CBS 13 Sports: An incredible journey
From the Emma Lou Hansen gym to the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, the Imperial girls basketball team gave us an amazing 2,000 plus mile ride.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. ( KYMA, KECY-TV ) - Former tennis great Arthur Ashe shared the following popular quote. "Success is a journey, not a destination." The doing is often more important than the outcome.
On Saturday morning the Imperial girls basketball team played in the program's first ever CIF state championship game. It's a rare feat that just doesn't happen too often with basketball teams from the Imperial Valley. The last team to make it this far was the 1988 Calipatria boys basketball team, they also were the South Region champions and fell to Ripon Christian out of Sac-Joaquin in double overtime 67-63.
The loss was gut wrenching, history reports chronicle a heartbreaking end in regulation where Calipatria's Robert Romero, who had 34 points at the time, fouled out with :07 seconds remaining in regulation with the Hornet's up by three 59-56. Ripon Christian's Mike Vander-Molen was sent to the free throw line with his team down three, Vander-Molen missed the first free throw and then purposely hoisted a hard shot that caromed off the backboard and back into the hands Vander-Molen, who stepped back and drained a three-pointer for a 59-59 tie, forcing overtime.
That's as close as any Imperial Valley basketball team has come in reaching a CIF state championship. That was in Division V and 34 years later, the Imperial Lady Tigers, the Southern Region champions in Division IV looked to continue their magical season.
"Ladies, congratulations, hey this is big," Imperial head coach Rich Ponchione said in the locker room before tipoff on Saturday morning. "It's fun right? This is a chance, we're already going down in history with our school and hometown. We're already in the history books. This is a chance to go down as legends, as heroiens right? Why not us? Let's go."
To path to through the state playoffs to Sacramento was a successful journey that started in their own gym. On March 1, 2022, Imperial defeated Heritage 50-21, the win was the first state playoff win in program history.
"Before this year we always played in Division I," Assistant head coach Daniel Cardova said. "If we ever did make the state playoffs in the past, we'd never get a home game, it'd always be on the road against the bigger San Diego schools. Never a home game and always one and done."
This year the Tiger's played in Division II and advanced to the CIF San Diego Section Division championship game and lost to Fallbrook 29-23.
When the state brackets were released, Fallbrook found themselves as a #10 seed in Division III while Imperial nabbed a #6 seed in Division IV.
"We never hosted a state playoff game before," Cardona said. "It was a bit of a surprise for sure. It's just the way the CIF does their rankings, I can't really explain it."
Without much time to prepare which included only one team practice, Coach Ponchione says some of his players seemed to be "checked out" and perhaps looking forward to their spring sports. The bad practice resulted in the program's first ever state playoff win.
Check off another experience on the Tiger's season journey. The win sent the Tiger's on a 309 mile ride to San Marcos High school in Santa Barbara. Another win for Imperial, another destination and another first. The 43-30 win over the section #3 seed was the first state road playoff win for Imperial.
"We really didn't know what was going to happen," Pochione said. "After the win, we just decided that night to spend the night somewhere nearby rather than drive five hours back and then turn around and be on the road again."
The Tiger's stayed in the Los Angeles area and traveled 85 miles to the campus of Mater's University in Santa Clarita to face #2 seed Trinity Classical Academy in the South Region semi-final. Trinity came in as the defending CIF State Division V champions, they left the game eliminated by Imperial. Tigers clawed their way to a 33-31 win. Another memory and achievement on their season odyssey. A 236 mile trip back home to Imperial.
After never winning a state playoff game before, the Tigers now had won three straight. Imperial now was in the CIF State Southern Region final against #1 seed Yucca Valley. 256 miles round trip. It was a trip worth taking as the Tiger's won their fourth straight game, 52-46 in a game that was a total team effort. The Tiger's created yet another memory at another destination. The Imperial Tigers are the 2022 CIF State Southern Region IV Champions.
The win earned the team a trip to Sacramento and the Golden 1 Center for the state championship tournament against the North Region champion Branson Bulls. For the Bulls, a mere 88 mile drive.
For Imperial, it was a 120 mile trip just to the airport. High school administrators at first sought out booking a charter bus but there were not any available. So, the team booked a last minute flight to Sacramento.
It may be the only time we ever experience something like this and we want to make it special for the girls
Imperial Athletic Director Victor Cruz
"We're just trying to do it right," Athletic director Victor Cruz said. "It may be the only time we ever experience this and we want to make it special for the girls."
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Another memory created for this team and community along its destination. A 505 mile flight to Sacramento on Friday morning. On Friday night, the team walked the streets, ate and entered the Golden 1 Center as spectators for the very first time. More memories, more experiences.
Saturday morning the team too to the court, the locker rooms, the cameras, the bright lights the state tournament presents.
When the game started, Imperial held their own, trailing by four twice in the opening quarter and fighting back to tie, ending the quarter tied with Branson 8-8.
In the second quarter, the biscuit wheels on Imperial's gravy train fell off. The Tiger's missed every shot, they were frustrated by Branson full court press and were outscored 14-0, trailing 22-8 at the half. Imperial was done, it showed on the girls faces, the miles had caught up to them.
Branson rolled to a 46-23 win to claimed the state championship.
Along the path to our destination, it's the journey that teaches us that we cannot without the experience along the way. What occurs during the travel is far more important than the outcome.
"For some of the girls it was their first time ever being on an airplane," Head Ponchione said in the postgame press conference. "Traveling to San Diego yesterday and coming up on a plane to be here today. Being in the city of Sacramento, most of us including myself have never been here before. Beautiful city. You can't describe it, it's been a lot of fun."
Although the loss at the end hurts, the team knows they have the support of each other, their school, the Imperial community and the entire Imperial Valley.
"It's so cool, they've supported us so much," Junior Xiomara Cardova said postgame. "The support we've gotten over the past few days is amazing, it's been unreal."
Not many girls can say, that came from the valley, that they've been in this position
Imperial Forward Sierra Morris
"Not many girls can say, that came from the valley, that they've been in this position," Junior Sierra Morris said. "We worked really hard and I feel we deserve it and we still got next year."
No other girls from the Imperial Valley have ever done with this team did. They are the first, they are the trail blazers and most of them will be back next year. The team will lose just three seniors in Mariel Gutierrez, Shekinah Carrillo and Paulina Rangel.
In total, through the state playoffs alone, the Imperial Tigers traveled roughly 2,136 miles to reach the end. With so many experiences, these players, coaches and families will evolve into more than they could have ever imagined from this incredible journey.
Some of the girls are already looking forward to next year. Another learning journey awaits.
