Page 12 - Reedley Exponent 3-8-18 E-edition

B4 | Thursday, March 8, 2018 www.reedleyexponent.com
Central Section Basketball Championships
Eagles boys hoops wins Division III title
Immanuel High Eagles basketball players Jordan Rodriguez (left), Kaleb Daglish (right) and Shawn Rodgers (back) celebrate after the Eagles won the Central Section Division III Championship on March 3.
The Eagles defeated the Sanger High Apaches 68-57 at Selland Arena in Fresno.
It is Immanuel's fifth straight championship and their first in Division III.
The Eagles won a Division V Championship in 2014 and three straight Division IV titles from 2015 to 2017.
It is the 15th section title overall for Immanuel High boys basketball program.
Chris Aguirre / The Exponent
By Chris Aguirre
Chris@midvalleypublishing.com
Down 45-30 midway through the third quarter to No. 1 seed Sanger High, the Immanuel High boys basket- ball team's chance to win a fifth straight section title was slipping away.
That's when the Eagles, the No. 3 seed, in the CIF Cen- tral Section Division III Play- offs, flipped the switch.
Immanuel made a defensive change that forced Sanger into nine turnovers.
They then outscored the Apaches 38 to 12 over the final 12 minutes of the game to defeat the Apaches 68-57 and capture the Central Section Division III Championship on March 3 at Selland Arena in Fresno.
“This team just never quit,” said Chris Woods, Im- manuel High Eagles head coach. “We just kept fighting and gave ourselves a shot.”
Nate Kendricks led the Eagles with 34 points, includ- ing going 18-for-19 from the free throw line.
Kaleb Daglish scored 15 points and had seven re- bounds, while Jordan Rodri- guez had 11 points and nine
rebounds.
It was the 15th title overall
for the Immanuel High boys basketball program.
The Eagles defense forced the Apaches into committing seven turnovers in the fourth quarter alone.
“I was just telling them to keep believing. We switched up our defense and that was the catalyst for us to get going on the offensive end,” Woods said. “I felt like we were on the brink of being in the game but once we switched defens- es it clicked.”
The Eagles earned the No. 15 seed in the CIF State Divi- sion III Playoffs Southern Re- gional. They played No. 2 seed University High School from Los Angeles on March 7.
No score was available at presstime.
Kendricks, who won his fourth straight championship, said that he knew the team could overcome the deficit.
“I was telling the team that we deserve this. We worked way too hard to let this game go,” Kendricks said. “We don't want to be known as
See IMMANUEL on page B5
By Chris Aguirre
Chris@midvalleypublishing.com
Ava Galpin and Krystale Gutierrez, Immanuel High Eagles girls basketball players, have never lost when they walk into Selland Arena in Fresno to play in the Central Section Championships.
They had been there twice before, helping the Eagles win Division IV titles in 2015 and 2016.
A slow start in the Divi- sion III Championship game on March 3 against the No. 2 seed Golden Valley Bulldogs, made it appear like the senior duo would suffer their first defeat in the building.
The No. 4 seed Eagles held only a 12-11 lead at halftime.
But Galpin and Gutierrez carried their team in the second half to a 43-37 win over the Bull- dogs of Bakersfield to capture the Division III Championship.
“Ava and Krystale are outstanding players and indi- viduals. They together took over that game,” said Phillip Todd, Immanuel High Eagles girls basketball head coach. “I couldn't be prouder to coach them and for them to go out as Valley Champions.”
It was the fifth title in six years for the Eagles, who won four straight from 2013 to 2016.
It was also their first title in their first year competing at the Division III level.
Galpin scored 23 points, 16 in the second half, and had 18 rebounds. Gutierrez had 23 re- bounds and sophomore Aaliyah Seuell had 10 points.
“I told the team before the season that I dreamt we would winthis,” Toddsaid.“Ihadcon- fidence in the team. I knew we had the best team in the Valley. I knew that if we did our job and stayed together, we would be victorious.”
The Eagles earned the No. 7 seed in the CIF State Divi- sion IV playoffs Southern Re- gional and hosted No. 10 seed Polytechnic High School from Pasadena on March 7.
No score was available at presstime.
On March 3, Immanuel shot 11 percent, while the Bulldogs shot nine percent from the field in the first half.
With her team needing some encouragement, Gutier- rez said she told her teammates at halftime to just keep playing.
See EAGLES on page B5
Chris Aguirre / The Exponent
Ava Galpin (far left) hugs teammate Krystale Gutierrez after the Immanuel High Eagles girls basketball team won the Central Section Division III Championship on March 3 at Selland Arena. The Eagles beat Golden Valley High from Bakersfield 43-37.
Immanuel takes down No. 1 seed Sanger 68-57
Eagles girls hoops captures Division III crown
Reedley High names Athletes of the Month for February
Jorge Osorio and Kalese
Sunamoto earn honors
File Photo / The Exponent
Jorge Osorio, Reedley High Pirates boys soccer player (No. 3), was named RHS Male Athlete of the Month.
Contributed
Reedley High School re- cently announced that Jorge Osorio and Kalese Sunamoto are the Male and Female Ath- letes of the Month for Febru- ary.
Jorge Osorio
Jorge Osorio, Reedley High Pirates boys soccer player, played midfield for the Pirates varsity soccer team in 2018.
Osorio, a junior, helped lead the Pirates to a CIF Cen- tral Section Division II Cham- pionship.
He was an indispensable player during the second half of league and the playoff run.
The Pirates earned the
No. 5 seed in the Division III Southern Regional playoffs and took on No. 4 seed Soto- mayor High from Los Angeles on March 7 in Southern Cali- fornia.
No score was available at presstime.
Kalese Sunamoto
Kalese Sunamoto, Reed- ley High Pirates girls soccer player, helped lead the Pirates to a second straight North Yo- semite League Title.
Reedley High ended NYL play 10-0.
Sunamoto scored one goal and had three assists in the month of February.
She helped the Pirates make the semifinals of the Division III playoffs.
File Photo / The Exponent
Kalese Sunamoto, Reedley High Pirates girls soccer player, was named RHS Female Athlete of the Month.