The Blue Raiders once again refused to be fazed by the bright lights when they traveled to the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento for the state championship.
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THE PATH TO GLORY
After going undefeated in the Northwest Sequoia League, the Caruthers girls basketball team shifted its focus to the D1 Central Section Playoffs. The Blue Raiders opened the playoffs with a 50-36 win over Arroyo Grande, but then came up short in the quarterfinals with a 69-52 loss against No.2-ranked St. Joseph. Still, this resilient squad was ready to go when it was time to take care of business in the Division 3 bracket of the state championships.
Caruthers, ranked No.14, opened the state playoffs with a decisive 85-52 victory against the No.3-ranked Christopher Cougars (Gilroy, CA). The Blue Raiders pulled off another upset in the following round, taking down Heritage (Brentwood, CA) 44-40. Then came another nail-biter: a 36-34 win on the road against No.2-ranked Central High. It was more of the same in the regional finals as Caruthers put together a gutsy performance to pull off a stunning 58-55 win against No.1-ranked University (San Francisco).
The Blue Raiders once again refused to be fazed by the bright lights when they traveled to the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento for the state championship. Thanks in large part to their relentless supporters who were showing up on the road in large numbers throughout the playoffs, Caruthers completed its historic run with a 54-48 unforgettable win against No.5-ranked Granada Hills Charter.
FAMILY BUSINESS
What’s better than winning a state championship? Winning a state championship with your mom obviously. Caruthers sophomore Emmi Almeida gets to be one of the few hoopers who gets to taste the feeling of celebrating such an epic win under the guidance of her mother and head coach Anna Almeida.
“It’s special,” Emmi said about winning a state championship with her mom. “We have our arguments, but in the end we have each other’s back. We’re willing to battle for each other no matter what.”
So how does coach feel about having her daughter on the team? She says it’s special,but “kinda scary” at the same time.
“It’s the perception of being the coach’s daughter. It carries a little bit of the weight,” Anna said. “Thank God she does it well because imagine if she didn’t, what people would say. I’ve been coaching her since she was a little kid. It has always been special and we always wanted to do this… That’s what I would always talk about. ‘I can’t wait to be here with her.’ I also got to be here with my nieces so that was so much fun.”
Anna is also raising another young star in the house of hoopers. That would be her younger daughter Joie, who is often seen in the huddle and on the bench with the Blue Raiders wherever they go. As Caruthers clinched a state title at the Golden 1 Center, Joie was of course right in the middle of the euphoric celebration.
THE MONSTER
Gizelle Aguirre has earned a nickname that perfectly describes her athletic prowess. This Caruthers senior, known as Monster, is a state champion in softball and basketball, as well as a section champ in soccer, softball and basketball.
Monster earned a state championship with the Blue Raiders less than two weeks after leading her school’s soccer program to a section championship. It was indeed a monster performance when Aguirre scored four goals in the championship game to help the Blue Raiders capture a section title in soccer.
“She’s a monster in whatever sport she plays in,” head coach Anna Almeida said.
There’s also another reason why this star athlete is known as Monster.
“When I was little my hair was crazy, so I looked like a monster,” Aguirre said.
ROAD RAIDERS
It didn’t matter whether it was Gilroy, Brentwood, San Francisco, Fresno or Sacramento. The Blue Raiders were ready to go wherever whenever. And the Caruthers community was clearly happy to go right along with the team.
The game against Central in particular felt like a home game for the Blue Raiders as their supporters packed the Grizzlies’ gym.
“The Central game was a home game,” Almeida said. “It just wasn’t in our gym.”
Job Finished
A nice mix of veteran leadership and young talent got the job done for the Blue Raiders. Sophomore Emmi Almeida led the way. The Golden 1 Center stage clearly didn’t rattle the 5-foot-8 star, who led her team with 21 points, nine rebounds and six assists in the championship win against Granada Hills Charter.
Another one of the rising stars, Jaylee Moore, did her part to control the paint. The 6-foot-1 freshman power forward made several big plays on defense while finishing with nine points, four rebounds and four assists.
As for veteran leadership… senior Gizelle “Monster” Aguirre knows all about that. She tallied 14 points and seven rebounds in the championship game.
Photos by Eyasu Betwos. Instagram: @Eyasu.Captures