GIRLS BASKETBALL: Eastside Prep Edged by Pinewood in CCS Finals

Pinewood 45, Eastside Prep 44

The Star: Even on one leg, Pinewood senior guard Hailie Eackles is really, really good. The sensational senior scored a game-high 26 points in the Central Coast Section Division V Girls Basketball Championship game, including a face-up 3-pointer to put her team up six points late in the fourth quarter. Pinewood edged Eastside Prep 45-44 Saturday morning at Santa Clara University. It’s the third CCS crown in Eackles four years at Pinewood.

Despite the usual brilliance of Eackles, ESP came out red-hot, shooting the lights out in the first half. Senior guard Takara Burse led the way, finishing the game with a team-high 19 points. Senior Ahjalee Harvey scored eight points and center Hashima Carothers had nine.

The Turning Point: An 18-6 Pinewood run in the third quarter erased an eight-point Eastside Prep (21-8) lead at the half. It only took one 3-point shot to drop for things to turn around on the offensive end for Pinewood (24-5). An accidental banker in corner by senior Caitlin Ciardella was the first of three Pinewood triples in the quarter. Eastside Prep led by as much as 10 points in the first half. Burse knocked down a corner triple to push the lead to 21-11.

The Quotes: “We always expect the unexpected against them,” ESP guard Takara Burse said about the title game showdown with Pinewood. “It’s never going to be an 8-9 point game. It’s always close playing against them.”

 Although Eastside wasn’t able to claim its first CCS title since 2008, the game still game Burse and her team confidence heading into NorCals.

 “All our shooters were hot early,” Burse said. “The road to the state championship isn’t an easy one. We know that we might see them again.”

 What's Next? Both teams will take part in next week’s NorCals. The brackets will be unveiled Sunday night. If things line up just right, the two evened-matched foes could square off for a fifth and final time this season in the NorCal finals.

Bottom Line: Pinewood motored back to lead by as much as seven points early in the fourth quarter. Back-to-back 3-point shots from ESP guard Ahjalee Harvey closed the gap to only one point with four minutes and change to go. Eackles closed the game with a deuce of an out-of-bounds play and the sorely needed triple from the top of the arc. A late ESP 3-ball came with only .4 seconds left on the clock, allowing Pinewood to escape with the thrilling one-point triumph.

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