Pacifica Rallies but Comes Up Short Against Santana

SANTEE —  After trailing by 13 points with 5:25 left, Pacifica closed within three with 1:52 to go but got no closer, falling, 70-63, to second-seeded Santee Santana in the Division II Southern California Regional girls’ basketball playoffs Tuesday.

Diana Barreras scored on a layup after her steal and Dominique Valencia followed with two free throws to get the Mariners within three at 63-60 with 1:53 left to complete an 8-0 surge. But Santana’s Jaime Ransom answered with two free throws, then a layup off a long inbound pass to help seal the 18th consecutive victory for the Sultans.

Valencia had 18 points and Barreras added 15 for Pacifica (23-8), which finished with the most victories in one season in school history.

Ransom scored 15 of her 23 points in the first quarter, as Santana (28-5) built a 26-14 edge on 11-of-16 shooting from the field. Ransom, a freshman guard, hit all five of her shots in the opening period, including three three-pointers.

“We didn’t play good defense in the first quarter and that’s what killed us,” Pacifica Coach Garth Anderson said. “We didn’t get the job done and I can’t figure out why. But we played hard the whole game. We didn’t quit.”

The Mariners, who trailed, 38-28, at halftime, faced their biggest deficit, 46-29 with 5:06 left in the third quarter, before responding with nine straight points.

Ransom scored eight points in the final 4:20 to help the Sultans advance into Thursday’s semifinals against Brea Olinda at Santana.