FRESNO – Perched atop their mountain of domination all season, the Immanuel varsity girls had one more team to topple as they attempted to soar their way into history and a second consecutive Valley Championship. And the Eagles’ opponent, Santa Ynez, wanted nothing more than to spoil the party before it started.
But when the game ended, the No. 1 seed Eagles lived up to the hype and took care of business by dominating the No. 2 seed Pirates 58-36 to claim the Central Section D-IV Championship in front of the loud and raucous Immanuel faithful on hand at Selland Arena on Feb. 28. This marks the second consecutive Valley Championship for the Lady Eagles.
For Immanuel, imposing their style of play on their opponents is something they’ve turned into an art form. But wreaking havoc with full court pressure, forcing early turnovers and wearing down the defense in transition didn’t come as easy as expected in the early going against the Pirates – having not played in nearly a week, the Eagles clearly showed some residual rust that almost doomed them after the opening tip off.
“I felt like the week off affected us a little bit. We were a little rusty and we were doing some things that were uncharacteristic,” said Immanuel head coach Loren LeBeau. “We were out of sorts, going for things that we probably shouldn’t be going for, and just trying to settle down.”
At first, Santa Ynez sneaked up on the Eagles like an armada, causing turnovers, contested layups and shutting down the perimeter shots. For a brief time, the Eagles looked stunned after a Santa Ynez 8-0 run produced a 19-16 lead with 3:08 left to play in the first half.
But like all championship-caliber teams, Immanuel found a way to shake off the rust, collect themselves and finally adapt to the Pirates’ style of play. And when they did, that spelled eventual doom for Santa Ynez. All of sudden, the door of momentum swung in favor of Immanuel, and they used a 6-0 run to take a 26-19 lead into the half. It was a lead that they never relinquished.
Freshman guard Kiera Thomas ignited the Immanuel attack, leading all scorers with 16 points. Thomas was voted the Player of the Game for her dazzling performance.
“Kiera Thomas is obviously a blessing. Her athleticism is different than the rest; she’s got a tremendous future,” said LeBeau.
And sophomore shooting guard Jenna Goertzen started draining the treys from beyond the arc that helped push the Eagles in front for good.
“When we start scoring, you know, the energy just goes up a lot,” said Goertzen. “It just gets us in our groove.”
Immanuel’s groove is just getting started. The Eagles victory against the Pirates marks the 23rd win in their last 24 games. And even though the Eagles now have consecutive Valley Championship plaques to display on their shelf, LeBeau and his team still have a few more steps to take before they can be considered the best.
“So, when you get to the state level, it could depend on a lot of matchups, right?,” said LeBeau. “These girls have the heart, the drive and the dedication. I think we’ve got a chance.”
