Gahr advances to Division 5AA final on late basket
CERRITOS » Christine Ho knocked down a game-winning 3-pointer with less than 30 seconds to go to lead the Gahr girls basketball team to a thrilling 39-38 comeback win at home against Marina in the CIF Southern Section Division 5AA semifinals Saturday.
Ho, a sophomore shooting guard, scored 12 of her teamhigh 15 points in the first half.
“I think it was just really fun to play as hard as we could and do the best we can,” Ho said. “It's really rewarding to get this win after all our hard work.”
Gahr, the Mid-Cities League co-champion, improved to 256, which is a drastic improvement from last season's disappointing 4-24 record.
“It's a great feeling, not for me but for the girls,” said firstyear Gahr coach Alfred Howard. “It's a great feeling for a team that struggled over the past couple of seasons, turned it around to buy in and believe. I feel great for those girls.”
Gahr will play St. Margaret's in the Division 5AA final on Saturday.
The Gladiators found themselves down 35-28 with 6:04 left in the fourth quarter. The team's leading scorer this season, senior guard Kameryn Mitchell, fouled out with five minutes to go. Mitchell finished with three points and seven rebounds.
However, Gahr battled back without their team captain behind the inspired play of senior guard Lauryn Teramoto and sophomore guard Jody Colbert, who combined to score nine of the team's 13 points in the pivotal fourth quarter. Teramoto and Colbert cut Marina's lead to 37-35 with 2:06 to go.
Teramoto, a 5-foot-1 point guard, finished with nine points and seven rebounds.
Senior forward Kayla Kodua later made one of two free throws and Gahr trailed 37-36.
“We just cover for each other and do the best we can,” Ho said. “I'm so proud of everyone and I'm so grateful to have all of them on our team.”
Howard called Gahr's final timeout with the team trailing by one point with 41.7 seconds to go.
That was followed by Ho draining her fourth 3-pointer of the game from the top of the key and put Gahr up 39-37 with less than 30 seconds left
“Coach (Damion Stokes), works with (Ho). He calls her a silent assassin,” Howard explained. “She doesn't talk much but when the game is on the line, we have all the confidence in her.”
Marina missed a shot to tie the score, but was given new life when a technical foul was called on Gahr's bench for entering the court with 1.1 seconds to go.
Marina senior guard Kim Nguyen made one of two free throws, leaving Gahr ahead 3938.
Marina inbounded the ball but was not able to get a shot off before time ran out.
Marina was led by freshman guard Rylee Bradley's gamehigh 21 points and 11 rebounds.
A corner 3 by Ho put Gahr up early but Bradley's buzzerbeating layup gave Marina an 8-5 lead at the end of the first quarter.
A steal and a layup by Marina sophomore guard Maria Tejada extended the Vikings' lead to 10-5 early in the second quarter.
Gahr's Mitchell picked up her third foul with six minutes left in the second quarter.
Ho's second 3 of the game put Gahr up 11-10.
Ho kept up her strong play with a steal, followed by an and-one, which put Gahr in front 15-10 with 4:43 left in the first half.
Gahr's 10-2 run in the second quarter was ended by Bradley's off-balance layup, which cut Gahr's lead to 15-12.
Ho's third 3-pointer of the game pushed Gahr's lead to 1814 with a minute to go in the first half.
Gahr led 18-15 at halftime. However, Gahr trailed 29-26 at the end of the third quarter before pulling off a fourth-quarter rally.