Southern Section

SOUTHERN SECTION PLAYOFFS

Saturday, March 6

Championships

DIVISION I-A

San Clemente 56, Hart 53
Lindsey Pluimer said she didn’t have a great game, but it would be hard to tell from the final score and the championship plaque in her coach’s arm.

Pluimer, a 6-foot-3 junior who started as a freshman and has become San Clemente’s greatest player, led the top-seeded Tritons to their fourth consecutive Southern Section title Saturday at the Pyramid, a 56-53 victory over second-seeded Newhall Hart for the Division I-A championship.

It’s the third year in a row San Clemente (26-4) has defeated Hart (28-2) in the finals.Pluimer scored 21 points and had nine rebounds, while Hart’s prolific guard, junior Ashlee Trebilcock, scored 34 points. Pluimer’s night was filled with big plays, but the last one came with 22 seconds left while protecting a one-point lead. Pluimer went down low and, surrounded by three defenders, came up big, scoring off the glass from four feet and giving the Tritons a 56-53 margin.

“You know they’re going to go into her,” said the 5-9 Trebilcock, who guarded Pluimer, “and you do what you can.” Pluimer said she intended to take over in the final minute.

“I knew there was a lot of pressure riding on the fourth quarter and my team needed me to step up,” said Pluimer, who scored four in the fourth and also had an assist on the basket just before hers, a 12-footer by Lauren Redfield that gave San Clemente a 54-51 lead with 2:28 remaining.

Redfield, who averages eight points, scored 17, hitting three three-point baskets in the first half as San Clemente opened a 20-5 lead. She made seven of 10 from the field, and San Clemente made 25 of 44.

“Our game plan was to make their guards beat us from the outside,” said Hart Coach Dave Munroe, who watched San Clemente’s three starting guards make 11 of 18 shots. “Give them credit, they hit the shots.”

Taylor Lilley scored nine for Hart, which had a serious height disadvantage against Pluimer and 6-4 Lauren Riley, who scored eight points.

Hart’s attempt to tie the score in the closing seconds failed when Trebilcock shot an off-balance three-pointer with five seconds left and two defenders hanging on her. Hart made 11 of 22 shots in the second half and nearly ended Pluimer and San Clemente’s run of dominance in the division.

“The second half was the way we played all year,” Munroe said. “That’s why we were 28-1.”
--Martin Henderson

San Clemente 15 18 6 17 -- 56
Hart 5 15 18 15 -- 53

SAN CLEMENTE -- Commins 5 (4 assists), Jones 5, Redfield 17, Pluimer 21 (9 rebounds, 4 assists), Riley 8.

HART -- Trebilcock 34, Lilley 9, Brown 4 (4 assists), Howell 1, Inemer 4.

Records: San Clemente (26-4), Hart (28-2).

DIVISION II-AA

Troy 61, Norco 54
Top-seeded Fullerton Troy won its second consecutive Southern Section championship, defending its Division II-AA title with a 61-54 victory over third-seeded Norco on Saturday at the Pyramid in Long Beach.

The top-seeded Warriors (30-1) got 25 points from Meghan McGuire, but were nearly victimized by a spectacular performance by Norco’s 5-foot-10 junior guard, Erika Arriaran, who helped the third-seeded Cowboys back from a 22-6 first-quarter deficit.

It was the first appearance in the finals for Norco (27-4).Arriaran, with a 10-inch height advantage over her opponent, 5-foot sophomore Sara Yee, finished with 27 points, including 13 in the second quarter, as Norco closed the deficit to 28-23 at the half.

After converting two free throws with 6:50 left to give the Cowboys their first lead, 47-45, Arriaran missed her next seven field-goal attempts. On six of them, her shot came up short.

She fouled out with 39 seconds left and her team trailing, 55-51, after picking up two fouls in two seconds. The first was an offensive foul against Arriaran, but the official confused the situation by signaling a one-and-one and incurring the wrath of Norco fans.

“I thought if we let her score 25 or 30 and shut everyone else down, we’d be OK,” Troy Coach Kevin Kiernan said. “We wanted to make her work, make her exhausted, and I think she was.”

Arriaran said fatigue wasn’t a factor, but she was 10 of 21 from the field before her fourth-quarter drought. Deanna Moreno added 12 for Norco.

“Great players won’t admit they’re tired,” Kiernan said, “and I respect that about her.”

