HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL FINALS : Division IV Girls : Coronado, Holtville: Beginnings, Endings

SAN DIEGO — The Coronado and Holtville high school girls’ basketball teams will finish their San Diego Section seasons just the way they started them--playing each other.

This time it’s for the section Division IV girls’ title at 9:30 a.m. today in the Sports Arena.

Holtville is the top-seeded team partly because of its 41-31 season-opening victory over Coronado, the second-seeded team.

“The real question is whether we’ve improved 10 points over the season,” said Bill Cass, Coronado coach.

Coronado (11-12) started the season with a lot of question marks. It returned only one player with varsity experience--Connie Braithwaite, a 5-foot-6 forward who averaged 11 points and 8 rebounds this season after being the seventh player last year.

A key for Coronado will be the play of 5-10 center Melissa Patterson, who averaged eight points and eight rebounds. But Cass said Patterson has been averaging double figures in Coronado’s current five-game winning streak.

“I expect a real close game,” said Mike Pacheco, Holtville coach. “The only problem I’m concerned with is the rebounding.”

Holtville (15-9) has a balanced offensive attack led by sophomore point guard Teresa Ibarra, who is averaging 10.8 points per game. Estella Pacheco, a 5-9 center, averages 10.3 points, and forward Dina Patzloff averages 9.8.