Sequoia makes history with CCS crown

“Everybody was so happy and screaming and jumping on each other,” Sequoia guard Alexis Jackson said. “It was just really memorable. I’ll never forget it.”

One of three underclassman starters, Jackson enjoyed an impressive all-around performance. The sophomore totaled 11 points, five rebounds, four steals and three assists. She was one of three Cherokees to score in double figures. Senior center Soana Afu added 12 points, while junior power forward Talita Falepapalangi scored a game-high 22.

Sequoia entered the team’s first-ever CCS championship appearance with apparent nerves. Palo Alto (22-4) jumped out to a 5-0 lead in the opening minutes as the Cherokees committed an uncharacteristic four turnovers in the period.

Once Falepapalangi powered to the hoop to get Sequoia on the board 2 minutes, 15 seconds into the game, the Cherokees began their march toward destiny. The bucket started Sequoia on an 8-0 run to close the quarter. After Palo Alto tied it at the start of the second on a 3-pointer by senior Ellie Jeffries, the Cherokees retook the lead on a post-up by Falepapalangi.

Sequoia led the rest of the way, holding off Palo Alto through three quarters before breaking it open by outscoring the Vikings 19-8 in the fourth.

“I think it was just start-of-the-game nerves,” Jackson said. “And once we got going, we started to figure it out and calm down a little bit and started to play our game, and we started going.”

The challenge for Sequoia was in solving Palo Alto’s trapping full-court press. Generally, Jackson and sophomore point guard Jacqueline Kurland are strong enough to balance sideline-to-sideline passing and push the ball up-court.

The Vikings, though, were trapping with double-team swarms near the sidelines. It was disruptive to Sequoia’s usual fluid tempo in bringing the ball up. But the Cherokees were up to the challenge of reinventing their approach on the fly, enlisting forward Caitlin Dulsky to work the sidelines in the backcourt, and at times posting Falepapalangi and Afu through the middle to anchor the cause.

Sequoia went on to commit just nine turnovers throughout, including just two in the second half.

“The other kids stepped up,” Sequoia head coach Steve Picchi said. “They really took away [Kurland] sometimes by double-teaming her. And then Jackson and [Dulsky] did a great job of handling the ball. … And of course, when you put that kind of pressure, it creates some openness at the other end.”

The Cherokees benefitted from breaking the trap with several breakaway scores. But through a contentious second quarter, they were content to go at Palo Alto with their signature brand of old-school basketball fundamentals.

Palo Alto lived and died by the 3-pointer, and Jeffries knocked down one of her three treys on night to narrow Sequoia’s lead to 15-14 with 2:45 to play in the half. Then Sequoia responded. At the other end, Afu powered up for a five-foot jumper. Then Jackson netted 1 of 2 free throws before a clean pick on the defensive perimeter and gliding to the hoop to send Sequoia into halftime up 20-14.

“I kind of reinforced that at halftime,” Picchi said. “I was like, ‘hey, look, we’re where we want to be.’”

The Cherokees scored the first two buckets of the second half to finish a 9-0 run. Sequoia provided its usual defensive fireworks, with two steals by Afu in the quarter. Jackson added an early steal, then recorded an assist on an excellent quick pass up court to Falepapalangi all alone behind the defense.

Palo Alto didn’t quell the pressure of its defensive trap. But Sequoia was nearly flawless in breaking it after the halftime break.

“[Palo Alto] did a great job of that, by the way,” Picchi said. “They made us do things that we don’t normally have to do. So, that was good. But our kids responded and showed that they can attack that kind of stuff.”

In the fourth quarter, the levee broke as Sequoia dominated Palo Alto’s beleaguered post defense. Falepapalangi scored nine points in the final period, and Afu added six.

“At the end it didn’t matter who scored, just as long as we were putting the point up and getting ahead,” Afu said. “I was just really starting to trust my teammates when it came right down to it. I’m just proud of everybody.”

Sequoia shot a sturdy 38.1 percent from the field and was 9 of 13 from the free-throw line in the second half. More importantly, it was the Cherokees’ pressure defense that won the day, albeit theirs coming around the perimeter to stifle Palo Alto’s home-court, 3-point looks.

The Vikings ultimately shot just 22.8 percent from the field, including 7 for 35 from beyond the arc.

Sequoia now advances to the CIF State Basketball Championships starting Tuesday. Sequoia earned the No. 10 seed in CIF Division II, and will travel to No. 7 Cosumnes Oaks-Elk Grove for a 7 p.m. tip-off.

If their performance in the CCS tournament is an indicator, the Northern California field need look out. Through three wins in the Division I bracket, the Cherokees outscored opponents by an average of 17 points per game.

And, of course, they brought the purple reign in the form of the program’s historic CCS girls’ basketball crown.

“Honestly, I never thought this was going to happen,” Jackson said. “So I’m so proud to be a part of this.”