Meghan McGuire scored 10 of her 25 points in the fourth quarter, which began with the scored tied, 41-41.
--Martin Henderson

Norco 6 17 18 13 -- 54
Troy 20 8 13 20 -- 61

NORCO - Arriaran 27 (7 rebounds), Hamlett 7, Moreno 12 (4 assists), Trotter 4, Saxton 2, Utz .

TROY - Yee 3 (7 steals, 7 assists), Hayman 12, Rhe. Neabors 8, Rha. Neabors 4, Sims 6, Glaser 3, McGuire 25 (12 rebounds).

Records: Troy (30-1), Norco (27-4)

DIVISION III-AA

Morningside 73, Newbury Park 40
Natasha Thomas had 24 points and 17 rebounds and Lorie Rayford added 19 points and 19 rebounds as the top-seeded Monarchs beat up on the Panthers inside and came away with their first section championship since 1999 and their ninth title overall with the victory in the Division III-AA final.

Thomas, a 6-3 senior center who plans to play at Los Angeles Valley College, and Rayford, a senior transfer who won a Division I-AA title while at Lynwood last season, helped Morningside (29-3) outrebound Newbury Park, 51-26, and most of the pair’s points came on putbacks around the basket. The opportunistic Monarchs scored 20 points off of offensive rebounds and 22 after Newbury Park turnovers.

The unseeded Panthers (17-8) kept the game close for the first few minutes, but their deficit grew to 11 points at 34-23 at halftime. Then Rayford notched the her team’s first 10 points of the third quarter and the Monarchs outscored Newbury Park, 20-4, in the period to take command.

“This was a definite goal, our top goal,” said Rayford, who will play at Texas Christian next season. “This was my hope from the time I came here. We started strong and we finished strong.” Brynn Cameron, who averaged just over 23 points in Newbury Park’s first four playoff games, finished with 24 points and seven steals. But the Panthers, who upset second-seeded Santa Margarita and third-seeded Pomona Diamond Ranch in the quarterfinals and semifinals, respectively, got little help from anyone else.

Newbury Park , which won the division title in 1995, hit just six of 32 shots (18.8%) from the floor in the second half and shot 24.6% for the game.
--Lauren Peterson

Morningside 19 15 20 19 -- 73
Newbury Park 12 11 4 13 -- 40

MORNINGSIDE -- Rayford 19 (and 19 rebounds), Stokes 13, Thomas 24 (and 17 rebounds), Miller 8, Johnson 3, Finch 4, Samuel 2.

NEWBURY PARK -- Cameron 24 (and 7 steals), Harris 5, Bobik 0, Goss 4, Fick 6, Fleher 1.Records: Morningside 29-3; Newbury Park 17-8.

DIVISION III-A

La Puente Bishop Amat 44, Pasadena Muir 40
Despite making only one of its first 31 field goal attempts and threatening to break the Southern Section championship game record for scoring futility, No. 25 Muir (22-7) cut a 12-point deficit in the fourth quarter to only one point before finally falling to No. 11 Bishop Amat (28-3).

Muir lost in the finals for the third time in four years, but its 22-point effort in the final eight minutes - after scoring only 18 through three quarters - nearly salvaged an upset of the second-seeded Lancers, who also won in 1999. The lowest-scoring output in the finals was by Cerritos Valley Christian in a 1999 loss to Morro Bay, 53-29.

Muir, which went 12:58 without scoring, trailed at halftime, 18-5, and after three quarters, 30-18.

“They got hot at the end,” said Richard Wiard, Bishop Amat’s coach. “You don’t beat Rosary and Bishop Montgomery without being a quality team. ... We made plays when we had to make plays, converted some free throws, got some defensive stops.” Three three-point baskets in the final 3:39 were critical in Muir’s comeback, the last with 28 seconds by freshman Darixia Morris that made the score 41-40. After Amelia Alvarez answered with two free throws, Muir’s Staci Mitchell missed a three-point shot with 11 seconds left. The long rebound ws grabbed by Jessica Carrera, who added a free-throw for the final margin. Carrera had only one field goal, a three-pointer with 2:41 remaining that gave Bishop Amat a 41-34 lead.

“Our game plan was to lock down on their shooter and let their post get what they could one on one,” said Muir Coach Joe Ford.

Erin Myrick and Chasmine Jones, Bishop Amat’s senior post players, scored 10 apiece, and guard Mariel Alvarez scored eight. Morris scored 10 for Muir, which finished 11 of 64 from the field, six of 29 from the three-point line.
--Martin Henderson

Bishop Amat 8 9 13 14 -- 44
Muir 5 0 13 22 -- 40

BISHOP AMAT -- Carrera 6, M. Alvarez 8, Ame. Alvarez 3, Franco 2, Myrick 10 (14 rebounds), Cornell 5, Jones 10.

