Division IV Girls

Where--Cox Arena, San Diego State, 2 today.

La Jolla The Bishop’s School (21-6)--The Division IV champions from the San Diego Section defeated Cerritos Valley Christian in the first round, 46-33, and Santa Monica Crossroads in the second, 50-41. Valley Christian lost to Calvary Chapel twice and finished second to the Eagles in the Olympic League. Quick, skilled and led by Courtney Perkins, the Knights’ defense is their greatest asset and has allowed, on average, 28 points in the last four games; it held Santa Monica Crossroads, averaging 66 points, to 41. The Bishop’s has played twice already in Cox Arena. Its only losses have been to Division I and II teams, including once to the section’s Division I champion, Oceanside El Camino, and twice to the top-seeded team in Division I, San Diego Rancho Bernardo.

Calvary Chapel (27-5)--The Eagles, who have won 22 in a row, are trying to reach their first state title game. Calvary Chapel won the Southern Section Division IV-A title with a 45-43 victory over Crossroads to earn the No. 1 seed in the regional. The Eagles defeated San Diego Horizon in the first round, 63-33, and followed with a victory over the Southern Section Division IV-AA champion, Morro Bay, 63-52. The playoffs have belonged to Cathy Joens, who will probably face Perkins most of the night. Joens has averaged 24 points in her last four playoff games after entering the playoffs with a 16.1 average. Point guard Marcene Guerrero can also take over if she’s given a gap to drive, as she did Thursday, scoring 12 of her 14 points to help build a 34-17 halftime lead. Guard Michelle Pitts, who missed five weeks because of a knee injury, has started the last two games because of her defense. That allows Shayna Fabre, who has averaged 12.4 points in the playoffs--twice her regular-season total--to come off the bench. T.J. Gause has held the opponent’s leading scorer to a combined 23 points the last three games, and will be asked to stop Kirsten Grimm or Briana Winn, with Pitts drawing the other.

Key to the game--Joens can take over a game. This could be her showcase, but she will also be the focus of Bishop’s defense. If the Knights can’t slow Joens, they probably can’t win. If they do, Calvary Chapel can’t win unless there’s a big supporting effort.

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Starting Lineups

CALVARY CHAPEL

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P Name Ht. Avg. F T.J. Gause 5-8 6.1 C Lindsey Richelli 6-1 4.2 G Michelle Pitts 5-8 10.1 G Cathy Joens 5-10 17.9 G Marcene Guerrero 5-8 11.6

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Coach: Russ McClurg

LA JOLLA BISHOP’S

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P Name Ht. Avg. F Kirsten Grimm 5-10 21.2 F Amy Dieckmann 5-10 10.0 G Angela Ortega 5-6 11.2 G Courtney Perkins 5-6 5.6 G Briana Winn 5-10 11.0

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Coach: Fentriss Winn