GIRLS BASKETBALL: Mills to Play for PAL Title

The Score: Mills 44, San Mateo 38.

The Star: Mills High’s Kristen Lastofka played a critical defensive role in helping limit San Mateo sharpshooter Grayce Ujihara, the Peninsula Athletic League Bay Division MVP, to 11 points – and none in the first half. Lastofka, a sophomore guard, also finished second on the Vikings with 10 points, including three free throws in the final 20 seconds, as Mills prevailed in a PAL tournament semifinal at Burlingame High on Friday afternoon.

The Turning Point: San Mateo, which never led, clawed back into the game when Ujihara capped a 6-0 run with a bank shot to cut Mills’ lead to 37-34 with just under four minutes left. But then Mills post Lexi Chierici, who led all scorers with 18 points, took a pass from Lastofka and rattled home a short-range shot to make it 39-34 with 3:27 remaining, and San Mateo never pulled closer than five points the rest of the way.

The Quote: “We’re going to have to play flawlessly. We’re going to have to play with no mistakes. (Terra Nova has) five very good athletes and they get after it.” – Mills coach Dave Matsu, on what his team needs to do to beat powerful Terra Nova in the PAL tournament title game.

What’s Next? Mills (17-7) advances to its first PAL tournament championship game since 2008. The Vikings meet Terra Nova (22-4) today at 6 p.m. at Burlingame High. The Tigers won 73-50 over Burlingame in Friday’s later semifinal. Terra Nova, the tournament’s two-time defending champion, won the teams’ two PAL Bay Division meetings this season, but Mills was competitive both times. Meanwhile, San Mateo (14-11) awaits its placement in the Central Coast Section playoffs.

The Bottom Line: Mills, No. 6 in , can win the PAL tournament for the first time since 2007, but it will take a superb effort against third-ranked Terra Nova. The Vikings claimed the second spot in the PAL Bay Division largely because of two wins against third-place San Mateo. In the league’s postseason tournament, Mills again topped the Bearcats in a grind-it-out game. San Mateo had no answers for Chierici – who showed nice range as well as good finishing ability in the paint.

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Mills 44, San Mateo 38

SM – 6 11 9 12 – 38

M – 13 8 10 13 – 44

SM: Simon 3 0-0 6, Stephens 6 0-0 12, Ujihara 5 1-2 11, Okimura 1 0-0 2, Hafoka 1 0-0 2, Whipple 1 3-3 5. Totals: 17 4-5 38.

M: Lastofka 3 4-6 10, Sui 1 0-1 2, Del Bianco 2 0-0 4, Chin 2 2-2 6, Chierici 8 2-2 18, Arciaga 2 0-0 4. Totals: 18 8-11 44.

3-point goals: none.

Records: San Mateo 14-11. Mills 17-7.