MUIR -- Ingram 8, Mitchell 5, Henderson 8 (10 rebounds), Dari. Morris 10, Bailey 9 (10 rebounds).Records: BA (28-3), M (22-7)

DIVISION IV-AA

Marlborough 39, Cerritos Valley Christian 34
Junior guard Emily Tay scored eight of her 12 points in the fourth quarter and sophomore center Abi Olajuwon returned from a knee injury and had five points and five rebounds in the last 4 minutes 25 seconds to help the top-seeded Mustangs (26-3) rally from a 29-24 deficit at the end of the third quarter and win their second consecutive Division IV-AA title.

Olajuwon, a 6-3 sophomore center, finished with a game-high 18 points after she insisted on re-entering the game following a collision underneath the basket with Cerritos Valley Christian’s Katrina Davis. Olajuwon went to the bench for several minutes after Davis landed on her knee as the two went down in a heap during a battle for a rebound with 19 seconds left in the third quarter while the Mustangs trailed, 27-24.

“My team needed me,” said Olajuwon, who scored all seven of her team’s third-quarter points. If we would’ve had it, then fine. But we didn’t, and there was no way I was going to stay out.” After sitting with a bag of ice on her knee until nearly halfway through the fourth quarter, Olajuwon asked Marlborough Coach Steve Burnett if she could return to the game after getting the go-ahead from on-site medical personnel.

“She was walking, so I said OK.” Burnett said with a smile. “If we don’t get Abi back, it makes things really difficult.” Two quick baskets by Olajuwon upon her return pulled Marlborough within 32-30 with 2:50 to play.

Then she rebounded a missed free throw by Tay and passed back to her for a short jumper that put Marlborough up, 36-34, with 1:04 to go. The lead was the Mustangs’ first since they were ahead, 12-11, early in the first quarter, and they never trailed again.

Tay, the division’s co-player of the year last season, hit two free throws with 27 seconds to go, and Olajuwon made one of two with four seconds left to seal the victory.

Davis led Cerritos Valley Christian (23-7) with 12 points. Megan Lovingier added seven points and eight rebounds and Christien Weaver had seven points and six rebounds before fouling out.
--Lauren Peterson

Marlborough 12 5 7 15 -- 39
Cerritos Valley Christian 9 10 10 5 -- 34

CERRITOS VALLEY CHRISTIAN -- Davis 10, Weaver 7, Lovingier 7, Miller 4, Moore 4, Eddington 2.

MARLBOROUGH -- Olajuwon 18 (and 11 rebounds), Madison 0 (and 9 rebounds), Tay 12 (and 5 steals), Louis 4, Chen 3, Haralambus 2.

Records: Marlborough 26-3; Cerritos Valley Christian 23-7.

DIVISION IV-A

Brentwood 57, Downey Calvary Chapel 41
Senior guard Jennifer Jackson scored 15 of her 19 points in the second half and second-seeded Brentwood won its first section title with the victory over top-seeded Downey Calvary Chapel in the Division IV-A championship game.

The two Olympic League rivals split two regular-season games, with Downey Calvary Chapel taking the second one, 53-43, on Feb. 5. The Grizzlies (25-4) committed six turnovers in the first four minutes and went one-for-nine from the floor in the first quarter, however, as Brentwood (26-6) jumped out to a 16-4 advantage at the end of the period and led by as many as 25 points at 52-27 early in the third quarter.

Brianne Brown, recently recovered from an injured right ankle, had 11 points, 10 rebounds and five steals for the Brentwood. Joy Butler led Downey Calvary Chapel with 16 points and eight rebounds and Brianna James added seven points and a game-high 11 rebounds.
--Lauren Peterson

Brentwood 16 13 19 9 -- 57
Downey Calvary Chapel 4 13 10 14 -- 41

BRENTWOOD -- B. Brown 11 (and 10 rebounds and 5 steals), Hence 5, Tsikanovsky 4, T. Brown 11, Edwards 5, Jackson 19, Lehrer 2.

DOWNEY CALVARY CHAPEL -- R. Butler 6, J. Butler 16 (and 8 rebounds and 5 steals), James 7 (and 11 rebounds), Anderson 9, Islander 3, Miller 0.

Records: Brentwood 26-6; Downey Calvary Chapel 25-4.

