– After defeating the No. 1 team in the country last week, Brea Olinda coach Jeff Sink entered Friday’s Division II state finals against Carondelet of Concord with one major concern – would his team suffer an emotional letdown.
“Beating Mater Dei last week is one of the greatest wins in the history of this program,” said Sink. “I wasn’t worried about a physical letdown coming into today’s game, but I was worried that the emotional strain of that win might be too much.”
Sink’s worries proved unfounded. Behind the three-point shooting of junior Kelsey Harris and a tough defense that limited Carondelet to just 29 percent shooting for the entire game, the Wildcats captured the ninth state title in school history, 68-45.
With the crown, Brea Olinda has won more state basketball championships than any program in state history, boys or girls. The Wildcats were tied with the Crenshaw boys at eight. The title is the fourth for Sink, who guided the Wildcats to three straight championships between 1998 and 2000. Brea Olinda reached the finals in 2007 but fell to Archbishop Mitty.
Brea Olinda senior guard Jonae Ervin led the break all night.
Photo by David Steutel
Harris got the Wildcats started with a three-point basket from the left corner. The 3-pointer was the first of four in the game for Harris, tying the Division 2 championship game record (Aimee McDaniel of Brea Olinda made five 3-pointers in 1990 when the Wildcats played at the Div. III level).
Harris sparked an early run as she scored 10 of the Wildcats first 14 points. Brea Olinda led 14-7 with 2:37 to go and was never seriously threatened the rest of the way. Four free throws by Justin Hartman and Kendall Rodriguez put the Wildcats ahead 18-7 after eight minutes.
The two teams combined for 23 first-half fouls and that created a parade to the free throw line in the second quarter. Carondelet scored the first four points of the second period on free throws by Erica Payne and Erin Boettcher, but Brea Olinda opened a 20-point lead with a 13-0 run.
Harris had eight of the points in the run, including five free throws and a 3-pointer. Although Payne’s three-point play with 1:48 remaining cut the lead to 17 points (33-16), the Wildcats scored two more buckets for a 37-18 halftime lead.
“I was really pleased with our play in the first half, which seems like a ridiculous statement, but we executed well on offense and defense,” said Sink. “In the second half, Carondelet played a little more frenetically and we bought into it.”
Carondelet coach Margaret Gartner was concerned that her team simply didn’t play its game in the first half.
“We weren’t running our offense and we weren’t playing defense. We just weren’t playing as a unit,” she said. “I thought Brea might put a little more pressure on defense, but they did a good job of trailing Ricki (Radanovich) and we just didn’t help her out.”
Sink noted that there was a good reason the Cougars had trouble running their offense – his team had been running it in practice all week long.
“We do a lot of scouting. Maybe everyone scouts, but we spend a lot of hours breaking down film and we have our backup players running the other team’s offense better than they do,” said Sink. “So hats off to the taxi squad. They are the key to our defense.”
Carondelet managed to reduce Brea’s lead to 15 in the third quarter behind the play of Pace and Hilary Rosette. Pace sank three free throws and Rosette came off the bench to score two baskets in the paint to make it a 46-31.
Brea got back on track early in the fourth quarter, however, when point guard Jonae Ervin pulled off one of the more athletic plays of the game. As the last person back on defense, Ervin stripped the ball on a layup attempt by Carondelet. The lightning quick guard then sprinted past all nine players on the court for a layup at the other end to put the lead back at 20, 58-38.
After Harris fouled out with 3:26 remaining, Ervin teamed up with Hartman in the final three minutes for three straight buckets with Hartman scoring three straight layups on an Ervin assist.
Harris finished with 25 points while Hartman had 10. Payne led Carondelet with 18.
The victory puts Brea Olinda, currently No. 1 in California and in the nation by MaxPreps/National Guard computer-based rankings, at 33-2 on the season. Carondelet falls to 29-4.
