2000 CIF State Basketball Championships

REVIEW

A record crowd of 24,627 witnessed one of the most exciting championship series in CIF history. Three games were decided in the finals seconds, including a thrilling tip-in by Jair Velduhuis of Tamalpais at the buzzer to give the Red Tailed Hawks a, 61-60, victory over St. Bernard of Playa del Rey in the boys' Division IV title game. Joe See hit two free throws with 2.9 seconds left to lift De La Salle Concord to a comeback win for its first-ever state title in another thriller versus Clovis West  in the boys' Division I title contest.  Redwood Christian of San Lorenzo also won in the finals seconds, 34-33, over Santa Fe Christian of Solana Beach in the girls' Division V championship game.

Seven teams won their first-ever state basketball championship. That group included De La Salle (boys' Division I), Bishop Montgomery, Torrance (boys' Division III), Tamalpais (boys' Division IV), Price of Los Angeles (boys' Division V), *Narbonne Harbor City (girls' Division I), and Santa Fe Christian (girls Division V).

Brea-Olinda won a record eighth state championship with a close win over Amador Valley Pleasanton in the girls' Division II matchup. The Ladycats expanded on their own record, but also tied the Crenshaw Los Angeles boys' basketball team for most state championships won in any sport. Dominguez Compton won its fourth title in five appearances in the boys' Division II title game.

In all, the south won six of the 10 championships. Winners from the south were Dominguez (boys' Division II), Bishop Montgomery (boys' Division III), Price (boys' Division V), Narbonne (girls Division I), Brea-Olinda (girls' Division II) and Bishop Montgomery (girls' Division III). Northern winners were De La Salle (boys' Division I), Tamalpais (boys' Division IV), St. Mary's of Stockton (girls' Division IV), and Redwood Christian (girls' Division V).

Bishop Montgomery became the fourth school to win a boys' and girls' state basketball championship in the same season. Other schools to accomplish the feat include Drake San Anselmo, Ripon Christian of Ripon (did it twice) and Menlo School Atherton.

* The 1998 title game between Narbonne and Berkeley was vacated due to ineligible players from Narbonne.

Division II Boys: Chandler Paces Dominguez to Fourth Title (Dominguez, Compton 53, Newark Memorial, Newark 41)

Tyson Chandler, a 7-0 junior center, scored 19 points and pulled down 12 rebounds to pace Dominguez to its fourth CIF State Championship. The Dons, making their fifth appearance in the finals, won state titles in 1995-97 and 1999. Steve Moore added 10 points to the Dominguez attack. Newark Memorial's Marcus Chandler scored a game-high 20 points and Matt Rasmussen pitched in with 13 for the Cougars. It was the first appearance in the finals for Newark Memorial, which finished the season 32-1. The Dons, ranked first in the state and nationally, finished 35-2.
Sportsmanship/Citizenship Award - Micah McKinney (Dominguez); Brendon Erickson (Newark Memorial)

Division IV Boys:    Veldhuis's Tip-In at the Buzzer Wins it For Tamalpais (Tamalpais 61, St. Bernard, Play del Rey 60)

Jair Velduhuis tipped in a shot at the buzzer to cap a thrilling victory to give Tamalpais its first state championship. In a game where the lead changed hands three times in the final minute, Michael Tabb and Bryan Defares were the top scorers for the Red Tailed Hawks with 17 points apiece. Brandon Williams of St. Bernard had a game-leading 25 points and Chrismen Oliver scored 19. It was the first appearance in the state finals for both teams. Tamalpais finished 33-2, while St. Bernard  was 26-8.
Sportsmanship/Citizenship Award - Chrismen Oliver (St. Bernard); Greg Smith (Tamalpais)

Division II Girls:    Brea-Olinda Makes it Eight State Crowns in Nine Trips (Brea-Olinda 47, Amador Valley, Pleasanton 34)

