Division III-AA Girls’ Final

Where--The Pyramid, 1 today

Ganesha (26-3)--The second-seeded Giants defeated third-seeded Mission Hills Alemany, 54-47, to advance to the final. They are led by Veranda James (22.1 points, 13 rebounds, 5.3 blocks, 4 steals), Rebecca Moreno (5.3 points, 9 rebounds, 4 blocks, 4 steals) and Angelina Thomas (22.3 points, 6 assists, 5 steals), who alternates between guard and forward. Ganesha’s preference is an up-tempo game, but it has the size to adapt if necessary. Because Coach Gloria Hackett knows little about Rosary, the Giants will probably open in a press and adjust as necessary. They average 55 points and allow 35. Ganesha’s three losses have been to Brea Olinda (seeded No. 1 in Division II-AA), North Hollywood Harvard-Westlake (No. 1 in III-A) and Inglewood Morningside (No. 2 in III-A).

Rosary (21-8)--The Royals go into the game with a huge question mark at center. Romina Bollini (12 points, 9.2 rebounds), who injured her knee on the opening tipoff of Rosary’s first playoff game, is questionable and will not start. Her replacement, Bridget O’Connell (4.5 points, 4.5 rebounds), and Hayley Munroe (5 points, 5 rebounds) will have to be a factor under the boards in Bollini’s absence. Maggie Barnett (18.8 points, 5 assists) does a good job of penetration and drawing fouls, and, like her teammates, must not panic the first time a shot gets swatted away. Rosary will probably rely on scoring in transition and from the perimeter. Whether they match up or not, the Royals have certainly done everything they can to prepare for this--all their losses were to teams ranked in the county’s top 10 at one point.

Key to the game--Rebounding will be critical for both teams, though Rosary can negate Ganesha’s advantage inside if it shoots well from the perimeter, which it will probably have to do to win.

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Starting Lineups

GANESHA

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P Name Ht. Avg. F Angelina Thomas 5-9 22.3 F Christy Stewart 5-10 2.2 C Rebecca Moreno 6-0 5.3 C Veranda James 6-2 22.1 G Takisha Cummings 5-0 3.5

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Coach: Gloria Hackett

ROSARY

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P Name Ht. Avg. F Bridget O’Connell 6-0 4.0 F Jenise Karcher 5-9 13.2 G Jennifer Farner 5-9 9.3 G Hayley Munroe 5-10 5.0 G Maggie Barnett 5-6 18.8

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Coach: Rich Yoon