Colfax girls repeat as Northern California basketball champions while Union Mine boys fall
One team entered this basketball season expecting to repeat as champion. The other expected big things even if others were not so sure, so players wore their battle cry on their warm-ups: “Prove Them Wrong”.
Entering Tuesday night, the tradition-rich Colfax High School girls and upstart Union Mine boys held the distinction as the last two Sacramento-area teams standing after 32 local squads entered the CIF Northern California Regional Championships. Now, only one remains.
The Colfax Falcons of Placer County rallied from a slow first half to down Northern Section powerhouse Pleasant Valley of Chico on the road 52-48. The Falcons won the Division II title a year after winning the D-III crown, improving to 5-1 all-time in NorCal championship games.
Union Mine of El Dorado County was not as fortunate in its first NorCal finals appearance, trailing big early and never closing the gap in falling 73-52 to 14th-seeded Montery of the Central Coast Section in D-IV.
Like last season, Colfax is the only regional team that will compete for a state championship. The Falcons (34-2) have won 12 in a row and 27 of their last 28. They will play Harvard-Westlake of Studio City of Los Angeles County at 2 p.m. Saturday at Golden 1 Center.
Colfax fans and longtime residents of a town and region that passionately backs its student-athletes are not fans of the CIF’s competitive-equity model used in recent seasons for this tournament as compared to the previous model of enrollment-based brackets that led to scores of running-clock blowouts. So, here was Colfax, with its enrollment of just over 630 students, taking on Pleasant Valley with 1,775 students, but the little team that could prevailed again.
The Falcons demonstrated balance and hustle to offset the fireworks of junior star AJ Gambol, a 5-foot-9 guard who hit a dramatic baseline game winner to beat Oakland Tech 64-62 in a semifinal on Saturday. Gambol scored 31 points, but she was the only Vikings player to reach double figures.
Junior guard Kaia Diederichs led Colfax with 18 points. Junior post player Juliette James posted 14 points and 11 rebounds. Junior guard Laurlyn Massic also scored 14 points. Senior guard Jade Biitner had four points and sophomore guard Maddie Sigrist had a bucket to round out the scoring for the Falcons.
Pleasant Valley had early leads of 13-2 and 21-6, but Colfax pulled to within 24-23 at the half. With more ball movement and hustle, the Falcons opened the second half with a 9-0 run and took a 39-34 lead after three quarters.
James scored inside for a 49-46 Colfax lead with 36 seconds to go. Free throws down the stretch by Diederichs and Biitner sealed it. Falcons players mobbed each other and coach Rexanne Simpton held a team huddle before CIF game officials handed out medals.
For Union Mine, Nate Sweet represented the lone returning starter from a 25-7 team. The senior guard had a tremendous season, earning Sierra Valley Conference MVP honors in averaging 26.1 points. Against Monterey, Sweet led Union Mine with 23 points before bowing out as one of the program’s finest players.
Senior guard and Union Mine floor leader Ethan Gines, who led the state in assists with 10.0 per game, scored five points. Sophomore post Isaac Zmerzlikar had four points after averaging 15 points and 14 rebounds this season.
Union Mine (31-3) came in having won 15 of its last 16 games, including a 3-0 showing in the NorCal field, but Monterey was too good too early and never led up. The Dores had a 23-2 run in the second quarter to open up a 40-15 lead.
Senior guard Ryan Roth scored 23 points as Monterey moved to 24-6 in winning the program’s second NorCal championship. Monterey eliminated Natomas of Sacramento 64-61 in a semifinal.
CIF NorCal Finals
▪ All CIF state finals will be held at Golden 1 Center
Girls
Mitty 71, Clovis West 34
State final: Mitty vs. Etiwanda, Saturday, 6 p.m.
Division I
Bishop O’Dowd 48, Carondelet 47
State final: Bishop O’Dowd vs. Bishop Montgomery, Friday, 6 p.m.
Division II
Colfax 52, Pleasant Valley 48
State final: Colfax vs. Harvard Westlake, Saturday, 2 p.m.
Division III
Caruthers 58, University 55
State final: Caruthers vs. Granada Hills Charter, Friday, 2 p.m.
Division IV
St. Bernard’s vs. Arcata, Wednesday
State final: St. Bernard’s/Arcada vs. Grossmont, Saturday, 10 a.m.
Division V
Oakland 62, Crystal Springs 50
State final: Oakland vs. Montgomery, Friday, 10 a.m.
Division VI
Weed 72, Fall River 55
(No state final for D-VI)
Boys
Open
Salesian 49, Riordan 44
State final: Salesian vs. Harvard-Westlake, Saturday, 8 p.m.
Division I
San Ramon Valley 58, Granada 55
State final: San Ramon Valley vs. Bosco, Friday, 8 p.m.
Division II
Oakland Tech 73, Oakland 66
State final: Oakland Tech vs. Centennial, Saturday, 4 p.m.
Division III
Santa Cruz 61, Bullard 56
State final: Santa Cruz vs. Alemany, Friday, 4 p.m.
Division IV
Monterey 73, Union Mine 52
State final: Monterey vs. Chatsworth, Saturday, noon
Division V
Athenian 57, San Domenico 46
State final: Athenian vs. Verdugo Hills, Friday, noon
Division VI
Cornerstone Christian 84, Napa Christian 59
(No state finals for D-VI)
For complete CIF state brackets and online ticket information, visit the CIF website.
