BASKET AT BUZZER EARNS Q’S CROWN

No one is likely to forget the game’s last basket from junior Charisa Thomas.

Having blown a 14-point lead down the stretch and with the score tied, Serra High was 94 feet from its basket.

But the No. 2-seeded Conquistadors roared down the floor in the final nine seconds as Thomas made a layup before the final buzzer for a 6058 victory over Mission Hills in the San Diego Section Division I girls basketball championship game Saturday at UC San Diego’s RIMAC Arena.

“At the end, I thought this might not happen,” Serra junior Angelica Mcbride said.

Mcbride was helpless because she had fouled out with 11 seconds to play after scoring 16 points.

“This means everything to me,” Mcbride added. “My heart stopped at the end, but when the layup went in I couldn’t believe it.

“We’ve worked for this since freshman year.”

The Conquistadors led 5649 on a Mcbride basket with 1:39 to play only to give up a 9-2 run by No. 1 Mission Hills (20-12), led by 13 points in the quarter from junior Jessica Grant, tying the score when she hit one of two free throws.

Serra (20-9) now has a five-game winning streak and its first section title since winning the Division II crown in 2012.

In addition to Mcbride’s output, the Q’s got 15 points and seven rebounds from Thomas and 14 points from sophomore Salma Youngblood.

Sa’de Wiley-gatewood, Serra’s first-year coach, saw a lot of potential in her team before the season.

“I wanted this for my kids,” said Wiley-gatewood, who won a section title as a coach at Mission Bay in 2012. “I was about to be real upset at the end because you win games on free throws and we missed enough of them.

“These girls owe me a little running on Monday.”

This was the seventh consecutive finals appearance for the Grizzlies, who have lost the last three.

Mission Hills’ chances were damaged by its 3-point shooting with a disappointing 9 of 34 from the perimeter.

Grant led the Grizzlies with 17 points while sophomore Amber Schmidt added 14 points and 10 rebounds. Sophomore Kennan Ka had 13 points and seven rebounds.