DIVISION II Girls
Brea Olinda Wildcats (33-2) vs. Carondelet Cougars (29-4)
Final Box Score:
Brea Olinda 68 Carondelet 45
Brea Olinda 18 19 13 18 - 68
Carondelet 7 11 15 12 - 45
BREA OLINDA (33-2): Kelsey Harris 12-17 5-6 25, Kendall Rodriguez 1-8 6-8 8, Alexis Perry 3-5 0-0 6, Jonae Ervin 4-11 0-0 8, Justine Hartman 4-8 2-2 10, Kiana Lewis 0-0 0-0 0, Alyssa Crittenden 0-1 0-0 0, Breecia DiCroce 0-0 0-0 0, Jeanier Olukemi 2-4 0-0 4, Casey Ellis 0-0 0-0 0, Melody Chavez 1-3 0-0 2, Julia Yang 0-2 1-2 1, Keitra Wallace 2-6 0-2 4. Totals 29-65 14-21 68.
CARONDELET (29-4): Erin Boettcher 0-0 2-2 2, Morgan Fitterer 1-14 3-4 5, Hannah Huffman 2-10 3-4 7, Erica Payne 6-14 6-8 18, Ricki Radanovich 2-12 0-1 3, Alyssa Flores 0-2 1-2 1, Celina Lafrades 0-0 0-0 0, Camille Romeo 0-0 0-0 0, Hilary Rosette 3-5 3-4 9, Melissa Russi 0-0 0-0 0, Portia Velasco 0-0 0-0 0, Kaitlyn Regan 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 14-57 12-18 45.
3-point goals: Brea Olinda 4-9 (Harris 4), Carondelet 1-12 (Radanovich). Rebounds: Brea Olinda 42 (Harris 5, Perry 5, Ervin 5, Hartman 5), Carondelet 30 (Payne 9). Turnovers: Brea Olinda 22, Carondelet 25.
LIVE BLOG
Brea-Olinda Wildcats (32-2) vs. Carondelet Cougars (29-3)
First Quarter
Free throws play a big role in the early going with Brea Olinda convering eight free throws in the first quarter while building an 18-7 lead…Kelsey Harris opens the game for the Wildcats with a 3-pointer and a layup for a 5-4 Brea-Olinda lead…Kendall Rodriguez sinks four free throws and Harris scores another 3-pointer for a 9-0 Wildcat run…Carondelet’s Hannah Huffman converts three free throws to cut deficit to seven points, 14-7…Wildcats close with four free throws, two each by Justin Hartman and Rodriguez. Brea-Olinda 18, Carondelet 7.
Second Quarter
Parade to the free throw line continues in second quarter…Carondelet starts second quarter with four free throws, two each by Erica Payne and Erin Boettcher…Wildcats score next 13 points…Harris scores eight consecutive points on five three throws and a 3-pointer with 5:20 remaining…Payne converts a 3-point play with 1:48 remaining to cut Brea-Olinda advantage to 17, 33-16…Keitra Wallace Melody Chavez score on layups to put lead back to 21 points…Payne scores 10th point of the first half to make halftime score 37-18…Harris finishes first half with 18…Two teams combine for 23 fouls in first half…Wildcats are 14-of-19 from the line…Cougars are 8-of-10 from the line. Brea Olinda 37, Carondelet 18
Third Quarter
Wildcats push lead to 22 points on 3-pointer by Harris 42-20…Brea-Olinda continues to have foul trouble, committing six fouls in third quarter to just one for Carondelet…Cougars cut into Wildcat lead from the free throw line with five free throws in quarter…Hilary Rosette comes off the bench for Cougars to score three buckets including final two of the quarter to cut Brea Olinda lead to 17 points, 50-33. Brea Olinda 50, Carondelet 33
Fourth Quarter
Payne basket to open quarter brings Carondelet within 15, 50-35…Jeanier Olukemi scores twice putting Wildcat lead back to 19…Ricki Radanovich scores only 3-pointer of the game for Carondelet to make it 54-38…Wildcat point guard Jonae Ervin takes over. She steals the ball from a Cougar player going in for a layup and beats everyone back down the floor for a layup…Ervin sinks floater in the lane to 60-41 lead…Justin Hartman scores final eight points for Wildcats including three in a row on assists from Ervin…Harris fouls out with 3:26 remaining and finishes with 23 points. Brea Olinda 68, Carondelet 45.
