BY STEVE BRAND

How often have you seen a team’s bench erupt, streaming onto the floor after a teammate made a near-half-court shot as time ran out?

Almost nightly in the NBA. Nearly as often in college basketball. Rarely in high school.

In the final seconds of the first half Tuesday, La Jolla Country Day freshman Sumayah Sugapong produced the basket that turned around a game dominated by L.A. Windward as the nationally No. 1-ranked Torreys took over in the second half to capture the Southern California Regional Open Division championship at Cathedral Catholic High 59-48.

“She’s fearless in the game and she can handle that kind of pressure,” LJCD coach Terri Bamford said of Sugapong.

As expected, McDonald’s All-American Te-hina Paopao (32 points) and super freshman Breya Cunningham (16 points, 11 rebounds) led the Torreys (32-1).

LJCD trailed by eight early and appeared to have closed to one, 22-21, with five seconds to play in the first half when Paopao got a defensive rebound, passing the ball to Sugapong. She quickly dribbled to the area between the 3-point line and half-court, launching her shot just before the buzzer sounded.

After it ripped the nets, Sugapong was mobbed.

At halftime, Bamford stressed having to go to the boards against Windward (27-6).

Cunningham, especially, seemed motivated, adding 10 second-half rebounds after grabbing just one before the break.

In the meantime, Paopao, who scored just three points in the first quarter, caught fire and was virtually unstoppable, scoring 14 in the fourth quarter alone.

“They kept fouling me and that’s easy money,” said the Oregon-bound senior, who was 8-of-8 from the line.

The Torreys advance to the state final at 6 p.m. Saturday against San Jose Archbishop Mitty at the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento.

Brand is a freelance writer.