Friday, March 5

Championships

DIVISION I-AA

Lynwood 54, Long Beach Poly 42
Although she has had many great moments in her high school career, Sade Wiley-Gatewood’s performance Friday against Long Beach Poly certainly was a defining one.

The Tennessee-bound guard scored 11 points in a 15-0 run with less than four minutes left in the game to lead second-seeded and three-time defending champion Lynwood to a victory in the Southern Section Division I-AA championship game at the Pyramid in Long Beach.

Top-seeded Poly (27-3), as with all section finalists, will join two-time defending state champion Lynwood in the state playoffs that begin next week.

Lynwood (26-2) trailed, 41-35, when Gatewood took over in the fourth quarter, her biggest shot being a 24-footer with 2 minutes 53 seconds left to pull the Knights to within one, 42-41.

“That was the game,” said Wiley-Gatewood, who was often double- and triple-teamed. “I knew when I hit that I would end up taking over. Under the circumstances, this was one of my greatest games.”

She also made eight of nine free throws in the run and finished with 25 points on a night Lynwood played without starting forward Brandi Kimble, who suffered a sprained knee in the semifinal Tuesday.

Wiley-Gatewood got an assist from Ivanna Warren, whose baseline drive with 2:19 to go returned the lead to Lynwood for the final time, 42-41.

Lenita Sanford, a 6-foot-2 freshman, scored nine points and had 12 rebounds for Lynwood, which defeated Poly for the third time in four years in the final.

Latoya Fairley scored 11 points and April Phillips had 10 for Poly, whose top player, Judith Smith, was held to three.
--Martin Henderson

Lynwood 14 15 6 19--54
Long Beach Poly 13 11 11 7--42

LYNWOOD--Warren 4, Cunningham 6, Matthews 5, Wiley-Gatewood 25, Johnson 1, Stokely 4, Sanford 9 (12 rebounds).

LONG BEACH POLY--Nichols 9, Shorts 4, Smith 3, Butler 2, Mays 3, Fairley 11, Phillips 10 (10 rebounds).

DIVISION II-A

Brea Olinda 51, Mater Dei 45
Brea, making its first title game appearance since 2001, won its 13th section championship but had to overcome a 15-point deficit to do it in the Division II-A final.

The top-seeded Ladycats (26-5) did so behind the efforts of UCLA-bound senior guard Lauren Pedersen, who scored 19 points - 14 in the second half, and freshman guard Jeanette Pohlen, who added 12 points.

Defending champion Mater Dei (17-11) made nine of its first 16 shots and opened a 22-7 lead with 5:11 left in the second quarter. But the Monarchs didn’t score the rest of the half and Brea pulled to within four points, 22-18, as Pohlen scored five of Brea’s next 11 points.

“It was a wakeup call,” Pedersen said of the big deficit. “We knew we had to pick up the intensity. We’ve never had a situation like that.”

The Ladycats, specifically Pedersen, were more aggressive going to the basket in the second half, and it paid dividends with Mater Dei’s Christina Lopez and Lauren Greer eventually fouling out in the fourth quarter. By that time, Brea had orchestrated a 24-point turnaround and taken a 46-37 lead.

“Mater Dei does such a good job of changing defenses, we simplified our offense, ran pick-and-roll, high-low, so that we could run it against man or zone and didn’t have to figure out what they were running,” said Brea Coach Jeff Sink. “We also had [Carrie] Noyes guard Lopez in the second half.”

Lopez, who has been Mater Dei’s best player this season, had only two of her 10 rebounds in the second half and finished with two points. Jen Rogers scored 15, Laurie Denning 10 and Chanel Foster 10 for Mater Dei.

Brea took its first lead with 5:04 left in the game on a 15-footer by Kim Goeggel as part of a 14-0 run during a span in which Mater Dei went 5:28 without scoring.

Brea point guard Natalie Thune added six points with six assists. Pedersen also had nine rebounds and Pohlen 10.
--Martin Henderson

Mater Dei 13 9 12 11--45
Brea Olinda 7 11 12 21--51

MATER DEI--Denning 10 (and 4 assists), Lopez 2, Rogers 15, Greer 8, Foster 10 ( and 5 assists).

BREA OLINDA--Awaa 2, Pedersen 19, Thune 6, Pohlen 12, Noyes 4, Wilson 4, Goeggel 4.

DIVISION V-AA

Pacific Hills 53, Thacher 48
The top-seeded Bruins (19-11) outscored defending-champion Thacher, 8-1, over the final two minutes in the Division V-AA final.Quiana Fenty led Pacific Hills, which won the title without benefit of a home game, with 18 points, six steals and four assists. Thacher (16-4) got 14 points apiece from Erica Puccetti and Steffi Rauner.

