Tiyana Watkins led the Lady Lions with 15 but it wasn’t enough
(El Monte) – The El Monte girls led at halftime and were still within a point heading into the fourth quarter. But the Lady Lions couldn’t keep up in the final frame and fell to Calabasas 58-47 Thursday night in the first round of the CIF Division 3AA Playoffs.
Calabasas led 36-35 after three before outscoring El Monte 22-12 in the fourth quarter to put it away. Tal Sahar scored eight points in the fourth and led all scorers with 23 points. Calabasas also knocked down ten free throws in the quarter as the Lady Lions kept fouling to try to stay in the game.
***Ellie Burke was eight of 12 from the line for Calabasas in the fourth quarter and also finished in double digits with 22.
***Burke buried three consecutive threes in the third quarter and hit four for the game.
***Both teams started slow. Calabasas led 12-7 after one but scored only three points in the second quarter as El Monte took an 18-15 lead at the break.
***As cold as they were early both teams warmed up in the third. While Burke was lighting it up for Calabasas, Tiyana Watkins scored eight points down in the paint to keep the Lady Lions in the hunt.
***Watkins led El Monte with 15 and Emmy Pham followed up with 12. Pham scored eight of the Lady Lions’ 11 points in the second quarter.
***There was a big difference at the charity stripe. El Monte was 3 for 9 while Calabasas was 14 for 27.
***Calabasas knocked down six threes while El Monte hit two.
***Calabasas made just one field goal in the second quarter but then scored six more points in the third quarter it did in the entire first half.
***Melissa Mendoza and Evelyn Ortiz added six and five points respectively for the Lady Lions.
***El Monte won the MVL title with a 9-1 record and finished 17-7 overall.
C 12 3 21 22 58
EM 7 11 17 12 47
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