PARAMOUNT — Paramount junior guard Aiyanna Hooker scored a team-high 17 points but the Gateway League co-champions could not withstand Portola’s barrage from beyond the arc in a 64-41 home loss in the first round of the CIF Southern Section Division 2 girls basketball playoffs Thursday night.

“I really was just trying my hardest because I know if I lead my team, then they’ll probably pick up on my energy,” Hooker said. “So I was trying to give it my all.”

Portola made 15 3-pointers, which allowed them to outscored Paramount’s total offensive output (41 points) solely from 3-point range.

“What else are we going to do,” Portola coach Brian Barham said. “That’s the way we play.”

The Bulldogs led 30-25 at halftime and 43-35 at the end of the third quarter. However, it was Portola’s 12-0 run to start the fourth that seized control for good to secure the victory.

“There is no Plan B for Portola,” Barham continued. “We knew this was going to be a tough game. We knew we were going to have to buckle our chin strap. We knew how physical Paramount was going to be and luckily we were able to hit enough shots to get it done.”

Portola senior guard Kara Niho finished with a game-high 20 points, including five 3-pointers.

“Making those 3s, it really helps pick up the momentum during the game,” Niho said.

Bulldogs junior reserve guard Kelcie Fan scored 17 points, including five 3-pointers. Senior guard Madison Nguyen scored 16 points and drained four 3-pointers. Senior forward Amelia Booth had eight points and a game-high 15 rebounds.

“If we can keep it up for the next game, hopefully we will be prepared for whatever comes next,” Niho continued.

Portola, the Pacific Coast League’s fourth-place team, improved to 19-10 overall. The Bulldogs will host No. 1 overall seed Glendora in the second round on Saturday.

“We’ll see what happens,” Barham said. “We’ll go play our style of play.”

Paramount finished the season with a 22-6 overall record. 6-foot-3 senior center Jennifer Hawkins, who signed with Cal State Fullerton, finished with eight points and six rebounds.

“We didn’t stick to the game plan,” Paramount coach Leon Polk said. “We deviated from that. They just hit shots. We were supposed to stay attached to the shooters and force them to be two-point shooters.”

Nguyen’s 3-pointer put Portola up 3-0 early. Hooker’s basket cut it to 3-2. Paramount used a half-court trap in the first half, which slowed the Bulldogs from getting into their offense. Savannah Watlington’s basket put the Pirates up 4-3. Hooker’s 3-pointer made it 7-3. Niho’s 3-pointer cut it to 7-6 midway through the first. Hawkins’ turnaround move in the post made it 9-6. Nia Lackey’s basket pushed it to 11-6. Nguyen’s 3-pointer cut it to 11-9 with 2:03 left in the first quarter. Kelcie Fan’s 3-pointer put Portola up 12-11. Hooker’s layup gave Paramount a 13-12 lead at the end of the first.

Niho’s layup put the road team up 14-13 early in the second quarter, which was Portola’s first non-3-pointer of the game. Niho’s next 3-pointer made it 17-13. Hawkins’ layup cut it 17-15. Booth’s 3-pointer made it 20-15. Hawkins’ putback made it 20-17. Hooker’s jumper cut it to 20-19. Hawkins’ basket put Paramount up 21-20. Booth’s layup made it 22-21, which put Portola up for good late in the first half. Fan’s 3-pointer established a 25-21 advantage. Luckey’s bank shot cut it 25-23. Nguyen’s corner 3-pointer made it 28-23. Senior forward Maya Razaqui’s layup made it 30-25 at halftime.

Hooker’s block, followed by a coast-to-coast floater, cut it to 36-31 in the third quarter.

However, Fan’s corner 3-pointer made it 39-31. Niho’s 3-pointer later put Portola up 43-35 heading into the fourth quarter.

“At some point, we’ve got to get over the hump,” Polk continued. “We’ll get there.”

Paramount coach Leon Polk on his team not being able to withstand a hot shooting night in 64-41 loss against Portola in first round of the CIF-SS Division 2 girls basketball playoffs. pic.twitter.com/fpYS9IK9JH

— John W. Davis (@johnwdavis) February 13, 2026

Paramount junior guard Aiyanna Hooker on scoring a team-high 17 points and her leadership through effort in a 64-41 loss to Portola in first round of the CIF-SS Division 2 girls basketball playoffs. pic.twitter.com/bCfvjawza7

— John W. Davis (@johnwdavis) February 13, 2026

Portola coach Brian Barham on his team’s hot shooting in a 64-41 victory against Paramount in first round of the CIF-SS Division 2 girls basketball playoffs. pic.twitter.com/1tthBOEx8s

— John W. Davis (@johnwdavis) February 13, 2026

Portola senior guard Kara Niho on scoring a game-high 20 points to lead her team to a 64-41 victory against Paramount in first round of the CIF-SS Division 2 girls basketball playoffs. pic.twitter.com/9gxoVeGstW

— John W. Davis (@johnwdavis) February 13, 2026

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