GALT -- Things looked bleak for the Turlock Christian High girls basketball team, with three of their starters on the bench and plenty of time left in the semifinal game against Ripon Christian High in the Sac-Joaquin Section Division V playoffs. And there was a glaring reminder that the Eagles weren’t a complete team whenever they looked at the bench, seeing their top scorer holding onto crutches.
This was before halftime.
But the Eagles stayed calm despite all the foul trouble. It all worked out for them, as they defeated Ripon Christian for the second time this season — though this 55-45 win on Tuesday night in front of a large TC crowd had more meaning, obviously. It gave the Turlock Christian players their first-ever trip to Arco Arena, helping erase the heartbreak the Eagles endured when their postseason run last season ended in the semifinals.
Their reward?
It’s Bradshaw Christian High, the two-time defending Section champion, at the holy grail of California high school basketball in Sacramento at 4 p.m. Friday. This was a goal the Eagles had all along, even when Halie Bergman — the Section’s top scorer — went down with a season-ending knee injury in early January.
“It’s like having your signature in the history books,” Eagles coach Edwin Santiago said. “We’ll be known as the first girls team to go.”
But there was doubt at one point.
It started late in the second half, when starters Molly Farrar, Marly Burton and Kaisa Spycher all had a view from the bench because of foul trouble. But Amy Wright took care of the scoring load, hit a couple key shots after the Eagles had only a 43-42 lead and finished with a team-high 21 points.
On top of that, Burton was a defensive stopper all night, finishing with 10 blocks and eight rebounds. The Knights attacked the basket often in hopes of fouling out the sophomore center, but Burton used her 6-foot-2 frame carefully and stayed in the game. And others contributed, with Spycher adding 13 points, Farrar chipping in eight and Rebekah Muller putting in five key points while the starters were out.
With those numbers, the Eagles achieved the goal they had to begin the season.
“For us,” Santiago said, “it can’t be any sweeter.”
And the Turlock Christian coach said this before he took his team to Red Robin, a restaurant with plenty of desserts, to celebrate the win.
To contact Chhun Sun, e-mail csun@turlockjournal.com or call 634-9141 ext. 2041.