AAA Championship Hoops at Kezar
Last night was a great night for city hoop lovers. Mission took on Lincoln for the boys championship in the opening game. Lowell took on Lincoln for the girls championship in the second game. Unfortunately for the Mustangs' fans, Lincoln came away empty handed. But both games were intense, closely contested games.
The boys game was sweet redemption for Mission. Last year they were a young upstart team that came out of nowhere with a lightening quick, physical team that took everyone by surprize. Though they lost last year, you could tell this team would be a force to be reckoned with this year. Sure enough, they topped a great season with a convincing victory in the championship. Coach Judson Steele deserves a lot of credit for molding a solid team around the All-Star core of Ronell Foster and Demaree Hampton. The stars game through with big games, especially Foster, but it is clear that this team plays all out, all the time, and they play as one. Congratulations.
Lowell was the favorite in the girls championship game. They were undefeated in league play. The previous match-up with Lincoln had been close early on, but Lowell had been able to shoot their way to victory down the stretch. This game did not follow the script at all. Lincoln pressed all night long. Although Lowell was able to handle the press pretty well with good floor balance and patient passing, Lincoln's press set the tone and inspired relentless, physical, ball-hawking D that knocked Lowell off their game. Lowell could not get their shots to go down, and found themselves in a hole that kept getting deeper well into the fourth quarter. Then, with less than four minutes to go, down by ten, sophomore Kristina Lum went off. She put the team on her shoulders and refused to loose. She broke the press down single handedly. She scored. She got every loose ball. She got fouled. And when she was completely exhausted and had to come out of the game with cramps, her teammates responded and together they pulled off an impossible 12-0 comeback to take the game 48-46. The Chron got an great quote from Lowell's coach Aki Kuwada, "Kristina put us on her back in the fourth quarter. Lincoln's a great club; they're just so young, I don't think they knew how to finish us off."
Last year it was the Mission boys who rode a young team to the brink of a championship, only to loose to a veteran Lowell team. Could Lincoln's girls follow their script next year? We'll see.
The boys game was sweet redemption for Mission. Last year they were a young upstart team that came out of nowhere with a lightening quick, physical team that took everyone by surprize. Though they lost last year, you could tell this team would be a force to be reckoned with this year. Sure enough, they topped a great season with a convincing victory in the championship. Coach Judson Steele deserves a lot of credit for molding a solid team around the All-Star core of Ronell Foster and Demaree Hampton. The stars game through with big games, especially Foster, but it is clear that this team plays all out, all the time, and they play as one. Congratulations.
Lowell was the favorite in the girls championship game. They were undefeated in league play. The previous match-up with Lincoln had been close early on, but Lowell had been able to shoot their way to victory down the stretch. This game did not follow the script at all. Lincoln pressed all night long. Although Lowell was able to handle the press pretty well with good floor balance and patient passing, Lincoln's press set the tone and inspired relentless, physical, ball-hawking D that knocked Lowell off their game. Lowell could not get their shots to go down, and found themselves in a hole that kept getting deeper well into the fourth quarter. Then, with less than four minutes to go, down by ten, sophomore Kristina Lum went off. She put the team on her shoulders and refused to loose. She broke the press down single handedly. She scored. She got every loose ball. She got fouled. And when she was completely exhausted and had to come out of the game with cramps, her teammates responded and together they pulled off an impossible 12-0 comeback to take the game 48-46. The Chron got an great quote from Lowell's coach Aki Kuwada, "Kristina put us on her back in the fourth quarter. Lincoln's a great club; they're just so young, I don't think they knew how to finish us off."
Last year it was the Mission boys who rode a young team to the brink of a championship, only to loose to a veteran Lowell team. Could Lincoln's girls follow their script next year? We'll see.
2 Comments:
Thanks KC for the great reporting of last night's basketball games. It was such an inspiring evening watching the Lowell girls fight back when all hope seemed lost. What a Hollywood ending! It was a great metaphor for the power of determination combined with talent. I know my 13 year old loved it.
You have another chance to see those Lowell stars this evening. Here's an e-mail from a Lowell girls' basketball dad:
The Lady Cardinals will play Carlmont at 6 p.m. Monday (March 3) at
Kezar Pavilion in the first round of the California Interscholastic
Federation's state championship playoffs for Division I (big) schools. If
the Lowell girls win, they take a bus on Tuesday to Arco Arena in Sacramento
for a rematch with Kennedy High School (Sacramento), who defeated the
Cardinals in the same playoffs a year ago.
Carlmont's record is 23 and 7. Against Lowell's opponents: the Scots lost to
Gunn 49-56 (so did Lowell, 37-52). Carlmont defeated Pinewood 54-43 (Lowell
59-56 OT). Lincoln 66-59 (Lowell 53-46 and 48-46), Burlingame twice 61-47
and 49-48 (Lowell 54-43). In a preseason scrimmage with Carlmont, Lowell
posted more points.
The Championship game with Lincoln was, to Lowell fans if not to
Lincolndom, the most thrilling come-from-behind game in my memory of any
sport (with the possible exception of Dave Wottle's 800-meter gold medal in
the 1982 Olympics, which you can view on YouTube by asking Google for his
name).
The gym is Kezar Pavilion on Stanyan Street between Waller and Frederick
streets at the eastern border of Golden Gate Park. Admission, $? The
adjacent parking lot will probably sell "event" tickets for $8. Street
parking is difficult but not impossible. Inside the gym, the Lowell rooters
will probably be found in the bleachers on the northerly side -- to your
right as you enter from Stanyan Street. In finding a seat, be aware of the
steel columns that can impede your view. Some people prefer to sit behind
the backboards. It won't be hard to get a good seat, and more seats will
become available after the first game. If you haven't seen a girls'
basketball game since the advent of Title IX, you'll be surprised at the
skills, teamwork and floor burns.
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