Sage Hill girls’ basketball clinches playoff spot with win over St. Margaret’s
In the past couple of years, the Sage Hill School girls’ basketball team had grown accustomed to having Kobe Bryant’s Mamba Academy practice on campus.
So when the helicopter crash in Calabasas killed Bryant and eight others on Jan. 26, it was an especially difficult tragedy to get over for the team.
Getting back on the basketball court would play a critical role in the healing process. Going forward, the team decided the best way to honor the memory of those killed in the accident would be through their play.
Only their best would do.
Isabel Gomez scored a game-high 18 points to go with seven rebounds, four steals and three assists, and Sage Hill defeated St. Margaret’s 51-34 on Tuesday night in a San Joaquin League game at Ueberroth Gymnasium.
The win clinched a CIF Southern Section Division 3AA playoff spot for the Lightning (16-8, 4-3 in league), who are the third-place team in the league.
Gomez wears the No. 24 jersey for the Lightning, and she said that it will carry added meaning for as long as she has it. Bryant wore No. 24 during his playing days with the Los Angeles Lakers.
“When I started playing basketball, I obviously really looked up to Mr. Bryant and all he did for the sport,” said Gomez, who converted all of her eight free-throw attempts. “How incredible he was with everything with his game. His basketball game was completely flawless.
“Now that I’m wearing No. 24, it’s just important to always play hard. It’s important to play hard to honor him and honor all of them.”
Emily Elliott had 13 points, 11 rebounds, eight steals and two blocked shots for the Lightning. Zoe Mazakas added eight points and eight rebounds.
Megan Shean contributed four points, five rebounds and four steals. Shauna Bahri also scored four points, and Joyce Jogwe had two points and seven rebounds.
Jogwe had not played for the team since her sophomore year, but the senior guard knew it was time to return to the team when she found herself shooting around in the gym during lunch instead of hanging out with her friends.
“Honestly, I just missed the game,” Jogwe said. “I missed playing it. I would come in during lunch and shoot, and I just missed the team. I missed having that feeling of somebody [making] a backdoor [run] and throwing them the pass.”
Mandy Taylor had 15 points and five rebounds to lead the Tartans (10-15, 2-6). Jacklyn Mok had four points, seven rebounds and two blocks, and Alice Korolev also had six points on a pair of three-pointers.
Complete coverage of the death of Kobe Bryant, his daughter, Gianna, and seven others in a helicopter crash.
Prior to the opening tip-off, the Lightning and Tartans stood in a circle at center court as a moment of silence was held for the nine victims of the helicopter crash in Calabasas.
It lasted 45 seconds, the sum of the jersey numbers of Bryant (24), his daughter, Gianna (2), Alyssa Altobelli (5) and Payton Chester (14). The three girls played for Bryant’s Mamba team.
The game also began with both teams setting the ball down on the court on their first possession. Sage Hill did so with 24 seconds remaining on the clock and took a shot clock violation. St. Margaret’s did the same with 14 seconds on the clock to honor Chester.
“It definitely impacted our whole team, and it was to honor them,” Elliott said of the in-game tribute. “It was very hard playing the first couple of minutes because it kind of hit us that we’re playing for something bigger than ourselves. We needed to play harder than we usually do.”
Shirts were seen throughout the building that said, “Mamba Forever” on the front. On the back, a quote from Bryant was included, saying, “We don’t quit, we don’t cower, we don’t run. We endure and conquer.”
“Our school did a great job of just, to be honest, a great job, because it’s a community thing, talking to all our students, the entire student body, and offering their support, offering counseling,” Sage Hill coach Kerwin Walters said. “Everything [and] anything that can help the student body to heal, our school takes pride in making sure that our kids are in a great not only physical space, safe physical space, but mental [and] emotional space.
“I think the same thing goes for St. Margaret’s. I think they did the exact same thing. We’re two communities that are very similar that just want to make sure our kids are taken care of.
San Joaquin League
Sage Hill 51, St. Margaret’s 34
St. Margaret’s 2 – 10 – 7 – 15 — 34
Sage Hill 15 – 13 – 17 – 6 — 51
SM – Taylor 15, Korolev 6, Mok 4, Tam 3, Matthew 3, Pavia 2, Smith 1.
3-pt. goals – Korolev 2.
Fouled out – None.
Technicals – None.
SH – Gomez 18, Elliott 13, Mazakas 8, Bahri 4, Shean 4, Jogwe 2, Hosseinzadeh 2.
3-pt. goals – Elliott 1.
Fouled out – None.
Technicals – None.
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