MILLBRAE, CA - Trailing by six points with 3:43 left in the game, the Gunderson girls' basketball team was in dire straits. Then it went to work.
Turning up the heat on defense and finding the bottom of the net with regularity, Gunderson scored 11 consecutive points to overtake Mills and win 43-39. The victory came in the quarterfinals of the CCS Division III playoffs at Mills High.
"We just played hard on defense -- defended tough when the ball was one pass away," Gunderson standout Lira Ndifon said. "I was worried when we got down, but defense wins games and helped us come back."
During that 11-point run, Mia Medina made four free throws, Essence Johnson made a field goal and a free throw and Ndifon had a basket and two free throws.
The Grizzlies stole the ball often and converted those Mills mistakes into Gunderson points.
"We put the press on and got turnovers and lay-ups," Gunderson coach John Drake said. "It was just a man-to-man press. We wanted to do it until they could prove they could handle it."
The victory vaults Gunderson into the semifinals at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday at Mills against top-seeded Hillsdale, 32-24 winners on Saturday against Terra Nova.
Gunderson (18-8) has played Hillsdale this season, losing 40-35 in a non-league game.
Ndifon led Gunderson against Mills with 17 points and Johnson added 12.
Gunderson finished third in the BVAL-Mt. Hamilton to Piedmont Hills and Pioneer.
Aubrie Businger, Mills' promising sophomore, led the Vikings with 15 points, Julia Gibbs added 13 and Zelle Zshornack had eight.
The season is now over for Mills (14-12), which finished third in the PAL-South behind Menlo-Atherton and Hillsdale.
