REEDLEY – Immanuel varsity girls began defense of their 2024 Valley Championship by welcoming McFarland to their home court. And gliding on the breeze of a season-high 11-game winning streak, the Eagles spread their wings in grandeur, ready to fend off a possible Cougar attack.
Feeling hungry to prove their might, the #1 seed Eagles dug their talons into the #16 seed Cougars and flew away with a dominant 70-6 home victory in the first round of the CIF Central Section Girls Division IV Championships on Feb. 14. At the same time, Immanuel also extends their winning streak to an amazing 12 games.
With Immanuel’s team at full strength for the first time in nearly a month, head coach Loren LeBeau had the luxury of mixing and matching a variety of roster combinations on the floor that frustrated and threw McFarland off their game.
“Our team, for the first time in little over a month, is healthy again, so we’ve got all 11 players suited up, and what that does is increase our bench,” said LeBeau about his team’s roster strength. “It increases our effort because now we’re able to play more girls. The more girls that can play and contribute, the harder we can play.”
Junior guard Adelina Moreno scored a game-high 14 points to lead four Eagles’ players in double digits in points. And junior forward Ava Schletewitz provided the muscle inside by grabbing 11 rebounds.
The Eagles’ dribble drive offense, predicated by fast ball movement, precise timing and unselfish play, exposed the Cougars mismatches on offense. And Immanuel’s constant full court press caused reckless McFarland turnovers that resulted in easy buckets in transition. McFarland, known for producing some of the best long distance runners in the nation, proved incapable of running the Eagles off their home court.
“We’ve adopted that system at Immanuel and it works very well when you have the players to execute it,” said LeBeau about his team’s style of play. “In order to be successful in this system, you have to absolutely buy in; they have to be willing to go out there, play hard, take a breath, then get right back in.”
With Imanuel making quick work of McFarland in their first round matchup, they’ll stay at home and get ready to face Fresno High in the quarterfinals. In their first round game, the Warriors tamed the Sunnyside Wildcats 46-29. The last time Immanuel played Fresno, back in 2021, the Warriors eked out a 57-51 regular season victory.
This time, with more at stake, and potential history on the line—the last time Eagles won back-to-back Valley Championships was in 2015-16—LeBeau is confident his team will remain focused in order to avoid a potential upset special, and their first loss at home this season.
“They are a well-coached team, he (Fresno High head coach David Sambrano III) is familiar with our style, with the system; he knows it,” said LeBeau about their matchup with Fresno High. “I’m not looking at Fresno High to motivate us; I’m not looking at anybody to motivate us. We are the standard.”
