SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO -The JSerra girls basketball team overcame an early 15-point deficit to beat Los Altos of Haciena Heights, 49-47, in the quarterfinals of the CIF-SS Division 2AA playoffs Wednesday at JSerra High.
The Lions trailed by three when Julia Ackerman made a 3-pointer to tie the score at 47. After a defensive stop, JSerra called a timeout with 23 seconds remaining. Senior guard Lexi Vail drove to her left and made a running jump shot from the free throw line to give the Lions the lead with 1.7 seconds left.
The Lions tipped the Los Altos inbound pass as time expired.
“I was confident all the way,” Vail said. “I am a senior and I took complete control of it (the shot). This win was the hardest.”
Vail had 20 points and seven rebounds for the Lions, who will play Trinity League rival Rosary in the semifinals Saturday at 7 p.m at JSerra. Rosary won both of the team’s games this season.
The game could not have started out any worse for the Lions. Los Altos jumped to a 17-2 lead late in the first quarter. Kaylee Shozuya and Brenda Reyes combined for 11 of those points and made three 3-pointers.
“We were nervous. We hadn’t played at home in a CIF game yet,” JSerra coach Mary Rossignol said. “We got the crowd behind us and fought one possession at a time.”
JSerra (16-13) answered with a 17-0 run of their own, to take a two-point lead in the second quarter. Sarah Shaw had 9 points during the run.
Los Altos (24-4) regained control after a timeout. The Conquerors went on a 9-0 run to enter halftime with a 28-19 lead. Five consecutive points by Reyes and two steals from Jezteni Espinoza contributed to the run.
Vail brought the Lions back into the game in the third quarter. The senior had 10 points in the quarter and the two teams were tied at 37 entering the fourth quarter.
Los Altos center Ulani Wells helped build an early lead in the fourth quarter for the Conquerors. Wells scored five points in the quarter and grabbed seven rebounds before JSerra rallied to win.
“It was an awesome win. I’m tearing up,” Rossignol said. “The stars are all aligning. We keep inching closer and closer to our goals. I can’t say enough about this team.”
