ANAHEIM — Long Beach Poly girls basketball player Nala Williams wanted to make her aunt’s visit from Texas a memorable one.
The star senior did just that Saturday night.
Williams scored a game-high 31 points and Poly overcame a slow start for a 49-43 win over Fairmont Prep in a CIF-Southern Section Division 1 quarterfinal.
Williams scored 12 of her points in a pivotal second quarter to help the Jackrabbits overcome a dismal 3-of-16 start from the field.
Fairmont Prep’s Maile Oshita tries to steal the ball from Long Beach Poly’s Skylar Mills during a CIF-SS girls basketball playoff game in Anaheim, CA, on Saturday, February 19, 2022. (Photo by Tracey Roman, Contributing Photographer)
Long Beach Poly’s Destiny Horton tries to block Fairmont Prep’s Siyanda Salter during a CIF-SS girls basketball playoff game in Anaheim, CA, on Saturday, February 19, 2022. (Photo by Tracey Roman, Contributing Photographer)
Long Beach Poly’s Kristal Caldwell goes up for the shot between Fairmont Prep’s Inyansa Smith and Maile Oshita during a CIF-SS girls basketball playoff game in Anaheim, CA, on Saturday, February 19, 2022. (Photo by Tracey Roman, Contributing Photographer)
Fairmont Prep’s Madeleine Salud, Siyanda Salter, and Maile Oshita guard Long Beach Poly’s Nala Williams as she goes up for a shot during a CIF-SS girls basketball playoff game in Anaheim, CA, on Saturday, February 19, 2022. (Photo by Tracey Roman, Contributing Photographer)
The Long Beach Poly girls basketball team celebrates a big win over Fairmont Prep in the CIF-SS quarterfinals in Anaheim, CA, on Saturday, February 19, 2022. (Photo by Tracey Roman, Contributing Photographer)
Long Beach Poly’s Skylar Mills tries to block Fairmont Prep’s Siyanda Salter as the two girls basketball teams battle it out in the CIF-SS quarterfinals in Anaheim, CA, on Saturday, February 19, 2022. (Photo by Tracey Roman, Contributing Photographer)
Long Beach Poly’s Helena Vu and Nala Williams celebrate a big win over Fairmont Prep in the CIF-SS girls basketball quarterfinals in Anaheim, CA, on Saturday, February 19, 2022. (Photo by Tracey Roman, Contributing Photographer)
Fairmont Prep’s Misty Twyman goes up for the shot against Long Beach Poly’s Helena Vu during a CIF-SS girls basketball playoff game in Anaheim, CA, on Saturday, February 19, 2022. (Photo by Tracey Roman, Contributing Photographer)
Fairmont Prep’s Siyanda Salter goes up to block Long Beach Poly’s Nala Williams during a CIF-SS girls basketball playoff game in Anaheim, CA, on Saturday, February 19, 2022. (Photo by Tracey Roman, Contributing Photographer)
Fairmont Prep’s Madeleine Salad draws the foul from Long Beach Poly’s Skylar Mills during a CIF-SS girls basketball playoff game in Anaheim, CA, on Saturday, February 19, 2022. (Photo by Tracey Roman, Contributing Photographer)
Long Beach Poly’s Kristal Caldwell guards Fairmont Prep’s Andrea Javier during a CIF-SS girls basketball playoff game in Anaheim, CA, on Saturday, February 19, 2022. (Photo by Tracey Roman, Contributing Photographer)
The Long Beach Poly girls basketball team celebrates a big win over Fairmont Prep in the CIF-SS quarterfinals in Anaheim, CA, on Saturday, February 19, 2022. (Photo by Tracey Roman, Contributing Photographer)
Long Beach Poly’s Destiny Horton guards Fairmont Prep’s Siyanda Salter during a CIF-SS girls basketball playoff game in Anaheim, CA, on Saturday, February 19, 2022. (Photo by Tracey Roman, Contributing Photographer)
Long Beach Poly’s Nala Williams goes up for the shot against Fairmont Prep’s Andrea Javier during a CIF-SS girls basketball playoff game in Anaheim, CA, on Saturday, February 19, 2022. (Photo by Tracey Roman, Contributing Photographer)
