girls FINAL Top 20 Rank (Last Wk.) School
Record
1. (2) Bishop O’Dowd-Oakland..........................30-3 2. (8) Archbishop Mitty-San Jose.......................28-5 3. (1) St. Mary’s-Stockton...................................30-4 4. (4) Berkeley....................................................27-3 5. (3) Carondelet-Concord.................................27-4 6. (7) Miramonte-Orinda.....................................31-2 7. (5) Sacramento...............................................26-7 8. (9) St. Ignatius-S.F..........................................26-6 9. (14) Salesian-Richmond................................31-5 10. (10) Modesto Christian................................27-7 11. (12) Casa Grande-Petaluma.......................31-3 12. (6) St. Mary’s-Berkeley................................27-8 13. (20) Brookside Christian-Stockton..............30-4 14. (13) Dougherty Valley-San Ramon.............21-10 15. (NR) Kennedy-Sacramento.........................26-9 16. (16) Deer Valley-Antioch..............................22-9 17. (18) Pleasant Grove-Elk Grove...................22-10 18. (NR) Oak Ridge-El Dorado Hills..................25-9 19. (NR) McNair-Stockton..................................28-5 20. (19) Lincoln-Stockton...................................22-6 DROPPED OUT: No. 11 Terra Nova-Pacifica, No. 15 Mission San Jose-Fremont, No. 17 SheldonSheldon BIGGEST MOVER: Terra Nova dropped nine spots after a disappointing finish to what began as a very good season. On the plus side, Brookside Christian jumped up seven after an impressive postseason run. TEAMS REMAINING FROM PRESEASON TOP 20: 14 KNOCKING AT THE DOOR: Terra Nova (23-7), Heritage-Brentwood (25-6), Monte Vista -Danville (22-6), Pleasant Valley-Chico (26-4), St. FrancisMountain View (18-10), Gunn-San Jose (21-7), Mission San Jose (27-4), Florin-Sacramento (24-7), Armijo-Fairfield (23-8), Wilcox-Santa Clara (21-3).
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SportStars™
March 29, 2012
in the game’s final four minutes when Mission Prep cut a double-digit lead to just four points before the clock and converted free throws sealed the Knights’ win. The future is certainly bright and most observers are not afraid to mention the word “dynasty” when speaking on Brookside Christian’s short-term potential. “We will be an even more refined team next year,” Ngo said. “We have some great freshmen coming in next year, so we expect to compete to come back here.” Gabriel echoed her coach’s thoughts on making a return trip to Power Balance Pavilion in 2013. “We are all still thirsty,” Gabriel said. “We still want the same thing and will work just as hard to get back here.” Ngo admits to setting high expectations for his team, and the energetic coach does his best to prepare his players to achieve their team goals. The Knights faced larger, established programs from around the Sac-Joaquin Section, including Sacramento, Pleasant Grove-Elk Grove, El Camino-Sacramento, HeritageBrentwood, Sheldon-Elk Grove, and St. Francis-Sacramento in tournaments and other nonleague action. Brookside Christian more than held its own those contests, playing close with every opponent and notching surprising wins over St. Francis, El Camino, and Deer Valley-Antioch. Ngo understands that the character shown by the Knights extends far beyond the gym walls and team huddles. He is quick to heap praise on the larger Brookside Christian family that includes teachers and especially parents. “I have to give so much credit to the parents that we have,” he said. “They buy in to how we coach and the expectations that we place upon the players. They support the school and the program in wanting to have not just the best athletes, but also the best students, and we could not have the success we have without them.” Every Knights player is required to maintain a 3.0 grade point average regardless of what numbers the student-athletes might be capable of averaging in a scorebook. So, while Ngo pushes his players hard on the court, he knows that they are being pushed equally hard in the classroom and at home. In 2011-12, those expectations resulted in the highest achievement on the basketball court and an amazing experience that each and every Brookside Christian player will remember for a long time. For the future, that experience can be added to the team’s youth and talent to potentially produce more greatness for the Knights and maybe even more State championships. ✪
“We are all still thirsty. We still want the same thing and will work just as hard to get back here.” — Ra’kyra Gabriel ABOVE: Mission Prep had no answer for Knights sophomore guard Tiara Tucker, above. She scored 28 points in the state final and added three assists and two steals.
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