SoCalHoops High School News

Girls Division II-A Quarterfinal Scores
& Bracket Updates--(Feb 29, 2000)

We've updated the brackets to reflect the semifinal scores from last Saturday night's semifinal games, and the upcoming finals which will be played this weekend. Here's what happened:

Division II-A
Semifinals

Pacifica 63, Artesia 55--Guard Dominique Valencia scored a game-high 20 points and point guard Diana Barreras added 16 points and 10 assists as Pacifica became the first team from the Garden Grove League, other than Rancho Alamitos, to advance to a title game since La Quinta in 1985. Pacifica's girls basketball team set a school record for victories with 22 as it beat Artesia of Lakewood, 63-55, at Santiago High on Saturday night to reach the CIF finals for the first time in school history. The Mariners play for their first championship next weekend after answering every Artesia run. Pacifica got off to a slow start, scoring just 12 points in the first quarter, but kept the Pioneers at arms' length the entire game. Trailing 6-2 midway through the first quarter, Artesia scored two quick baskets to tie the score. But the Mariners resonded with Diana Barreras beating a double-team press and going down court to give the Mariners an 8-6 lead.  Dominique Valencia scored off two steals to push the lead back to  12-6. The Mariners continued to answer the calls. When Artesia closed a nine-point deficit down to six at the start of the second half, the Mariners went on a 6-0 run to make it 32-22. Lindsay Skeber scored off a nice pass from Christine Tran, then Valencia drove the baseline for a layup. Barreras followed that with an easy layup off a steal by Natalie Estrada.  After the Pioneers (22-7) went on a 7-0 run to end the third quarter and close the gap to 36-43, The Mariners opened the fourth with a 7-0 run.

Laguna Hills 54, Newbury Park 43--The Hawks rallied from a seven-point deficit in the fourth quarter to beat Newbury Park, 54-43, in a Southern Section Division II-A girls' basketball semifinal playoff game Saturday night at Thousand Oaks High.  The victory over No. 3-seeded Newbury Park was Laguna Hills' second upset in as many games.  Laguna Hills (17-13), third-place finisher in the Sea View League, pulled off its second upset in as many games. The Hawks knocked off second-seeded Bishop Amat on Wednesday.  The Panthers (24-5), who entered the game riding a 19-game winning streak, still led, 41-34, with 5 1/2 minutes to play.   Laguna Hills began a 10-0 run with 5:05 to play behind the play of Megan Aaker, Shannon Owens, and Christina Leets after the Hawks' Courtney D'Alessandro and Lara Beebe fouled out.  Newbury Park made only two free throws the rest of the way. Aaker and Owens each hit a three-point basket in the decisive spurt, Owens' putting the Hawks ahead for good, 42-41, with 3:11 remaining.  Leets had a basket and grabbed two rebounds and Owens hit a basket to give Laguna Hills a 44-41 lead with 2:47 left.  The Hawks were helped by the Panthers' seven turnovers and one-for-eight shooting in the fourth quarter.  Newbury Park, which was making its third semifinal appearance in seven seasons, was forced to foul down the stretch, and Aaker and Owens combined to make eight of 12 free throws in the last two minutes. The Hawks will go to the division final, where they will play Pacifica, a 63-55 winner over Artesia, on Friday or Saturday at The Pyramid in Long Beach. Owens finished with 21 points and nine rebounds, McGuire had 10 points and Harris scored nine for Newbury Park. 

©Copyright SoCalHoops 1999 All rights reserved
Questions? Comments? Need Information?
Contact: jegesq@SoCalHoops.com