SAC-JOAQUIN SECTION CHAMPIONSHIP Christian Brothers tops RV in title game
News-sentinel River Valley High girls basketball coach Tom Zaragoza addresses his team during the Sac-joaquin Section Division III championships game on Saturday afternoon at the University of the Pacific in Stockton. The Falcons lost, 72-58, to defending champion Christian Brothers in the first title game appearance in program history.
River Valley High’s girls basketball team was looking to shock everyone on Saturday afternoon when it took on powerhouse Christian Brothers of Sacramento for the Sac-joaquin Section Division III championship.
It was the first title game appearance in program history for the Falcons, and while they put up a spirited effort, the defending section champions proved to be too much to handle as top-seeded Christian Brothers pulled away for good in the second quarter en route to a 72-58 victory at the University of the Pacific in Stockton.
The Falcons trailed by three points at the end of the first quarter before foul trouble to a few of their top players began to make things difficult. Christian Brothers outscored River Valley 20-8 in the second quarter to open up a 38-23 lead at halftime, and extended its lead to 57-39 heading into the fourth, all but ending RV’S title chances and putting an halt to the Falcons’ 14-game winning streak spanning nearly two months.
“That’s a great team we played against,” said River Valley coach Tom Zaragoza. “It was our first time being there, and I think the nerves got to us a little bit. It was their third straight time going, and they had a little less nerves than we did, I guess.”
Among those saddled with foul trouble early was leading scorer Leaundra Walkerbrown, who picked up four fouls in the first half. Sidni Wise-wright was whistled three times in the first half, and Devyn Dahlstrom was in foul trouble from the start before eventually fouling out.