Riverbank girls basketball comeback against Notre Dame falls short in NorCal second round
Riverbank girls basketball coach Janelle Luu believes the speech she gave at halftime of the Bruins’ CIF Northern California Division IV playoff game against Notre Dame of San Jose was her best one yet.
And the team needed it.
The Bruins were down more than 15 points after the first 16 minutes in a game they did not want to be their last of the season.
“I think I’ve been saving that one for a long time,” Luu said of the encouragement she gave the team. “It was nothing out of the ordinary, but just a strong sense of ‘Dude, be who you are. I’ll make the adjustments for you, but go out and have some effort.’”
It worked. Riverbank (22-7) cut into the lead in the third quarter and stormed back in the fourth, forcing overtime. Ultimately, the Bruins ran out of steam, however, going scoreless for the final two and a half minutes of the extra frame to fall 47-46.
It was only fitting that on the eve of the craziest month and a half in the basketball world, March Madness, an 11-seed hosted a 14-seed in the second round of the CIF D-IV NorCal tournament.
Technically, neither team was supposed to be there.
The Bruins lost to eventual Sac-Joaquin Section Division IV champion Colfax in the section semifinals. The trip to the semis earned them a Northern California Regional Championships berth, their second in as many seasons.
They had to go on the road Tuesday, making the three-hour drive to Redding to take on No. 6 University Prep. Riverbank won by 18, claiming the first state playoff win in program history.
Notre Dame (16-12) might have the greatest comeback story of any team in this year’s state tournament, regardless of division.
The Regents competed in the West Bay Athletic League - Skyline Division last season and ran the table, going a perfect 9-0. This season, they were moved up to the more competitive West Bay Athletic League - Foothill Division where they went 3-7 against some of the top teams in the Central Coast Section.
They entered the CCS tournament as a No. 5 seed in Division III that barely had a winning record. All Notre Dame did was win a section title. It was named the 14th best team in the 16-team bracket and upset Escalon on Tuesday and Riverbank on Thursday.
“That experience of taking those L’s just refined us as a team,” Notre Dame coach Ali Bueno said. “We were playing against tough competition, so now when we get to this level, we’re ready.”
Riverbank scored the first basket of the game on a Taylor Macias three but Notre Dame answered with 11 straight points. The Regents held a 34-18 halftime lead.
Riverbank’s defense was dominant in the third quarter, allowing just three points, but the offense scored just nine. Both teams went scoreless for almost four full minutes to start the period. Riverbank cut the 16-point halftime deficit to 10 by the end of the third, led by back-to-back threes from Chancis Gamez for six of her game-high 25 points.
The Bruins stormed back in the fourth quarter. Rayne Tago, who scored four of her seven points in the fourth quarter, tied the game at 38 apiece with 2 minutes, 35 seconds left to play, and Macias gave the team its first lead since the first quarter after splitting a pair of free throws. She finished with 10 points. The teams traded points before Gamez sent the game into overtime tied at 42-42 with a three.
“When you get stops and then you score you just need one to get the confidence going,” Luu said. “I think they just chipped at it little by little, and then I looked up and we’re down by two, and I looked up it was a tie game. They fought back and they did it with heart and I’m really proud of them.”
Riverbank grabbed momentum in the extra frame, scoring the first four points, but Notre Dame answered with five unanswered points to gut out the win.
Just as they have done all season, a pair of juniors stepped up for Notre Dame.
Radhika Garapaty scored 19 first half points to pace the Regents and help open up their lead. Her five first half threes forced Luu to switch to a box-and-1 in for most of the third and fourth quarters.
Rio Funatsu is the team’s steady presence at point guard. She is an extension of Bueno on the court, running the show and managing all of the emotions of a high-intensity playoff game.
Funatsu made one three in each of the first two quarters but came through in overtime, scoring the team’s only five points.
“A true point guard. She’s like my quarterback on the court,” Bueno said. “I’m talking to her constantly. She’s communicating with me, with her teammates, keeping everybody steady. ... I just tried to encourage her to stay locked in and stay ready and be aggressive. And, man, at the right moment, she just nailed shots when we needed them desperately.”
The loss marked the end of the road for two players largely responsible for the Bruins’ success the past two seasons.
Gamez and Tago, two of the team’s leading scorers and senior leaders, gave their all for 36 minutes. The loss was hard on them both and they spent extended time in the locker room and on the court postgame, not willing to accept their high school careers coming to an end.
In total, Luu will have to replace six seniors from this year’s team and two starters. Juniors Taylor Macias, Avah Luu and Alexis Felix will look to make another leap forward.
“With Rayne and Chancis leaving, besides their skills, their leadership is going to be missed so much next year,” Luu said. “Now that those girls have built something, it’s time to build it stronger.”
