“Cinderella” “Underdog” “Rebuilding Year”. Berkeley High Girls Basketball Head Coach Cheryl Draper heard it all season long: “Our expectations are really high and we had a lot of non-believers that told us this team was only going to win five games this year. I took it personally and developed these girls and worked them hard.”
For the Berkeley High community we all knew this season was going to be business as usual, and it was, as the Lady Jackets defeated Oak Ridge High 56-45 this past Saturday to clinch the CIF Northern California title. Berkeley now advances to the CIF State championship game to take on a familiar opponent in Long Beach Poly.
Ticket Information
Tickets for all sessions are available through TicketMaster or at the Sleep Train Arena Box Office. Ticket prices per day start at $16 for adults and $10 for seniors (65+), children (5+) and students with a valid ASB card.
Television Schedule
March 23-24 All 12 Championship Games – Live in HD televised on Time Warner Cable and streamed online
TV: All State Basketball Championship games will be broadcast live on either Time Warner Cable SportsNet or Time Warner Cable HD channel 700.
Note – Time Warner Cable HD channel 700 is available to Time Warner Cable subscribers in Los Angeles on channel 700, in San Diego and North County on channel 890, in the Desert Cities and Banning on channel 590 and in Barstow on channel 671.
Online: Games on Time Warner Cable SportsNet can be streamed live online for authenticated viewers on www.twcsportsnet.com and via the network’s mobile app (“TWC SportsNet”). Additionally, all State Basketball Championship games will be streamed live. Click here for link.
Audio Coverage
PlayOn! Sports will provide live internet audio coverage of all 12 State Championship games. Click here for link.
March 16, 2013 SACRAMENTO: The Berkeley High girls basketball team used a familiar formula to earn yet another trip to the Division I state championships. But Saturday’s 56-45 victory over Oak Ridge-El Dorado Hills at Sacramento’s Sleep Train Arena capped a Northern California regional playoff run unlike any other for one of the area’s perennial powers.
After an early exit in the North Coast Section playoffs, Berkeley (22-11) entered the regional playoffs as the 12th seed. Unlike most years, they weren’t the heavy favorites in the Division I field.
But with their typical quick and aggressive defense, combined with inspired play from senior Rachel Howard, the Yellowjackets’ completed their run to a record 12th NorCal title. Howard had 23 points and grabbed nine rebounds while junior forward Desire Finnie added 14 points and eight rebounds.
Read more in the SJ Mercury News.
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The Berkeley High School Girls Basketball team continued their march for the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) title when they beat Gunn High School 54-46 in the NorCal semi-finals of the CIF Girls Division I basketball tournament. Next up is Oak Ridge-El Dorado Hills for the NorCal title and the right to play for the State Championship.
Head Coach Cheryl Draper has done an outstanding job in leading the Yellow Jackets to a 22-12 overall record and an outstanding 11-2 record in West Alameda County Conference (WACC) league play. While the Yellow Jackets suffered close losses in the regular season to power houses Bishop O’Dowd (65-54) and Saint Marys (59-54) they regrouped to finish the season strong with decisive victories over Castro Valley (73-41) and Piedmont (45-40).
Entering post-season play Berkeley High advanced to the semi-finals of the North Coast Section (NCS) tournament with wins over Logan (59-34) and Deer Valley (50-45) before falling to Heritage (65-40). Their strong showing in the NCS tournament earned them a spot in the CIF State Basketball tournament where the Yellow Jackets have found their groove with wins over Kennedy (53-40) and McClymonds (54-44) which has setup the match-up with Gunn High School.
Check Out BHS Girls Basketball Vs McClymonds Favorite Photos
Berkeley definitely has momentum and are led by Seniors Rachel Howard, Breona Eskridge, and Gariana Youngblood while underclassmen Desire Finnie (JR), and Jaimonie Welch-Coleman (Soph) have also been integral to the Jackets success.
Tip off for the game tonight is at 7:00 pm and will take place at Gunn High School in Palo Alto.
To view the CIF bracket click here
To view the complete Berkeley High Girls Basketball roster click here