Brea-Olinda caught fire in the fourth period with an 18-4 run to beat Amador Valley en route to its eighth state championship in nine appearances. It's the most-ever titles in girls play and ties Crenshaw Los Angeles (boys basketball) for the most state championships in any sport. Chelsea Trotter took charge in the final frame and led both teams with 16 points and 13 rebounds. Brea was also led by Tara Hefferly with 10 points and Daveri Bonnewitz who pulled down 10 rebounds. Mia Fisher, who was double-teammed throughout the game, led Amador Valley with 14 points and 10 boards.
Sportsmanship/Citizenship Award - Robin Phillips (Brea-Olinda); Tessa Winter (Amador Valley)

Division IV Girls:    Balanced Attack Leads St. Mary's to First Title (St. Mary's, Stockton 72, St. Bernard, Playa del Rey 57)

Michelle Cozad and Andrea Nedersotek scored 23 and Dominique Banks added 18 as St. Mary's won its first state title. St. Bernard, making its fifth trip to the state finals and a three-time champion, was led by Shannon Howell's 24 point effort. St. Bernard finished the season 26-6, while the Rams were 34-3.
Sportsmanship/Citizenship Award - Alexis Kendricks (St. Bernard); Andrea Nederostek (St. Mary's).

Division V Girls:   Redwood Christian Wins in Final Seconds for its First State Title (Redwood Christian, San Lorenzo 34, Sante Fe Christian, Solana Beach 33)

Angela Thompson and Leah Thorton paced Redwood Christian to its first CIF State Championship with 13 and 11 points respectively.  The Eagles trailed 19-14 at the half and came back for a tight win in the final seconds.  Brandi Collato led Santa Fe Christian with a game-leading 17 points and 15 rebounds.  Santa Fe Chrisitian, also making its first appearance in the title game, finished its season 29-5.    Redwood Christian ended 25-5.  After winning their first title, head coach Joe Hendren said, "It was a tough win with all the hoopla surrounding the game.  I give a lot of credit to Santa Fe Christian, they jumped on us early, but we didn't lose focus.  It didn't matter if we won or lost, as long as we went out and played a great game and we did that today."
Sportsmanship/Citizenship Award - Jana Davis (Santa Fe Christian); Leah Thompson (Redwood Christian)

Division V Boys: Price Comes Back from 15 Down to Win Crown (Price, Los Angeles 71, Hoopa Valley, Hoopa 66)

Hoopa Valley connected on seven three-pointers in the first half and had a 15 point lead late in the half, but Price of Los Angeles fought back to win a thriller. "We've been behind a few times in the playoff and while you don't want to be in that situation the experience of being behind and being able to turn it up a notch helped us today," said Price Head Coach Michael Lynch. The game wasn't decided until Chris Alexander hit a pair of free throws with six second remaining. Jermaine Jamison led the charge for the Knights with 17 points and Mychal Lynch added 15. Adam Pomikvar was the game-leading scorer with 25 points for Hoopa Valley, while Joe Smith finished with 19. The Warrior fought back from a 65-58 deficit late in the game and cut the lead to 67-66. "These guys will never die," said Hoopa Coach Inker McCovey. "They keep working for 32 minutes." It was a first appearance in the state finals for both teams. Hoopa finished 31-4 on the season, while Price ended 33-1.

Division III Girls: Ervin Leads Bishop Montgomery to State Title (Bishop Montgomery, Torrance 57, Petaluma 45)

Freshman Lauren Ervin, who was member of the state volleyball championship team from Bishop Montgomery in the fall, scored 18 points and pulled down 15 rebounds to lead the Knights past Petaluma. It was the third CIF State Basketball Championship in four years for Bishop Montgomery, which previously won titles in 1996 and 1997.  The Knights opened up a close game with a 19-10 showing in the third quarter. "We picked up the intensity in the second half and worked the press better," said Lisa Corona, the coach of the Knights. "We have a lot of weapons and not just one star player, which is an advantage." Noelle Quinn and Brittney Thomas each netted 11 for Bishop Montgomery. Kristina Blair had a big game for Petaluma with 17 points and 14 rebounds. The Trojans, making their first trip to the state championships, were also led by Val Leoni who scored 11. Coach Doug Johnson, in his 23rd year with Petaluma's basketball program, called his team a special group of young ladies. "This group conducts itself with class when they are winning and with class when they are nicked up a bit. When they go back to school, they'll continue to conduct themselves with class." Petaluma finished 30-7 on the season, while Bishop Montgomery was 29-3.
Sportsmanship/Citizenship Award - Melinda Loeru (Bishop Montgomery); Lindsay Vollmer (Petaluma).

