Palos Verdes Hopes End in Heartbreaker : Prep basketball: Disputed foul call was the difference in 47-46 loss to Brea-Olinda in Southland Division III title game.

A slap on the leg.

That’s what it was.

Tammy Blackburn said so.

The Brea-Olinda High School guard said it was a slap on the leg that sent her to the free-throw line with 1.3 seconds left and her team tied with Palos Verdes, 46-46, in the Southern California Division III girls basketball title game Saturday at the Sports Arena.

When informed of Blackburn’s admission, Palos Verdes Coach Wendell Yoshida responded with a biting one-liner:

“They should have made her shoot with her leg.”

They didn’t, of course. Blackburn confidently took hold of the ball and hit the front end of a one-and-one foul shot to give Brea-Olinda, the No. 4-ranked team in the nation according to USA Today, a come-from-behind 47-46 victory.

It was a bitter loss. Palos Verdes led virtually the entire fourth quarter, but Brea-Olinda forced several turnovers and took advantage of a cold shooting spell by the Sea Kings to pull even with a minute remaining.

Still, considering that Palos Verdes lost to the Wildcats by 17 points last week in the Southern Section 3-AA championship game, the Sea Kings walked away with their heads held high.

They gave powerful Brea-Olinda (33-0 and owner of a 55-game winning streak) all it could handle before the Wildcats head to Oakland next weekend to defend their state championship.

That’s why it was frustrating for Yoshida to see the game decided on a foul that was inconsistent with the way most of the game was officiated.

While the referees routinely looked the other way after several violent collisions, including one against Palos Verdes guard Raquel Alotis with 26 seconds left, they called Sea King guard Lisa Humphries for a reach-in foul during a scramble for a loose ball with the game on the line.

“It was luck,” Blackburn said. “I didn’t even know who fouled me. I was kind of surprised the whistle blew (considering) the way the rest of the game was kind of physical.

“The referee saw (Humphries) slap my leg. I was in good position for the referee. He heard the slap on my leg.”

Humphries, who led all scorers with 18 points, had given Palos Verdes its last lead, 46-44, with 47 seconds left on a 12-foot jumper from the left wing. Brea-Olinda tied it with 26.4 seconds left on two free throws, setting up the dramatic finale.

Point guard Susan Wilhite got the ball up court against Brea-Olinda’s press and into the hands of Humphries, who dribbled to the right of the key. At that point, Blackburn knocked the ball loose and Humphries was called for a foul in the scramble.

“My intention was not to foul her,” Humphries said. “I was just trying to get the ball. I was a little surprised with the call considering the amount of contact there was (in the game).”

Brea-Olinda Coach Mark Trakh, whose team has rarely been behind this season and owns victories over Division I regional finalists Morningside and Washington, gave Palos Verdes credit for an exceptional game plan.

“They played us smarter than any team all year,” Trakh said. “They went into a 2-3 zone and took away our inside game. They outplayed us.”

Said Blackburn: “They’re the toughest team we’ve played this year, tougher than Morningside or Washington.”

Yoshida had nothing but praise for his team. After Palos Verdes lost to Brea-Olinda, 50-33, last week at Cal Poly Pomona, Saturday’s performance was considered a remarkable turnaround.

In addition to Humphries, who scored eight of Palos Verdes’ 10 points in the fourth quarter, the Sea Kings received strong efforts from Wilhite (11 points, three steals) and 6-3 sophomore center Monique Morehouse (10 points, 12 rebounds).

“We had a different mentality going into this game,” Yoshida said. “We had a chance to prove ourselves. Today we showed we are a good team.”

Palos Verdes (29-5) led by as many as five points, 40-35, early in the fourth quarter and had several chances to extend the margin as Brea-Olinda found difficulty shooting (17 of 44) over the Sea Kings’ 2-3 zone.

But after taking a 44-41 lead on a scoop shot by Humphries with 4:57 left, Palos Verdes went more than four minutes without a point. During that period, Brea-Olinda’s full-court press forced the Sea Kings into several turnovers.

Yoshida, though, found no fault with his team.

“I can’t ask them to play any harder than they did,” he said.

Then, thinking back to last year’s one-point upset to Katella in the 4-A semifinals, Yoshida said: “I’m getting used to it. What I miss the most is not having one more game with the girls. I want to play one more.”

Palos Verdes nearly pulled it off.