GIRLS BASKETBALL: Mustangs move on to Sports Arena
Pierre paces Muir offense in 44-35 victory
Muir's girls basketball team will play for the right to go to Sacramento on Saturday against Magnolia.
Above: Muir's Cherrish Wallace drives to the basket against Mount Miguel. (Correspondent Photo by Larry Goren)
Question: Can the Mustangs overcome occasional sloppy play to stamp a ticket to Arco Arena?
By Keith Lair, Staff Writer
PASADENA - Eliza Pierre seemed to be all over the court at once on Thursday night.
The Muir High school junior helped run the offense, was underneath the basket grabbing rebounds, going underneath legs and then over smaller players to try to create steals and turnovers. She was sprawling on the floor in agony after a hard collision on one such attempt, but remained in the game.
And when the Mustangs went cold, she was there to save the game. She had a team-high 13 points to help Muir defeat Mount Miguel, 44-35, and advance to the CIF State Division III Southern California championship on Saturday at the Sports Arena. Top-seeded Muir (28-2) will play Magnolia at 10 a.m. Magnolia defeated Summit 45-41 on Thursday.
But she wasn't done. After the game, Pierre did a pair of celebratory cartwheels back to the Mustangs sideline.
"Eliza finally came through again," Muir coach Gary Johnson said. "We knew she would eventually. She had a couple of bad games there, but she finally came through."
She needed to. The Mustangs' top three shooters, Cherish Wallace, Chrishawn Frierson and Kiarra Dade, were a combined 4-for-32 from the floor.
That put the pressure on Pierre, who came through with her slashing drives and left-handed jump shots. She had 13 points on 6-of-11 shooting. She had 10 rebounds and was a big factor on defense, helping force numerous turnovers.
"No, it just happened," she said of her shooting. "I've just been working on my jumper."
Pierre scored on a layup with 32 seconds remaining in the third quarter to give Muir the lead for good at 29-28.
Dade made two foul shots for a 31-28 lead 1:40 into the final quarter and Mount Miguel's Shateara Anderson cut it to 31-29 with one of two free throws.
But there was Pierre again, rebounding her own miss and putting it back in for a 33-29 lead. Frierson, who only made one of her first 15 shots, then hit a crucial 21-foot 3-pointer - the Mustangs' lone 3-pointer of the game - for a 36-29 lead.
The Matadors came back with a pair of 3-pointers to cut the lead to 38-35, but they had to foul the rest of the way. Wallace, who did not make a field goal attempt, made 6-of-8 foul shots down the stretch. She had 10 points.
"I'm just happy we won," Johnson said. "We hung in there and just played."
Turnovers were a key component in the win. Mount Miguel committed 32 turnovers. Muir had 19.
"I just knew our pressure would get to them," Johnson said.
Muir was ice-cold in the middle of the game. The Mustangs went on a 13-0 run after the Matadors scored the game's first four points. But Muir began missing shots from the outside and Mount Miguel (20-7) began to recover.
The Matadors scored seven consecutive points to take a 19-18 lead midway through the third quarter. They made it 26-20 with 3:21 left in the quarter. Point guard Danesia Williamson led the charge, scoring 11 points in the run and 11 of her team's 13 third-quarter points.
Muir clawed back with center Brittany Henderson back in the game. The Mustangs scored seven consecutive points to take a 27-26 lead.