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ENLARGE
For the Bear River Lady Bruins, the season has been about one thing: get to Arco Arena.
They are 32 minutes of basketball away from that dream.
Today, the No. 2 ranked Bruins will take on the No. 3 ranked Calaveras Redskins in the semifinals of the Sac-Joaquin Section Division IV Basketball Tournament.
If they win, the Bear River girls would either take on rival Colfax or the Modesto Christian Crusaders in the finals.
The last two seasons, the Bruins failed to make it beyond the second round of playoffs. Senior Bear River guard Kelsey Uno was on both of those teams.
“It's a good feeling to finally be that one step closer, to be in the semifinals,” she said.
Before they can think about that packed stadium in Sacramento, the Bruins will have to face down the Redskins, a team that statistically runs right alongside Bear River.
Calaveras averages almost 46 points per game, while Bear River averages just over 48. The Redskins' overall record this season was 24-5. The Bruins went 25-4. The Redskins lost two league games, the Bruins just one.
In the quarterfinals against Capital Christian, Calaveras won 56-36, a 20-point margin of victory. Bear River won its last game by 21 points, 53-32.
Though the statistics tip just barely in favor of the Bruins, basketball is not a game won by numbers.
“You have to have no regrets,” said Uno, “and leave it all out on the court.”
The team that wins today will be the team that can best focus on the task at hand.
“You have to face what's right in front of you, and we're looking forward to this game,” Uno said.
To win, the Bruins will need another strong performance out of junior Jenn Meylor who has scored 46 points in the playoffs already, including 26 last week against Argonaut.
Senior Lindsey Harter, co-captain and Bear River's leading scorer, will need to shoot more from the floor to be effective. Harter is shooting 47 percent in the playoffs, but in two games, she has only 18 points, four points under her average for the season.
What will be most telling is the way the Bruins handle the fourth quarter. They have scored just seven and eight points, respectively, in the fourth quarters of their last two games.
Because Bear River was in control of both games by the end of the third, it has yet to matter. But, if Calaveras can hang in close for three quarters, the Lady Bruins may be in search of some late-game energy that they have not shown in these playoffs.
Given that the Redskins have averaged more than 13 fourth-quarter points this season, the Bruins will need to be on their toes for the full 32 minutes if they hope to advance to the finals.
The two teams have not played each other since the 2006-07 season four years ago, which means that no one on either team was there the last time Bear River met Calaveras on the court.
However, that year, Bear River beat Calaveras 49-20 in the third round of the playoffs before going on to win the Sac-Joaquin Section Division IV Championship.
The Bruins will hope for a similar outcome this year.
To contact Sports Writer Anthony Barstow, e-mail abarstow@theunion.com or call (530) 477-4232.
They are 32 minutes of basketball away from that dream.
Today, the No. 2 ranked Bruins will take on the No. 3 ranked Calaveras Redskins in the semifinals of the Sac-Joaquin Section Division IV Basketball Tournament.
If they win, the Bear River girls would either take on rival Colfax or the Modesto Christian Crusaders in the finals.
The last two seasons, the Bruins failed to make it beyond the second round of playoffs. Senior Bear River guard Kelsey Uno was on both of those teams.
“It's a good feeling to finally be that one step closer, to be in the semifinals,” she said.
Before they can think about that packed stadium in Sacramento, the Bruins will have to face down the Redskins, a team that statistically runs right alongside Bear River.
Calaveras averages almost 46 points per game, while Bear River averages just over 48. The Redskins' overall record this season was 24-5. The Bruins went 25-4. The Redskins lost two league games, the Bruins just one.
In the quarterfinals against Capital Christian, Calaveras won 56-36, a 20-point margin of victory. Bear River won its last game by 21 points, 53-32.
Though the statistics tip just barely in favor of the Bruins, basketball is not a game won by numbers.
“You have to have no regrets,” said Uno, “and leave it all out on the court.”
The team that wins today will be the team that can best focus on the task at hand.
“You have to face what's right in front of you, and we're looking forward to this game,” Uno said.
To win, the Bruins will need another strong performance out of junior Jenn Meylor who has scored 46 points in the playoffs already, including 26 last week against Argonaut.
Senior Lindsey Harter, co-captain and Bear River's leading scorer, will need to shoot more from the floor to be effective. Harter is shooting 47 percent in the playoffs, but in two games, she has only 18 points, four points under her average for the season.
What will be most telling is the way the Bruins handle the fourth quarter. They have scored just seven and eight points, respectively, in the fourth quarters of their last two games.
Because Bear River was in control of both games by the end of the third, it has yet to matter. But, if Calaveras can hang in close for three quarters, the Lady Bruins may be in search of some late-game energy that they have not shown in these playoffs.
Given that the Redskins have averaged more than 13 fourth-quarter points this season, the Bruins will need to be on their toes for the full 32 minutes if they hope to advance to the finals.
The two teams have not played each other since the 2006-07 season four years ago, which means that no one on either team was there the last time Bear River met Calaveras on the court.
However, that year, Bear River beat Calaveras 49-20 in the third round of the playoffs before going on to win the Sac-Joaquin Section Division IV Championship.
The Bruins will hope for a similar outcome this year.
To contact Sports Writer Anthony Barstow, e-mail abarstow@theunion.com or call (530) 477-4232.
