Title time memorable for Bay Area teams
Looking back on a remarkable NorCal final Saturday and ahead toward the state finals this weekend at the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento:
Although action on the court was supreme, including one of the greatest girls games in Bay Area history, the 78-67 tripleovertime victory for Pinewood-Los Altos Hill over previously unbeaten and national No. 1 Mitty — the courage and drama in postgame media sessions was even more compelling.
Mitty coach Sue Phillips, the Naismith National Coach of the Year, was extremely graceful following the team’s second heartbreaking season-ending defeat in two years. Her Monarchs also were No. 1 last season in some national polls before losing to Clovis West in the state final.
Instead of focusing on the defeat or Haley Jones fouling out late in the fourth quarter, Phillips pointed to all the reasons to be proud while noting what a fantastic team Pinewood is.
“My greatest disappointment is not being able to coach them Monday — having to say goodbye,” Phillips said. “I love them like daughters.”
Jones, who played 24 minutes, somehow kept it together. The junior, who on Monday was named Gatorade’s Player of the Year for California, had 17 points, 10 rebounds and four assists. The Monarchs led by 15 when she left with four fouls in the middle of the third quarter.
“It was very frustrating and disappointing that I didn’t get to finish out the game with these three seniors that are my sisters,” she said. “It was disappointing to feel like I let them down. I wasn’t there (on the court) to pick them up.”
In victory, Pinewood coach Doc Scheppler was his usual entertaining and insightful self, first poking fun at his undersized team by imitating Howard Cosell: “Some said too small to play pro football.”
“It was absolutely spectacular, it couldn’t be better, and they earned it,” Scheppler said. “We work really hard, Mitty works really hard. The best teams are the hardest workers, that do the most, that prepare, that do the little things. That was a celebration of the game right there.”
Said Pinewood’s Hannah Jump (24 points): “We don’t play like the Warriors, the Warriors play like us.”
Sacred Heart Cathedral senior Errayanna Hatfield let the media know before any questions were asked that the Irish’s 69-48 Division 1 girls title win over Miramonte-Orinda had nothing to do with it being played on St. Patrick’s Day: “That means it’s not luck, it’s skill.” She was right.
San Francisco basketball is more than healthy.
A season after the Mission boys captured a Division 3 state championship, three others — the Sacred Heart Cathedral girls, the Lowell girls (Division 5) and the Stuart Hall boys (Division 4) — will go for gold in Sacramento.
Stuart Hall, the ninth seed, pulled out a 68-62 overtime win over St. Mary’s-Berkeley behind 23 points from junior guard Miles Amos. The Knights survived a stretch late in regulation that saw St. Mary’s score seven straight points — five on free throws from a technical foul and a foul called on a three-point attempt, followed by a basket on an ensuing inbound pass — and 25 points by St. Mary’s sophomore Jason Roche to win on the road.
Lowell, behind first-year head coach Matt Magsanay, won its fourth regional by double digits with a 48-31 home win over Durham (Butte County). First-team All-AAA players KD Lee, a 5-3 junior, and 5-6 senior Alivia Pan had 13 points apiece before a packed crowd at Lowell.
“Great environment,” Magsanay said. “Durham brought all their fans and we had all of ours. It was fantastic.”
There should be loads of celebrity sightings at Golden 1 all weekend.
In the boys Division 2 game, Alameda’s boys face a Crossroads-Santa Monica team that features Shareef O’Neal, the son of NBA Hall of Famer Shaquille O’Neal. The 6-foot-10, 200-pound forward recently committed to UCLA after decommitting to Arizona.
In the boys Open game, Sheldon of Sacramento takes on a Sierra Canyon-Chatsworth squad that includes the sons of four NBA players: Scottie Pippen, Kenyon Martin, Tellis Frank and Duane Washington.
Other celebrities who frequently attend Sierra Canyon games are Kanye West, Drake and members of the Kardashian/Jenner family.