Ontario, CA—Here are the facts:
The CIF playoff run by the Colton High Yellowjackets girls basketball team is officially done as they were beaten by Adelanto High School 64-35 on Saturday in the CIF Southern Section division 5AA finals.
The Yellowjackets received the runner-up plaque commemorating the season in a ceremony after the game.
The Saints, their offense led by 6’3 center Nina Lacy, punished the oversized Yellowjackets with 25 points. Lacy took full advantage of her size, spending the game camped in the lane, putting in layups and put backs.
For Colton, after taking a slim 17-15 advantage at the end of the first quarter, their offense never found any rhythm. Despite good looks from the field, their shots didn’t want to fall, putting them in a deeper hole as the game went along.
Eight Yellowjackets scored in this game. Savannah Govea led Colton with nine points, scoring six in the first quarter. Naomi Ontiveros added seven.
Those are the facts about the game. Here are some other facts:
The Lady Yellowjackets are the first girls team in school history to make a CIF finals in any sport since Field Hockey won titles in 1974 and 1977.
They are the first girls basketball team to win a league title and a CIF playoff game.
They beat Grand Terrace in a CIF playoff game, ending the Titans’ season.
They drew more fans at road games than the home team throughout these playoffs, including the CIF final.
They played this season with passion and fire, inspiring this community.
Last summer, well before the season began, the team went on a camping trip. At one point, head coach Keisha Young had them each write on two separate strips of paper excuses for why they couldn’t win a league title this season. They took the papers, crumpled them into tiny balls and shot them into the campfire.
“No excuses. That was our motto this year,” said Young.
That is how this team played. Even when they hit a snag early in the season, losing their first league game to Notre Dame, they figured it out and went on a 12 game winning streak. They dominated league play and took the title.
Getting this far in CIF was never a thought. After winning league on Feb. 3, Young said “I told them it was time to focus on playoffs, but I never thought we’d be standing here. When we beat Nogales, I didn’t think we’d be here. Even after Desert Hot Springs and GT, I never thought.”
Even though the loss to Adelanto is not the magical ending to this magical run the team wanted, it is not a tragic end either.
It is also not the end. Here is one more fact:
The team qualified as the no. 16 seed in the division IV CIF State Championship tournament last week, and is set to play no. 1 seed Newbury Park on Tuesday in Newbury Park, near Thousand Oaks. Game time is 7 p.m. Tickets will be available on GoFan.co.
