CIF State Championships: Sierra Pacific wins first D5 girls state title

Video: Shareef O'Neal finishes on top
Watch the son of Shaquille O'Neal lead his Crossroads' squad to a state-title victory Friday night.

SACRAMENTO — Now that's what you call a finish.

The Sierra Pacific (Hanford, Calif.) Golden Bears finished the game on an 18-0 run to complete a 32-5 season en route to their first state championship with a 52-26 win over Lowell (San Francisco, Calif.) in the CIF Division 5 title game Saturday morning at Golden 1 Arena.

Cold shooting Lowell (20-12), a chilly 8-of-46 from the floor, had hung around with great hustle and swarming defense, cutting a once 16-point lead to 34-26 on a jumper by Sammy Quach early in the fourth quarter. Quach led her team with eight points.

But Sierra Pacific, out of the Central Section, went inside like it did all morning, getting 20 points and 12 rebounds from 5-foot-9 sophomore Alana Roberts (10 of 14 shooting) and 12 points, eight rebounds and four assists by 5-8 sophomore Celeste Lewis.

"We focused on doing all the little things," Sierra Pacific coach Amy Bush said. "We just wanted to make sure we attacked." A team dominated by six seniors, it was the sophomores who really stepped up. "We're excited about that because they're coming back," Bush said.

Even though it doesn't boast a player taller than 5-9, Sierra Pacific dwarfed tiny Lowell, which was outrebounded 48-26.

The Cardinals survived a horrific 1-for-20 start from the field, with great hustle and fullcourt pressure, forcing 18 turnovers, most of those in the first half.

They closed the half on 6-0 run, the last four from Aly Lee, to cut the lead to 22-12 at halftime.

Sierra Pacific stretched the lead to 32-16 in the third, but once again Lowell flurried at the end of the quarter with seven straight points, the last three coming on a rainbow 3-pointer from Sam Hum at the buzzer, making it 32-23.

Kalea Bush, the coach's daughter, finished with seven points and eight rebounds for the Golden Bears. She's one of six seniors who have played together since grade school. Sierra Pacific is 85-16 over the last three seasons with Amy Bush as coach.

"I'm speechless," said Kalea Bush, who finished with more than 1,000 career points. "It's been really great to do this with my mom."

Haley Bettencourt was awarded the Pursuing Victory with Honor after the game. She finished as the team's leading scorer during the season.

"It's amazing to have our community behind us," she said. "Some asked, 'Oh, the Central Section?' They were surprised we weren't from Southern California. We're not just representing Hanford but the entire Central Section."

KD Lee didn't score for Lowell, but she had seven steals, four assists and four rebounds. Her first-year coach Matthew Magsanay got the Cardinals to their first state-title game.

"I'm absolutely proud of these girls," he said. "They aren't just good players but really good people. This isn't what we wanted to happen and it will sting, but it's OK. We'll get over it quickly."

Said junior guard Lauren Chan of playing at Golden 1: "It's a once-in-a-lifetime experience. How many people can say they played in an NBA arena? Nerves got us early, but overall, it was a great experience."