The girls basketball team came up short against the Valley Christian Warriors 40-36 in the NorCal Division III championship on Tuesday night.
The Bears won the tip-off and started the game with energy on both ends of the floor. Senior center Apé Ulukivaiola quickly opened the scoring with a smooth reverse layup, and soon after, capitalized on a fast break to set the Bears up with an early 4-0 lead.
The Warriors answered with a three-pointer, but the Bears continued their defensive pressure, forcing another turnover. A step-through finish from sophomore center Mary Tava racked in two more points for M-A, setting the score at 6-3.
Despite this, Valley Christian managed to respond with a bucket of their own, but M. Tava wasn’t far behind as she grabbed an offensive rebound and made a putback. The Warriors continued to find success offensively, briefly taking a 9-8 lead. However, Fakapelea soon delivered on an electric play, finishing through contact for an and-one and converting the free throw. Ulukivaiola dominated the boards both offensively and defensively, allowing her to fight for a putback and close out the quarter with a 15-9 lead.
The Bears opened out of the break with intense defense, as freshman small forward Bella Gormsen picked off a weak pass from the Warriors to regain possession. Fakapelea drove aggressively to the hoop and finished to push the lead to 17-11, and senior shooting guard Luisa Tava knocked down a three-pointer to give M-A a 20-13 advantage.
Valley Christian clamped down its defense midway through the quarter, slowing the Bears down and gradually narrowing the gap. After a sharp pass from senior point guard Molly Gray set up another shot for Fakapelea, the Warriors continued their offensive run and managed to tie the game just before halftime, sending the teams into the break even at 23-23.
M-A came out of halftime determined to regain control. M. Tava opened the third quarter with a floater to put the Bears back on top 25-23. Valley Christian answered immediately with a layup and a free throw to take the lead, but Fakapelea responded swiftly with another strong drive and an and-one opportunity.
Defense dominated the rest of the quarter, as Ulukivaiola blocked a Warriors shot attempt. On the other end, Gray drove for a layup to tie the game, and M. Tava continued to battle in the paint to score on a putback, giving M-A a 31-29 lead. Refusing to let up, the Bears ramped up the defensive intensity, recording multiple stuff blocks. Gormsen later drew a foul and converted one free throw, and Gray added smothering on-ball pressure to keep Valley Christian from finding easy looks. The Bears held a narrow 32-29 lead heading into the final quarter.
The fourth quarter quickly turned into a chippy battle, with both teams fighting for every possession. L. Tava was fouled early in the period and swiftly knocked down both free throws to extend the lead to 34-31. Taking charge on offense, Fakapelea aggressively drove to the hoop, drawing a foul and calmly sinking her free throws to put the Bears ahead 36-33. Valley Christian wasn’t far behind, responding with back-to-back clutch buckets to reclaim the lead at 37-36.
With 57 seconds left, M-A called a timeout to regroup. The Bears forced a crucial turnover moments later thanks to an impressive defensive play from freshman power forward Natalie Roman.
Trailing 38-36 with 23 seconds left, the Bears called another timeout to set up a final possession. M-A managed to get a shot off, but it narrowly missed, and the Warriors stole back the ball and knocked down two free throws to seal the 40-36 loss for M-A.
Despite the heartbreaking result, the Bears finished the postseason as the runners-up in NorCal’s Division III bracket, as well as winning the CCS Division I Championship, capping off one of the most successful seasons in program history.
“This season meant everything to me as a senior. I’m incredibly proud of how far our team came and the legacy we built together,” L. Tava said.
“We built a bond this season that no one can replace. It really felt like a sisterhood,” M. Tava said.
“I’m proud of how hard we fought this season. We made it so far, and nobody expected that,” Fakapelea said.
