CERRITOS – The El Toro girls basketball team rallied in the fourth quarter behind clutch 3-point shooting from guard Bridget Boyd and solid playmaking from Mariana Mina to beat Gahr 36-34 in the CIF-SS Division 3A semifinals Saturday night.
The Chargers will face Cantwell-Sacred Heart of Mary in the finals on Friday, Feb. 28, or Saturday, March 1.
The Chargers (18-11) trailed for most of the game, however, the game remained close heading into the fourth quarter. The Gladiators led by two points, 20-18.
El Toro got huge production from its backcourt of Boyd and Mina. They were scoreless through the first three quarters, but then caught fire, combining to score 15 of the team’s 18 points in the fourth quarter.
The Chargers went on an 8-0 run to erase a four-point deficit and never looked back, leading by as many as eight points in the final two minutes of the game.
El Toro head coach Patrick Nunez talked about how his team was able to overcome its offensive issues to finally get rolling offensively in the fourth.
El Toro head coach Patrick Nunez talks about the 4th qt comeback his team put together, the impact of Bridget Boyd and Mariana Mina in the 4th, and how proud he is of this team advancing to the Division 3A Final @BeachVarsity @SoCalVarsity @ETGirlsHoops pic.twitter.com/e5mM0Ybq4o
— Chris Camello (@Chris_Camello) February 23, 2025
“We were struggling scoring early on, and we just couldn’t get it going,” Nunez said. “I don’t know what it was, we just couldn’t get a rhythm going. Going into the fourth quarter, it was tight. We knew it was anybody’s game and we hit some big shots. The girls did a great job to finish it out.”
Boyd was one of those who hit some big shots to close it out, knocking down three 3-pointers and scoring all nine of her points in the fourth quarter.
She spoke about overcoming Gahr’s tough defense to finally get into an offensive rhythm late in the game.
El Toro guard Bridget Boyd hit 3 big threes in the 4th for 9 pts to help her team get this win and talks about rallying in the 4th, what her and Mina did to lead this team to a win, and advancing to the Division 3A final @BeachVarsity @SoCalVarsity @ETGirlsHoops pic.twitter.com/466hXrSZ3D
— Chris Camello (@Chris_Camello) February 23, 2025
“They had a lot of pressure on defense, and I knew we had to make a big shot and get back into the groove,” Boyd said. “Hitting three 3s was amazing in the end, and I think it really motivated our team to keep on going. We worked together as a team, and it really showed in the end.”
Mina scored all six of her points in the fourth quarter as well, overcoming a minor ankle injury in the first half. She also hit some clutch free throws converting four of her six attempts to put the game away. She added three assists, setting up Boyd for a couple of those 3-pointers in the fourth.
For Gahr (18-11), it was a stunning end to a game it controlled for the better part of three quarters, but had too many defensive lapses that led to open shots for the Chargers.
Gahr coach Alfred Howard spoke about his team allowing El Toro to score 18 points in the fourth after allowing 18 through the first three quarters combined.
Gahr head coach Al Howard talks about what went wrong in that 4th quarter in the loss to El Toro, the dominant game of Ella Mims, and how proud he is of this team as they look forward to State tournament @LadyGladsBball @BeachVarsity @SoCalVarsity pic.twitter.com/dzFJ5T3Dzy
— Chris Camello (@Chris_Camello) February 23, 2025
“Just mental lapses, we had mental lapses on defense,” Howard said. “(There were) plays we went over. We knew they were going to run the elevator screen, and they ran it twice and converted both times. So just a mental lapse on our part defensively. Hats off to El Toro, they came in, they ran their stuff, and congratulations to them.”
Gahr was led by talented sophomore center Ella Mims, who finished with 18 points and 17 rebounds. She added three blocks and two steals.
Mims also felt the Gladiators let this one get away from them in the fourth quarter.
Gahr sophomore Ella Mims was dominant, a double-double of 18 pts, 17 Rebs, 3 blks and 2 stls
She discussed what went wrong in that 4th, what was working for her offensively, and looking forward to State tournament despite the loss @LadyGladsBball @BeachVarsity @SoCalVarsity pic.twitter.com/RJhgOWDkVZ
— Chris Camello (@Chris_Camello) February 23, 2025
“We kind of just let up in the end,” Mims said. “You look up and there’s two minutes left on the clock and we just let it slip, we didn’t lock in again until the last minute.”
Gahr also got a strong performance from forward Christine Ho, who scored 12 points, hitting four 3-pointers while adding two rebounds and two assists.
Senior forward Camryn Bradshaw scored a team-high 11 points for the Chargers, and junior forward Mia Cubacub added eight points, 10 rebounds, and two blocks.
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