Division III Boys: Bishop Montgomery Uses Balanced Attack in Win Over Foothill (Bishop Montgomery, Torrance 73, Foothill, Pleasanton 56)

Four players scored in double figures to lead Bishop Montgomery to its first state championship in boys' basketball. It is the third state title for the school in the 1999-2000 school year as the girls' volleyball and basketball teams have both won state crowns. Derrick Craven led the way with 16 points, followed by Errick Craven with 15 and Brian Pruitt with 14. "Most of the game is mental and we knew if we were focused that we were going to win the game," said Knights' junior guard Kenny D'Oyen. E.J. Costello had a game-leading 21 points and Jay Chess poured in 18 for Foothill. "I'm proud of these guys," said Head Coach Randy Isaacs. "This is the most fun I've had coaching basketball since I stopped playing." It was the first trip to the state finals for the Falcons who ended the season 29-5. Bishop Montgomery finished 28-5 on the season and, coupled with the girls' win, became the fourth school in state history to win boys and girls basketball titles in the same year. Drake of San Anselmo (1982), Ripon Christian (1988 and 1992) and Menlo School, Atherton (1989) were the other schools to accomplish the feat.
Sportsmanship/Citizenship Award - DeVaughn Peace (Bishop Montgomery); Steve Stewart (Foothill).

Division I Girls: Narbonne Tops Berkeley For National Honors (Narbonne, Harbor City 64, Berkeley 52)

Loree Moore dominated the court with 21 points and seven steals to lead Narbonne to its first state title and the top spot nationallly. "She (Moore) took the game over and did a great job," said Berkeley Coach Gene Nakamura. "They're a strong team and didn't get rattled when we made runs. They deserve to be national champions." The Gauchos put together a 19-8 second quarter to take a 36-23 halftime lead. Berkeley got it down to five early in the third quarter, but could get no closer. Latasha O'Keith scored 15 points for the Gauchos and Lisa Willis and Eony Hoffman pulled down 11 and 10 rebounds respectively. Aisha Hollans had a game-leading 22 points and Robin Roberson finished with 18 for Berkeley, which made its fifth appearance in the championship finals. The Yellowjackets finished the season 29-3, while Narbonne completed an unbeaten season at 34-0.
Sportsmanship/Citizenship Award - Angela Hutton (Berkeley); Adrionna Fike (Narbonne).

Division I Boys:  De La Salle Edges Clovis West in Hard-Fought Battle (De La Salle, Concord 47, Clovis West, Clovis 46)

Joe See hit two free throws with 2.9 seconds left to lift De La Salle to a comeback win for its first-ever CIF State Basketball Championship. Clovis West had taken the lead, 46-45, with 30 seconds remaining when Chris Hernandez connected on two free throws. The Spartans, who allowed 37 points per game on the season, put together another fine defensive effort in edging Clovis West. Offensively, Charles Brown scored 10 and AJ. Kuhle scored nine for De La Salle. Hernandez was the game's top scorer with 18 points for Clovis West, while Tyrone Jackson added 10 to the Golden Eagles attack. De La Salle, making its second appearance in the championship game, finished 31-1 on the season. Clovis West, which has averaged 26 wins over the last seven season and made a first appearance in the finals, finished 39-3.
Sportsmanship/Citizenship Award - A.J. Kuhle (De La Salle); Anthony Aiello (Clovis West).