Alemany Runs Out of Steam

SACRAMENTO — The San Fernando Valley is no stranger to droughts.

El Nino may have helped take care of any water concerns, but the area will remain thirsting for its first state girls’ basketball championship.

Alemany High lost to San Francisco Sacred Heart Cathedral, 67-54, Saturday in the Division III state final at Arco Arena.

“It’s just too bad we couldn’t win, though, and bring [a title] back to the Valley,” Alemany guard Kelli Kobayashi said through tears.

Alemany (27-7), which two weeks ago won its third Southern Section title of the decade, had a 13-4 lead in the first quarter and appeared headed for a rout.

That’s when Sacred Heart Cathedral’s Crissy DeLuzio sparked an 18-2 run, and the Indians never recovered.

DeLuzio, who tied the Division III final record with 29 points, made four consecutive three-point shots in the second quarter and the Irish (22-10) rode a 26-12 quarter into a 38-25 lead at halftime.

“She just refused to lose,” Alemany Coach Melissa Hearlihy said of DeLuzio, who set a tournament record with 11 field goals.

The Irish, who ended a championship drought in the San Francisco area, were improbable champions.

They began the state playoffs seeded last in the eight-team Northern Regional, but stunned top-ranked Bear River and defending Northern Regional champion Lafayette Acalanes to become the first San Francisco team to reach the final since the St. Ignatius boys in 1926.

“Maybe a little Irish luck had something to do with it,” Coach Brian Harrigan said of a team that had only eighth healthy bodies, five of them freshmen.

Heart played a role, as well.

Alemany trailed by as many as 17 points, 55-38, in the fourth quarter, but made it 55-45 on Kobayashi’s three-pointer with 3:20 left.

Sacred Heart Cathedral answered with an 8-0 run and put the game away.

This was not the best team Alemany faced this season. “Talent for talent, maybe not,” Hearlihy said. “But heart for heart, absolutely.”

Sophomore Kate Beckler, Alemany’s leading scorer throughout the season, had 20 points, but made only five of 16 shots. She made nine shots from the free-throw line, where Alemany outscored the Irish, 16-8.

Kobayashi, the Indians’ only senior starter, made three three-pointers and finished with 17 points.

Freshman forward/center Karina Siam scored 13 points and helped control Sacred Heart Cathedral’s Sarah Richen.

The 6-foot-2 Richen, the 1996-97 San Francisco player of the year who has signed with Pepperdine, had 16 points and 10 rebounds, numbers below her average.

The loss meant that Hearlihy will have to wait until next season for her 300th career victory.

She entered the final with a 299-75 record in 13 seasons with the Indians.

“I can’t feel like a loser right now,” Hearlihy said. “We were state runners-up. How can you be disappointed with that? We did our best.”

Buena is the only girls’ team from the Valley/Ventura region to win a state title, claiming crowns in 1983 and ’84.