YUCAIPA, CA – Amy Reason has much to smile and feel good about lately.
Amy, a shooting guard on the Yucaipa Thunderbirds girl’s basketball team, received one of the highest honors a high school athlete can receive when she was selected as a Second-Team, All-Citrus Belt League performer.
“I was shocked, I didn’t think I would get it,” said Amy, a senior. “It is an honor and made me feel really good about myself to find out I’m on that team.”
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SANTA ANA, CA – The Santa Monica Vikings girl’s basketball team defeated the Fontana Summit Sky Hawks, 69-63, in the CIF-Southern Section Div. 1A championship game, Thursday, at Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana.
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Summit’s Dorian Cason slams home a dunk.
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FONTANA, CA – The Fontana Summit Sky Hawks (28-3) fell to the visiting Murietta Valley Nighthawks, 71-67, in the semi-finals of CIF Southern Section Division 2AA Friday at A.B. Miller High School.
The Nighthawks meet Compton on Friday in the finals at the Honda Center in Anaheim.
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Despite the setback in CIF playoffs, Rebels fans cheered their team on.
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MENIFEE, CA - The Paloma Valley Wildcats shot as if the basket were the size of the Grand Canyon.
And that’s not too big an exaggeration as the Wildcats made 12 of their first 14 shots, including 9 in a row, to knock off the Fontana A.B. Miller Rebels, 95-71, in the first round of the CIF Southern Section Division 1A boys’ basketball playoffs last week. Click to continue »
Summit center, Dorian Cason, pulls down a rebound over Canyon Springs forward, Derek James, during Summit’s, 67-61, victory in the second round of CIF-Southern Section Div. II playoffs.
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MORENO VALLEY, CA – Some shooters like to set and shoot, while others like to drive and shoot.
And once the Summit Sky Hawks figured out what kind of shooting the Canyon Springs Wildcats preferred, they adjusted their defense and turned a close game around and escaped Canyon Springs High School with a come from behind, 67-61, victory in the second round of CIF Southern Section Division II playoffs on Feb. 19.
Summit trailed by 10 points at halftime due to the hot shooting of Canyon’s Clint Roy, Merv Lindsay, and Derek James. But at halftime, Summit adjusted their defense, clamped down on the trio, and because of it the Sky Hawks move on to the quarterfinals where they will meet Saugus on Tuesday.
“They came out and hit everything in the first half,” said Sky Hawks junior guard / wingman, Quinton Lilley. “The main thing coach told us at halftime was to try to get them to drive to the basket. They’re a little less comfortable dribbling and pulling up to shoot than setting up to shoot.”
PALOMA VALLEY, CA – The Wildcats of Paloma Valley defeated the Fontana A.B. Miller Rebels, 95-71, in the first round of CIF-Southern Section Div. 1A Playoffs, Wednesday.
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YUCAIPA, CA – The Yucaipa boy’s junior varsity basketball team took on the Fontana A.B. Miller Rebels in a thrilling Citrus Belt League basketball game, Friday.
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FONTANA, CA - The Yucaipa and Fontana A.B. Miller boy’s basketball teams met in the final game of Citrus Belt League play, Friday, at A.B. Miller High School. The Rebels prevailed in double overtime, 93-85, to advance into post season playoffs.
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And finally after two exhausting overtimes, the Fontana A.B. Miller Rebels defeated the visiting Yucaipa Thunderbirds, 93-85, in a must-win situation.
The victory earns Miller a tie for third place in the Citrus Belt League, and sends the Rebels into the postseason CIF Southern Section Division 1A Playoffs as the league’s number three seed.
The match up between the Thunderbirds and Rebels was in reality a playoff game. And it had that kind of intensity from tip-off to the final buzzer. For the winner would advance into the post season, while the loser would see its season come to an end.
But for the Rebels to keep their season alive, it took two clutch game-saving shots.
BATTS’ BIG TREY
Darrius Batts had a huge night netting 34 points to lead all scorers. But his 3-pointer with 12-seconds left in regulation was his biggest shot of the season. It tied the game, 65-65, sending it into overtime.
And then Ruben Castanon had his turn at game-saving heroics. With three-seconds left in the first overtime and Yucaipa leading, 80-77, the slick ball handling point guard drove from Yucaipa’s baseline on the in bounds, weaving his way down court at full speed. And from 28-feet out Castanon launched a high-arcing shot that found nothing but net as the buzzer sounded.
And as the ball left his hand, Castanon asked for a little guidance.
“I just prayed it would go in and we would go into (second) overtime,” Castanon said, who finished with seven points. “I had to step up because I’m a senior and I didn’t want to let my teammates down. After that shot went in I thought we are going to the playoffs.”
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REDLANDS, CA – The Redlands East Valley Wildcats defeated the visiting Yucaipa Thunderbirds, 94-73, in a Citrus Belt League basketball game.
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