Girls hoopsters fall to Helix in semifinal

Fallbrook High School’s girls basketball team reached the CIF Division I semifinals before a loss to second-seeded Helix at the Highlanders’ gym February 27.

The 56-46 Helix win gave Fallbrook a final record of 23-7. Helix’s win gave the Highlanders not only a trip to the CIF final against Eastlake but also a berth in the state tournament.

“We had a difficult time keeping up with them in the full court,” said Fallbrook coach Len Whitacre.

For the second consecutive year, Fallbrook ended the season with a playoff loss to a Grossmont League team against which the Warriors opened the regular season. Fallbrook ended the 2005-06 season with a first-round playoff loss to Granite Hills, against whom the Warriors earned a 44-40 victory to open that season. Fallbrook opened the 2006-07 season at Helix November 27 and lost 43-29.

The Warriors followed that loss to Helix with a 12-game winning streak which was ended by San Diego, the other unsuccessful CIF Division I semifinalist, in the finals of the Bonita Vista Optimists Tournament. Fallbrook began league play with nine wins before Carlsbad ended the nine-game winning streak in the final regular-season match.

The Warriors’ 9-1 league record, along with a 21-6 regular-season overall record, gave Fallbrook its first Avocado League title since 1985 and the sixth seed in the Division I playoffs. Fallbrook defeated Mira Mesa at home and Poway on the Titans’ court in the playoffs before facing Helix.

Helix scored the initial basket of the semifinals, but Marshai Iverson’s bucket tied the score at two points apiece. Helix then scored the next eight points of the game. The Warriors then scored seven consecutive points before a Helix shot gave the Highlanders a 12-9 lead.

As time ran out in the first quarter, Natalie Zepeda took a shot from just inside half court. The ball went off the backboard and into the net for a three-pointer, tying the score at 12 points apiece to enter the second period.

“We’ve come back from 10-2, but tonight we didn’t sustain it,” Whitacre said. “You spend a lot of energy getting back into a game.”

Although Helix scored the first six points of the second quarter and led by nine points with 2:39 left to play in that period, Fallbrook scored the final four points of the half and entered the locker room down 28-23. With two seconds left in the half Brooke Harlin parlayed a steal and pass by Katie Gangnath into a layup for the final points of the period.

That shot gave Harlin seven points in the first half to lead the Warriors. Tiffany Hunter, who finished the game as Fallbrook’s leading scorer with 16 points, was held to three points in the first half.

“That was huge,” said Helix coach Trina Merideth. “We knew that she loved to drive and she’s a playmaker.”

Helix outscored Fallbrook 16-6 in the third period to take a 44-29 lead. Once again the Warriors scored the final points of the quarter, turning a 17-point Helix lead into a 15-point margin.

“In the first half I think we were more concerned about playing offense than defense,” Merideth said. “They just needed to settle down.”

Helix scored the first points in all four periods, and Fallbrook scored the final points of all four quarters. The Highlanders built a 56-42 lead before a shot by Hunter and a layup by Harlin, the latter with 15 seconds remaining in the game, closed out the scoring.

Helix’s Brittany Williams, who led all scorers with 12 points in the first half, had 29 points for the game. “We did everything we could think of to slow her down,” Whitacre said.

Fallbrook’s tempo surprised Helix somewhat. “I didn’t actually expect them to pass,” Merideth said. “We were prepared for it, but we didn’t anticipate it.”

Harlin finished the game with 12 points while Zepeda had seven points.

Gangnath is the only starter who is not a senior. The loss to Helix was the final high school game for Hunter, Harlin, Zepeda, Iverson, and substitute Emily Armstrong. Marina Schroeder is also a senior but did not play against Helix.

“It was a great season,” Whitacre said. “We got better as the season progressed.”