Freshman Amber Melgoza hit two free throws with 12 seconds left, and Santa Barbara watched a potential game-tying 3-pointer by Palos Verdes circle the rim before falling out at the buzzer, as the Dons escaped with a 59-56 win over the Sea Kings in a CIF Division 3AA second-round girls basketball playoff game on Saturday night.
Second-seeded Santa Barbara advances to Wednesday’s quarterfinals, where it will play at Atascadero.
The Dons (22-7) withstood a barrage of 3-pointers by Palos Verdes. The Sea Kings made nine in the game, including six in the first half. The Dons led 32-24 at halftime.
Senior Ivette Gil scored 19 points to lead the Dons. She also pulled down seven rebounds, made four steals and held PV’s leading scorer, Pieper Whitney to two points in the fourth quarter.
Melgoza added 15 points and grabbed six rebounds, Dessy Coleman tallied 11 points and freshman Jada Howard scored nine points and pulled down a team-high 11 rebounds. Alyssa Cosio came off the bench and made a solid contribution with five points, seven rebounds and played good defense.
