 6-6 Tayyiba Haneef. Her presence on offense will be just as important as any impact she might have on defense. But for Haneef to be effective, her teammates must make Gahr respect the perimeter. That responsibility probably falls on point guard Tamara Inoue and forward Whitney Houser.

Key to the game--If Gahr controls the boards, it should dictate the tempo, though Laguna Hills won’t be completely overmatched if the game takes on a run-and-gun flavor. Haneef’s aggressiveness under the boards probably determines the outcome.

Starting Lineups

CERRITOS GAHR

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P Name Ht. Avg. C Kathy Abell 6-1 4.5 C Monet Sykes 5-11 16.0 F Stephanie Pascucci 5-10 7.0 G Tammie Johnson 5-8 11.0 G Arnesha Patterson 5-6 3.0

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Coach: Tom Pryor

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LAGUNA HILLS

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P Name Ht. Avg. F Whitney Houser 5-11 12.8 F Erin Larsen 5-8 4.2 C Tayyiba Haneef 6-6 13.2 G Tamara Inoue 5-7 14.3 G Mary Tims 5-5 4.8

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Coach: Lynn Taylor