CITY BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP GAMES : 3-A Girls : Third Time Is Charm as Reseda Wins, 69-65

Reseda High School’s girls’ basketball team, which lost to North Hollywood twice during the regular season, scored 28 points in the fourth quarter and won its first City 3-A basketball championship with a 69-65 victory Friday at the Sports Arena before a crowd of 3,000.

Senior Dana Jones led Reseda (15-2) with 23 points and Cheryl Hightower added 20. Debbie Herz had 22 points for North Hollywood (18-3), which had its winning streak ended at 14 games.

“This team has worked hard to prepare for this,” winning Coach Andrea Francola said. “They sacrificed after school, and every other opportunity they had they worked on free throws.”

When the two teams met last month in a West Valley League game, North Hollywood won, 64-62. Reseda had made only 8 of 27 free throws.

Reseda was slightly better (17 of 31) Friday, but it was 8 for 12 in the pivotal fourth quarter.

With 38 seconds left in the game, Reseda led, 67-61. But North Hollywood rallied with baskets from Michelle Cabaldon and Herz to close to 67-65.

With six seconds left, Jones was fouled and faced her biggest one-and-one opportunity of the season. The senior forward made both free throws and the upset was a reality.

“I just stepped up there like it was a normal free throw,” Jones said. “I blocked everything out. I told myself it was a normal game in a normal gym.”