Polk’s Shot Lifts Cerritos Past Marina

Angie Polk’s three-point basket with 61 seconds left stopped a Marina rally as Cerritos eliminated the Vikings, 56-51, in a second-round Southern Section Division I-A girls’ basketball playoff game Saturday night at Cerritos.

Natalie Nakase scored on a three-pointer to move the Vikings within one, 52-51, before Polk’s shot gave the Dons a comfortable lead.

Marina (22-5) last took the lead midway in the second quarter, 22-21, but stayed within striking distance for most of the game.

Cerritos (23-6) held a 27-24 lead at halftime and both teams exploded in the first four minutes of the third quarter. Neither team missed a shot for the first five minutes of the second half. Marina cut the advantage to two before cooling off.

“We tried zone, man-to-man and traps but couldn’t stop them,” Marina Coach Pete Bonny said. “They were hot tonight.”

Sonya Bryant kept the Vikings in the game in the second half, scoring 15 of her 17 points. Kirsten Cappel and Nakase each had 11.

Cerritos hit only one of seven free throws, all in the final four minutes. But sending the Dons to the free-throw line did not help as Cerritos had three offensive rebounds in the final 16 seconds to preserve the victory.

Anitra Washington led the Dons with 19 points and Polk added 14.