Mission Prep girls basketball team headed to section final after beating Oxford Academy in semis

The Mission Prep girls basketball team is headed back to a CIF-Southern Section championship game for the first time since 2012.

The Royals defeated Oxford Academy 39-24 in a Division 5AA semifinal Saturday night for their third road win in the playoffs.

Mission Prep (18-8) had 20 steals and held Oxford Academy to nine points in the first half.

“Our shots weren’t falling,” Mission Prep coach Andrew Richardson said in an email. “But we know how to play defense.”

Noelle Laird had 12 points and 10 rebounds, and Jennifer Laird added 11 points.

The Royals will play Flintridge Prep (19-4), which beat Village Christian at home Saturday.

The section final will be played either March 4 or 5, with the time and location still to be determined.

Mission Prep last played for a section title in 2012, when it defeated Villanova Prep to win the Division 5AA championship. The Royals went on to lose to Brookside Christian in the state Division 5 championship game.

This story was originally published February 27, 2016 at 9:57 PM with the headline "Mission Prep girls basketball team headed to section final after beating Oxford Academy in semis."