AZUSA – As taxing as it can be on his heart and sanity at times, Rosary girls basketball coach Rich Yoon has come to accept that embedded in his team’s DNA is a flair for the dramatic and a resiliency to find a way come crunch time.
So when Saturday’s championship final saw the Royals head into a do-or-die overtime session, Yoon grinned, shrugged and said, “We’re used to it.”
Seniors Alli Iannone and Camille Lira each sank crucial buckets in overtime, and after preventing a last-second Camarillo half-court heave, the Royals celebrated a razor-thin 52-51 victory in the CIF-SS Division 2AA championship at Azusa Pacific University.
“It was probably the best game for the fans to watch throughout and nerve-wracking for us,” Yoon said. “We persevered and that’s kind of been our thing the whole season. We fought through it and the ball just happened to bounce our way.”
Royals center Rebekah Obinma scored a game-high 17 points, grabbed 14 rebounds and dominated on the defensive end, blocking five shots and altering countless others.
The junior was in foul trouble throughout. She picked up her third foul midway through the second quarter and eventually fouled out with eight seconds to play in overtime while attempting to block Alyssa Marin’s 3-pointer from the wing.
“Coach has to tell me to back off at times and watch how aggressive I’m playing,” Obinma said of her foul trouble. “It’s a bad habit, but I’m still learning.”
With Rosary clinging to a 52-49 lead, Obinma’s foul sent Marin to the line for three shots. After sinking the first two, the third free throw hit the back of the rim and the rebound was pulled down by Camarillo’s Cameran Bahnsen. Her put back attempt sailed over the rim and into the hands of Iannone with four seconds remaining.
The senior point guard was fouled, missed the front end of a one-and-one on the opposite end, but the Royals swarmed the Camarillo rebounder, making it tough for the Scorpions to take a final shot.
“We’ve just learned to handle the adversity,” Iannone added. “You can’t just rely on one person, it has to be a team effort. When she (Marin) hit those two big free throws, I realized she could miss this, so we needed to do our parts and box out. We got lucky with the missed shot and just finished.”
The overtime triumph was the second of the postseason for the Royals (25-5). Freshman Kate Goostrey’s buzzer-beater against Twentynine Palms in the quarterfinals kept Rosary’s championship aspiration alive early last week. The energetic youngster finished with 11 points Saturday.
Lira’s 10 points gave the Royals three players in double figures.
“This team just learns how to survive,” Yoon said. “They go out at the end of the game and they find a way. It’s been like that all year long. … This is one of the most amazing, resilient teams that I’ve ever had.”
Rosary’s season will continue next week as the Royals figure to be one of the top-seeded teams in the CIF Southern California Division 3 regionals.
Contact the writer: kconnolly@scng.com
