Brea Olinda Rallies to Win Another Title

SACRAMENTO —  The words Lindsey Davidson screamed at her teammates aren’t suitable for repeating, but Brea Olinda’s performance Friday wasn’t for children.

All those expletives, exclamations and pleas to play with pride, heart and, for the love of Ladycat basketball, defense, helped forge the most improbable of state championships.

Brea overcame an 11-point deficit going into the fourth quarter and scored a 54-51 victory over Pleasanton Amador Valley to win the Division II girls’ basketball title, its sixth in the 1990s, at Arco Arena.

Brea, ranked No. 2 in the state and being outplayed, trailed by as many as 14 in the third quarter. The Ladycats cut the deficit to three points in a 2 1/2-minute span, only to let Amador Valley’s Mia Fischer go on a 10-2 run to put it at 46-35 going into the fourth.

That’s what set Davidson off and, with time running out, set Brea on its course with destiny.

“There’s something magical here--I don’t think [six] state titles in the 1990s is something that will be easily one-upped,” Brea Coach Jeff Sink said. “There’s a lot of pressure playing at Brea, there are a lot of ghosts around the building, but I think we made them proud.”

Jeri Costello, who made only six of 18 shots and had missed a layup just seconds earlier, scored with 38 seconds remaining to give Brea a 53-51 lead.

“I was just thinking, ‘Don’t miss it, don’t miss it,’ ” said Costello (14 points), who will play next season at Long Beach State. “I was thinking about passing it to Jackie [Lord], and then I thought, ‘No, just put it up.’ ”

There was still the matter of survival.

Fisher, who scored 22 points, missed a rushed 10-footer. Amador’s Jessica Common grabbed the ball but was hit by Fisher; the ball popped in the air and Costello grabbed it.

Davidson (14 points, three three-point baskets, five assists) made one of two free throws with 2.9 seconds left.

Tessa Winter’s shot from beyond halfcourt hit the backboard at the buzzer.

Brea (32-3) was outrebounded, 44-31. Amador Valley finished with a 30-3 record.

“I had some some words for them that were pretty intense,” Davidson said of her comments in the huddle between the third and fourth quarters. “I said, ‘How bad do you guys want this? We’re 11 points down. Show a little bit of heart.’ And I also said some other words.”