Dolphins Fall in SoCal Regionals

By STEVE GALLUZZO | Sports Editor

It may not have won the game, but the Palisades High girls varsity basketball team won respect Friday night in West Hills in the first round of the CIF Southern California Regional Open Division playoffs.

The eighth-seeded Dolphins gave top-seeded Chaminade a run for its money before seeing their remarkable season come to a close in a gallant 79-67 defeat.

When she came out of the locker room 20 minutes later, Pali High senior guard Kayla Merrill-Gillett wore the same smile on her face that she had when the game started.

“On one hand I’m sad it’s over, but we can all be proud of what we accomplished,” she said after finishing with 18 points, five steals and three assists in her Dolphins swan song.

Palisades played top-notch competition all season in anticipation of facing an opponent of Chaminade’s caliber in the state tournament and head coach Torino Johnson was miffed that his squad didn’t get a home game despite winning its second straight City Section title.

“I’m at a loss for words,” said Johnson, who has built the Dolphins into a dynasty with four City crowns in the last six years. “How in the world did we get seeded No. 8?”

Still, Johnson and the Dolphins were confident they could upset the back-to-back Southern Section champion Eagles, ranked No. 2 in California and No. 3 in the nation.

Chelsey Gipson rattled in a three-pointer for Palisades’ first basket of the game and hit another long-range shot with one second left in the contest, giving her 18 points to go along with four steals, three assists and two blocks.

Chaminade (28-4) made three quick layups to take a 6-0 lead and was ahead 23-11 at the end of the first quarter.

However, Kayla Williams stole the ball from Chaminade’s Melissa Wright and made a layup to cap a 10-0 run that sliced the Dolphins’ deficit to five points with 2:54 left in the first half.

“We tried to press and run but they matched us on that,” Chaminade Coach Kelli DiMuro said. “They’re quick, they’re fast and they can shoot. They hurt us with their speed and on the three-point line. They’re right up there with the best teams we’ve played.”

Williams had 13 points and four rebounds and Liz Newman added seven points and four rebounds for the Dolphins (24-9), who trailed 40-29 at intermission.

With Duke-bound McDonald’s All-American Leaonna Odom and USC commit Valerie Higgins leading the charge, the Eagles increased their lead to 63-42 through three quarters, but Palisades never quit and  scored 15 of the last 17 points to narrow the final margin.

Chaniya Pickett had six points, Sammy Spanier had three and Caytlnn Gorden had two to round out the scoring for the Dolphins, who will return everyone except Merrill-Gillett, reserve Hannah Akahoshi and Hydeia Duronslet, who was injured and didn’t play this year.

Palisades was seeded seventh in the Open Division last season and lost to Santa Mater Dei 99-73 in the first round of regionals.