Girls Basketball: St. Paul rallies to earn second consecutive trip to CIF-SS finals; Sonora, Cantwell also earn title trips

This season will go down as one of the best girls basketball campaigns in area history. The area trio of St. Paul, Sonora and Cantwell each won CIF-SS divisional semifinal games and will advance to next week’s championship round.
GIRLS BASKETBALL
SEMIFINALS
DIVISION 4AA
ST. PAUL 46, ROSARY 44

SANTA FE SPRINGS >> The St. Paul High girls basketball team returned to the CIF-SS finals in dramatic fashion Saturday night.
Nalon Smith scored 14 points and Valerie Godinez tallied 13 — including 10 in the fourth quarter — to lift the Swordsmen from well behind entering the final quarter and to a 48-46 triumph over Rosary in a 4AA semifinal.
St. Paul (19-13) rallied in the second quarter, and took a one-point lead early in the third quarter, but then fell behind 40-33 entering the fourth quarter before the Swordsmen mustered up a huge rally and finally could exhale at the buzzer when the Royals saw a 3-point try carom off the backboard.
St. Paul moves on to take on Duarte next weekend at a site to be determined. It is the sixth title-game trip under coach Robert Miller’s tutelage, including a loss to Fairmont Prep last season.
St. Paul coach Robert Miller: “It feels great. We wanted to get their bigs in foul trouble and that happened. That stopped their momentum.”
DIVISION 3AA
SONORA 59, PATRIOT 34

Meghann Henderson scored 12 points and Marissa Dunn had 12 as the Raiders continued their sensational season by shocking the No. 2 seed.
Sonora (27-3) will face top seed Orange Lutheran, which defeated Lakeside 39-23, in next week’s championship game at a site and time to be announced later.
DIVISION 4A
CANTWELL 57, TWENTYNINE PALMS 48

The Cardinals advance to the title game and will face St. Anthony, a 76-39 winner over Notre Dame Academy. The game site and time will be announced later.

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