LA HABRA – It has been a special season for the Pasadena girls basketball team, and it keeps getting better.
Taurie Magee scored 18 points and had 17 rebounds and the Bulldogs rallied in the fourth quarter to advance to the CIF-SS semifinals with a 54-48 victory over host Whittier Christian in a Division 4AA quarterfinal on Wednesday.
Kamesha Moore also had 14 points for Pasadena (22-9).
Christa Evans had 18 points and Clairessa Watkins 14 for the Heralds (20-10).
Pasadena trailed 37-34 after three quarters. But Magee and Gillian Smith (seven points) led a fourth-quarter resurgence, keying an 11-6 surge to begin the period and give the Bulldogs a 45-43.
Magee tied it at 41 on a putback with 5:06 left before Smith converted a turnover into a fast-break layup for the two-point lead with 3:40 remaining.
Evans tied at 45 with an inside shot before Nia Cathcart made consecutive layups for some breathing room at 49-45 with 2:35 left.
Evans cut it to 49-47 with 1:50 left, but that was as close as the Heralds got.
Evans made consecutive inside shots to key an 8-4 surge to close the third quarter and hold a 37-34 lead going into the fourth.
