How Weed took down Fall River for girls basketball section title win
The Weed girls basketball team completed the school’s double-section title win, beating Fall River 57-29 on Saturday in the Northern Section Division VI finals at Shasta College.
The 26-5 Cougars got 18 points from senior post Renaissance Johnson and 15 from junior Alayja Oliver, a 5-10 point forward.
Weed was helped by an exceptionally off shooting night from the Bulldogs, who were 9-of-23 from the free throw line in addition to only hitting once from 3-point territory.
“Our defense did a good job closing out on them tonight,” Weed coach Kent Cunningham said. “You have to or else they drive and dish or spot up or distribute. We rebounded well.
“You can’t give them more opportunities.”
The defensive pressure on the Fall River shooters was aided by the tandem of Johnson banging down low and Oliver’s ability to get the outlet and finish in traffic and through contact.
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Johnson started the game with a two-foot bucket in the paint and Oliver added an and-one 3-point play on the Cougars’ next possession.
Johnson again found success in the key before Oliver hit a 3-pointer and sank a pair of free throws for an 11-4 lead midway through the first quarter. Johnson would score twice more for eight points in the first quarter, matching Oliver’s output.
“We look to run,” Cunningham said. “And Renaissance Johnson had 12-15 rebounds and hit the outlet (pass). Then Alayja is lightning quick on the break and able to finish. Her ability to get out and run means they can’t crash as hard on the offensive board.”
Weed took a 19-9 lead into the second quarter, stretching it to 35-20 at intermission. Oliver, Johnson and Maddie LaDue combined for the final 12 points of the quarter.
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“When Johnson and Oliver are on, it opens up everything else for (Brooklyn) Bivens or others,” the Weed coach said. “And we have a freshman point guard (Riley Dawson) who is dynamite. How crazy is that?”
But Fall River tried to turn the tables coming out of halftime, starting the third quarter on a 6-0 run as sophomore Reese Cassity hit two quick buckets before Serena Conway added another. The mini run prompted Cunningham to call a quick timeout.
“We came out flat to start the second half,” he said. “We tell them all the time that the first three minutes of the third quarter are the most important. I called timeout and told them to pick it up.”
His girls responded immediately with a 13-0 run over the remainder of the third quarter that essentially put the game out of reach.
Johnson hit from inside and Oliver drained two straight shots, followed by a Bivens field goal and a Dawson trey.
This is the second straight section title for the Cougars, who fell 58-45 in the Northern California Division VI state finals (the DVI playoffs are a NorCal-only tournament).
“Nothing makes you want the second one (title) like the first one,” Cunningham said. “We got two, won league and have a team that could make some noise in state.”