Pacific Hills 13 13 18 9--53
Thacher 8 11 12 17--48

PACIFIC HILLS--White , Magbanua 2, Fenty 18 (4 assists, 6 steals), Buchanan 9, Suarez 11 (4 steals), Shellmire 5 (10 rebounds), Lewis 7 (11 rebounds).

THACHER--Horton 4 (5 assists), Puccetti 14, Vega 8 (11 rebounds), Rauner 14, Livermore 8 (11 rebounds).

DIVISION V-A

Liberty Christian 43, Mesa Grande Academy 39
The top-seeded Minutemen (26-4) made up a 12-point deficit in the Division V-A final by shooting nearly 50% from the field in the second half after making only 18% in the first half.Susan Fleming led the way with 13 points for Liberty Christian. Megan Bradford had 18 for third-seeded Mesa Grande (19-8).

Mesa Grande Academy 5 11 15 8--39
Liberty Christian 3 7 16 17--43

MESA GRANDE ACADEMY--Bradford 18, Marias 2 ( and 6 assists), Jones 8, A. Lloyd 5, Antuna 6.

LIBERTY CHRISTIAN--Cure 5, Hawks 7, Fleming 13, Leasure 8, Wilkerson 8, Houser 2.

Tuesday, March 1

Semifinals

DIVISION I-AA

Long Beach Poly 46, Millikan 40
Judith Smith had 18 points for visiting No. 1-seeded, No. 2-ranked Long Beach Poly (27-2). The Jackrabbits had an 11-point lead at halftime, but was held without a field goal in the third period, allowing No. 13-ranked Millikan to take the lead in the fourth period. Senior Brittney Dove had 16 points for Millikan (21-9).

Lynwood 61, Long Beach Wilson 55
Lenita Sanford had 18 points, Sade Wiley-Gatewood had 16 points and Brandi Kimble added 15 points to lead host No. 2 seeded, No. 1-ranked Lynwood (25-2) at Gahr High. Sierrah Moore had 21 points for third-seeded Long Beach Wilson. Lynwood was up, 29-23, at half.

DIVISION I-A

Hart 52, Ventura 42
Junior forward Ashlee Trebilcock scored a career playoff high with 30 points as the second-seeded Indians advenged thier only loss and advanced to the Division I-A championship game with a semifinal victory at Valencia High.

Taylor Lilley added 15 points for Hart (27-1), which won its 24th consectuive game since a 57-53 loss to Ventura in the Buena Tournament December 12th. In that game, several Indians were weakend by the flu, including Trebilcock, who finished with 15 points in that contest.

Trebilcock, who was eight from eight from the free throw line, made back-to-back three pointers. A turnaround jumper in the lane to beat the shot clock gave Hart it’s biggest lead, 38-25 with 1:21 left in the third quarter. Trebilcock, who averages 21 points per game, played the entire fourth quarter with four fouls.

Center Tina Stetson scored 14 points before fouling out with 1:29 left and Caitlin O’neill added eight points for the third-seeded Cougars (26-2), who pulled within 42-37 with 2:09 remaining but got no closer.
--Steve Galluzzo

San Clemente 66, Canyon Springs 50
Lindsey Pluimer led top-seeded San Clemente (25-4) with 42 points. Fourth-seeded Canyon Springs finished 24-5.

DIVISION II-AA

Troy 52, Santa Barbara 32
Nicole Hayman scored 15 points and Meghan McGuire added 11 points and seven rebounds to lead Troy (29-1), which advanced to the championship game for the sixth time in seven years. Santa Barbara finished 21-10.

Norco 70, Riverside North 62
Erika Arriaran had 30 points and Ashley Hamlett added 16 points for host No. 3-seeded, No. 16-ranked Norco (27-3). Danielle Harbor had 24 points for No. 2-seeded, No. 10-ranked Riverside North (26-5), which led, 18-9, after the first quarter.

DIVISION II-A

Brea Olinda 61, Hesperia 48
Lauren Pedersen had 20 points, six assists, three steals and one block to lead top-seeded Brea Olinda (25-5), ranked No. 5 by The Times, to the championship game. Carrie Noyes had 14 points and 12 rebounds, Jeanette Pohlen added 11 points, six rebounds, four assists, three steals and three blocks for the Wildcats. Tarina Waddell scored 17 points for Hesperia (25-2).

Mater Dei 42, Buena 41