By Dennis Knight
Mercury News

Valley Christian was at its best in the third quarter Thursday night against visiting St. Patrick-St. Vincent but couldn't find its groove in the fourth.

One free throw was all the Warriors could muster in the final eight minutes as their season ended with a 56-45 loss in the NorCal Division IV playoffs.

The Warriors used a 25-point third quarter to storm back from a five-point halftime deficit and take a 44-39 lead. But the Bruins (28-5) from Vallejo outscored the Warriors 17-1 in the final quarter.

"We had three good quarters and then one where we just couldn't put the ball in the basket," Warriors Coach Richard Harris said. "We were taking the shots we normally would; they just didn't fall. But I'm super proud of the girls and how far this program has come in the last two years."

Valley Christian (27-7) won its second consecutive CCS Division IV crown and finished tied for second in the rugged West Catholic Athletic League.

The Bruins jumped to a 7-0 lead in the first minute, getting baskets from Ashley Moore, Olivia Reed and Jamiez Terrell after a stolen inbounds pass.

The Warriors battled back behind sophomore point guard A.J. Newton, who broke the Bruins' full-court press with her ballhandling skills.

Newton (12 points) was fearless driving to the basket, with several acrobatic finishes. Freshman guard Jazmine Davis also was effective, scoring nine points. And Kelsey Bird scored all eight of her points in Valley Christian's But 5-foot-11 forward Alex Cowling led the Bruins in the fourth, scoring six of her game-high 17 points.

"We saw them grab the momentum; they are really fast and can make a lot of threes," Cowling said. "But we were able to grind it out."