DIVISION V Girls
Bellarmine Jefferson Guards 55, Pinewood Panthers 47
Bellarmine-Jefferson’s bid for a state championship didn’t begin on Friday at 3:30 p.m. at Arco Arena. It got started in the middle of summer at 6 a.m.
The Guards won the first state title in school history with a 55-47 win over the Pinewood Panthers in the CIF Division V championship game Friday at Arco Arena. According to coach Bryan Camacho, the Guards were able to win due to the team’s commitment and selflessness.
“We asked these kids to come in at 6 a.m. to shoot around. They had to want to get better,” he said. “This championship is a credit to our kids and their support system.”
Jasmine Smith (12) helped Bell-Jeff to first state crown.
Photo by David Steutel
The contest featured the relentless pressure of the guards and the three-point shooting of the Panthers. While Bellarmine-Jefferson went the entire game with a fullcourt press, the Panthers kept within striking distance with six 3-point baskets on the night including three by leading scorer Lindsay Nickel.
Pinewood coach Doc Sheppler pointed to Bell-Jeff’s pressure defense as one of the keys to the game.
“That was my fault,” he said. “I didn’t think they would press the whole game like that so I didn’t adequately prepare the girls to handle the kind of defense.”
Camacho noted that putting extreme pressure on the opponent comes by design.
“We want to impose our will and dictate the tempo by making the other team waste time on the clock,” he said. “No matter who we play, we want to put as much pressure on them as possible through four quarters.”
The two teams played close through the first 15 minutes of play when Bell-Jeff went on a 9-0 run to close the half and build a 31-20 lead. Junior guard Margeaux Gupalin had the key buckets in that run, hitting a 3-point basket on the left side with a minute to play and then moving to the right side to toss in another 3-point shot with 39 seconds left.
“Those two baskets were the key to the game,” said Sheppler. “We were close and those two shots turned a five-point game into an 11-point game. It made it an uphill battle after that.”
Camacho agreed, noting that all year long a different player has come up big in crucial moments.
“There’s no question that was a pivotal point in the game,” he said. “Different kids step up at different times and we all share in the success, but Margeaux has done that all year.”
After the break, Margeaux’s cousing, Shelley Gupalin, took over. She scored nine of Bell-Jeff’s 11 points in the guarter, including a 3-point play that gave the Guards a 39-25 lead. She added two free throws and a putback to give Bell-Jeff its biggest lead at 43-27.
Pinewood was able to chip away at the Guards’ advantage and finally got it under double digits on a 25-foot 3-point shot by Lindsay Nickel. Fouled on the play, Nickel completed the four-point play with a free throw and got Pinewood within seven points at 54-47 with 34 seconds left in the game.
“She’s a special player,” said Camacho. “When she sets her feet, she can really shoot. We had to keep an eye on her throughout the game.”
The Panthers were unable to score again the rest of the game and Rishonda Napier’s free throw with 22 seconds left provided the final margin.
“We just couldn’t lose this game,” said Napier. “All of those extra shots after the game and all of those six o’clock practices. We just had to win.”
Shelley Gupalin led the Guards with 22 points while Margeaux Gupalin added 13. Nickel topped Pinewood with 16 points while Hailie Eackles added 15 and Miranda Seto scored 12.
Bellarmine-Jefferson finishes the season at 34-1 while Pinewood ends the year at 31-5.