Fairmont Prep’s Maile Oshita goes up for the shot as they take on Long Beach Poly during a CIF-SS girls basketball playoff game in Anaheim, CA, on Saturday, February 19, 2022. (Photo by Tracey Roman, Contributing Photographer)
Long Beach Poly’s Helena Vu guards Fairmont Prep’s Andrea Javier during a CIF-SS girls basketball playoff game in Anaheim, CA, on Saturday, February 19, 2022. (Photo by Tracey Roman, Contributing Photographer)
Fairmont’s Siyanda Salter and Misty Twyman try to get the ball from Long Beach Poly’s Nala Williams during a CIF-SS girls basketball playoff game in Anaheim, CA, on Saturday, February 19, 2022. (Photo by Tracey Roman, Contributing Photographer)
Fairmont Prep’s Andrea Javier can’t get a shot around Long Beach Poly’s Destiny Horton and Helena Vu during a CIF-SS girls basketball playoff game in Anaheim, CA, on Saturday, February 19, 2022. (Photo by Tracey Roman, Contributing Photographer)
Fairmont Prep girls basketball coach Sara Brown talks to her players during a time out as they take on Long Beach Poly in Anaheim, CA, on Saturday, February 19, 2022. (Photo by Tracey Roman, Contributing Photographer)
“(Williams) doesn’t want to lose,” Poly coach Carl Buggs said. “She refused to let us lose the game. When she senses, ‘OK, my team needs me.’ She steps up.”
The Jackrabbits (22-4) will host Viewpoint (16-7) in the semifinals Wednesday at 7 p.m.
Trailing 36-31 heading into the fourth, the Huskies (18-13) pulled within a point on three occasions, the last occurrence after Misty Twyman cut to the basket for a layup that made it 43-42.
However, Fairmont Prep scored just one more point over the final 4:45. Among the opportunities was Madeleine Salud’s missed 3-pointer at the 3:15 mark and down 45-42.
Afterward, Huskies coach Sara Brown applauded WIlliams’ performance but also questioned the officiating in the final quarter. The Jackrabbits made 7 of 12 free throws in the fourth.
“At the very end, there were some missed opportunities and some questionable calls,” Brown said. “You can put it in the damn paper, I don’t care. It’s the playoffs, you’ve got to let these kids play. I feel like if we didn’t have those calls we would’ve had a chance.
“(Williams) is a great player and I don’t want to take anything away from that. Big-time players make big shots. Kudos to her and coach Buggs. Great guy, great program, great players.”
The Huskies were paced by Siyanda Salter’s 14 points and Salud chipped in 11.
It was a much more competitive contest than last year’s semifinal meeting, which the Jackrabbits won by 25 points en route to the CIF-SS title. Brown said she lost four starters and 90% of the scoring production from last year’s team.
Poly struggled to start, making just three of its first 16 shots from the field and trailed 9-8 after the first quarter.
“We weren’t patient offensively, settling for outside shots, and wasn’t moving the ball,” Buggs said.
That quickly changed as the Jackrabbits opened the second quarter on an 11-0 run ignited by a WIlliams three-point play. She was a part of all four made baskets in the spurt, accounting for eights points and an assist.
“I was thinking it was my responsibility and time to take over,” said Williams, who credited her aunt Tyka Booker for added motivation to perform. “I sensed it was going to be that night for me when it started. I had to put on a show for her.”
The Huskies answered with their own 8-0 run to pull within 21-19, but Poly’s Helena Vu closed the half with an off-balance layup to give the Jackrabbits a 25-20 lead at the break.
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Williams stayed hot in the third quarter, scoring nine, and had help from teammate Skylar Mills late.
With Poly leading 32-31, Mills’ hustle led to a pair of offensive rebounds and a putback as Poly took a five-point lead into the fourth.
