BETTER LATE THAN NEVER: HART RALLIES FOR VICTORY HART 58, PERRIS 53.

Byline: KEVIN CONNELLY

Special to the Daily News

NEWHALL -- For nearly 25 minutes Thursday night, the Hart High of Newhall girls' basketball team did just about everything it could to lose.

The home crowd was prepared to file out. Visiting Perris could taste an upset.

The Indians waited until they were down by 11 points two minutes into the fourth quarter before finally showing life, then responded with a ferocious rally which didn't end until Hart had clinched a 58-53 overtime victory in the second round of the CIF state Div. I regional playoffs.

Amanda Ajdari scored five points in the final minute of regulation, including a layup with two seconds left to tie the score at 50-50 and send the game to overtime. Britney Fitchpatrick made a layup to provide Hart its first lead with 3:35 left in overtime, and the No. 5 seed Indians (29-3) finished the game on a 27-9 run.

More than 100 Hart fans rushed the court to celebrate the comeback victory.

"This is the best thing that has ever happened to me on the basketball court," said Ajdari, whose 3-pointer with 59 seconds left in regulation closed Hart's deficit to 50-48. "Tonight was just my night, I guess. I'm proud of everyone on this team for not giving up when it really looked like we were going to lose."

Megan Ford had a team-high 16points for the Indians, while KaLana Inemer (12 points) and Ajdari (11) and Britney Fitchpatrick (10) each scored in double-figures.

Hart advances to face top seed Long Beach Poly in Saturday's Div. I regional semifinal. Long Beach Poly boasts two of the top recruits in the nation, and is the top-ranked team in the state by calpreps.com.

"I'd like to say we've got that (Long Beach Poly) game in the bag," Hart coach Dave Munroe joked. "But in all honesty, Poly is the best the best team in the state for a reason. To have a shot a beating them, we have to play as hard as we did tonight."

Thursday marked Munroe's final game coaching in the Hart gym. He is retiring this season after 18 years and nearly 400 victories as the school's girls' basketball coach.

"What an amazing way to end it. I think I'll stay here (in the gym) forever," Munroe said. "This was one of the most exciting games I've ever been a part of. Everyone of my starters fought her butt off tonight."

Sophomore guard Kiyana Stamps had a game-high 21 points for No. 12 seed Perris (25-8), which held Hart to a season-low four points in the first quarter. The Panthers took a 18-9 with 6:17remaining in the second quarter after Stamps connected on a 3-pointer from the left wing.

The Indians responded with a 10-2 run over the next three minutes to cut the deficit to 20-19, but Stamps scored 10 second-quarter points as the Panthers took a 30-26 lead into halftime.

Perris extended its lead to 44-33 to begin the fourth quarter, when Hart went on its final run.

"Did we really outscore them 27-9 after that point? I can't believe that," Munroe said. "That means we're back to playing Hart basketball."

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2 photos

Photo:

(1 -- color) Hart's Britney Fitchpatrick drives into Perris' Paulnesha Magee.

(2) Hart's Megan Ford drives past Perris' Paulnesha Magee to score in the first half Thursday of their state playoff game at Hart High.

Alex Collins/Special to the Daily News