Bell-Jeff 55, Pinewood 47
Bell-Jeff 17 14 12 12 - 55
Pinewood 11 9 12 15 - 47
BELL-JEFF (34-1): Julia Tani 0-10 3-6 3, Rishonda Napier 4-9 2-4 9, Elizabeth Hawthorne 1-8 0-0 2, Margeaux Gupilan 7-11 1-3 13, Shelley Gupilan 9-17 5-7 22, Jasmine Smith 2-2 2-4 6, Cindy Melchor 0-0 0-0 0, Sophia Chairez 0-0 0-0 0, Janelle Gabb 0-0 0-0 0, Averie-Alice Guzman 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 23-57 13-24 55.
PINEWOOD (31-5): Kelsey Morehead 1-4 0-0 2, Jenna McLoughlin 0-7 0-0 0, Hailie Eackles 5-18 6-6 15, Miranda Seto 7-17 0-0 12, Lindsay Nickel 8-20 3-3 16, Caitlin Ciardella 0-9 2-2 2, Rachel Marty 0-6 0-0 0. Totals 21-81 11-11 47.
3-point goals: Bell-Jeff 4-12 (M. Gupilan 2, Napier, S. Gupilan), Pinewood 6-28 (Nickel 3, Seto 2, Eackles). Rebounds: Bell-Jeff 36 (Hawthorne 9), Pinewood 33 (Eackles 10). Turnovers: Bell-Jeff 20, Pinewood 22.
LIVE BLOG
First Quarter
Bell-Jeff gets off to a 7-2 lead capped by a fake pass followed by a layup by Margeaux Gupilan… Pinewood gets back into the game on two free throws each by Hailie Eackles and Lindsay Nickel…Miranda Seto adds a putback to tie the game at 8-8…Guards cap the first quarter with 9-3 run…Rishonda Napier scores first basket of the run and hits a 3-pointer to end the quarter…Pinewood’s only basket in the final minutes is a 3-point bucket by Seto.
Second Quarter
Pinewood climbs to within two points of the lead at 22-20 with a 9-5 run…Nickel hits a 3-point shot from the left side of the arc at the 4:03 mark and adds a field goal on a layup moments later to cut the Guards’ lead to two points…Bell-Jeff culminates the quarter with a 9-0 run…Gupilan scores on a drive through the key to make the score 25-20…Gupilan nails a 3-pointer from the left side of the court with under a minute to play and then hits a 3-pointer from the right side with 38 seconds remaining for the final points of the quarter … Nickel, Pinewood’s leading scorer with nine points, collects her third foul with 1:44 remaining. Halftime score – Bellarmine-Jefferson 31, Pinewood 20.
Third Quarter
Shelley Gupilan controls most of the third quarter for Bell-Jeff, scoring nine of the team’s 11 points…Gupalin gives the Guards a 39-25 lead at the 3:31 mark with a drive to the basket and a subsequent foul shot to complete a three-point play…Gupilan adds two free throws with 1:31 remaining to give the Guards their biggest lead at 43-27…Nickel adds to her team-high point total with a 3-pointer to start the third quarter. She has 12 points through three periods…Seto cuts Bell-Jeff’s lead to 11 points with a 3-pointer from the right side and then a steal and layup with nine seconds remaining. Bell-Jeff 43, Pinewood 32.
Fourth Quarter
Neither team was able to get much going until the final four minutes of the quarter. Pinewood scored four points in the first four minutes while Bell-Jeff had only two…Pinewood cuts Bell-Jeff lead to eight points with 2:06 remaining on a 3-point basket by Eackles…Margeaux Gupilan responds with a three-point play when she sinks a 15-footer and converts the free throw with 1:53 remaining…Sister Shelley Gupilan adds a drive to the basket to put the Guard lead up to 13, 54-41…Nickels completes a four-point play with 1:09 left. After sinking a 3-point shot from 25 feet, Nickel is fouled and scores the free throw…Eackles steals ball and goes in for a layup with 34 seconds left to cut margin to seven points, 54-47…Napier scores final point on a free throw with 22 seconds left. Final Score: Bellarmine-Jefferson 55, Pinewood 47
E-mail Kevin Askeland at kaskeland@maxpreps.com.
