The Sierra Pacific girls basketball team made history Friday night defeating Bakersfield Christian 64-48 at Selland Arena to claim its second consecutive Central Section Division II title.
Playing on one of the biggest stages in the Central Valley on Feb. 27 the Lady Bears (21-11 overall) came out focused and hungry for a win. The team set the tone early with aggressive defense which in turn became spectacular offense. SP displayed disciplined and unselfish ball movement, building momentum that carried them throughout the game. The Golden Bears led by as many as 24 points.
Sierra Pacific went into the game as the No. 7 seed after starting the season slow, losing its first six games of the season of seven of its first eight. But that didn’t matter against the top-seeded Eagles, which the Golden Bears had defeated earlier in the sesason.
Junior guard Kimora Gardner felt nerves in the title game.
“Entering Selland, I felt so nervous I thought I was gonna throw up,” Gardner said. “But after warming up with my team, I felt fine.”
Junior Mia McLemore had nine first half points. By halftime, the Golden Bears led by 16, establishing control of the game and making it clear their goal.
Despite Bakersfield Christian cutting the lead within eight points in the fourth quarter, SP responded with key defensive stops and strong finishes at the rim, carrying them to victory. Every time the eagles gained some momentum, the Golden Bears answered. All of Sierra Pacific’s starting five ended the game with double digits in points.
Sophomore guard Lylah Love said the difference in the game was Sierra Pacific’s teamwork. Love had 11 first-half points, including three 3-pointers.
“I think what really put us over the top was making the extra pass,” she said. “Trusting each other was a huge thing during the game.”
As soon as the game ended, the Lady Bears ran to each other hugging and screaming in joy, celebrating their hard-earned victory. Confetti fell onto the players as they were on the podium jumping up and down.
Winning back to back Division II section championships is a huge accomplishment, pushing them to work harder in the next two weeks as they qualified for Division II state playoffs as a No. 2 seed. Sierra Pacific won its state playoff opener Tuesday, March 3 against No. 15 Heritage 58-46. The Golden Bears face No. 10 Folsom March 5 at 7 p.m. in the Sierra Pacific gym in the Northern California Regionals.
