Morro Bay girls fall to Bakersfield Christian in CIF basketball championship game

The Morro Bay girls basketball team came into the CIF Central Section Division 3 championship game winning all their games by 15 or more points. The No. 2 seed Pirates dominated their competition all the way to the final matchup.

But on the other side of the bracket, No. 1 seed Bakersfield Christian (25-7) beat all of their opponents by more than 20 points, and they lived up to that reputation, beating Morro Bay (23-7) 70-38 on Saturday in the championship game at Fresno’s Selland Arena.

Initially, the Pirates were able to keep pace with the Eagles, until about halfway through the first quarter, when Bakersfield Christtian went on a 15-4 run, opening up a 13-point by end of the period. The Eagles continued their strong play from there, and by halftime the Pirates were down 23 points, before ultimately losing by 32-point margin.

“We knew they could shoot, but they really shot it well tonight,” Head Coach Alex Engel said. “Honestly, we didn’t do a good job of protecting the three-point line.”

Despite the disappointing results, the Pirates’ season isn’t over.

By making the championship game, the team qualifies for the state tournament, Engel said.

Eagles hot from the three-point line

A big factor in the loss was the Eagles’ ability to convert on 11 of their 28 three-point attempts.

Meanwhile, the Eagles’ defense stifled the Pirates. Only one player finished in double figures, senior Fiona Durham.

Durham fouled out of the game in the fourth quarter and finished with an impressive double-double of 17 points and 17 rebounds to go along with four steals and two blocks.

“Making it to Selland Arena is an accomplishment in itself,” Engel said.

The last time the Pirates made the CIF section championship was in the late 1990s, according to Engel.

He added his team should be “proud of the hard work they put in.”

“We’re a small school with 750 kids,” he said. “Most of the teams we played against in the playoffs were schools of almost 2,000 kids, and they fought their way to the finals.”

Despite the large differential, Engel credits the team’s three seniors Durham, Tailer Morrison and Georgie Wheeler for continuing to fight and not fold.

“Our three seniors really showed a lot of poise, a lot of character, and they just kept playing hard and kept fighting the entire time, and I think it allowed us to stabilize and keep playing until the end,” Engel said.

Update:

The Pirates are the No. 4 seed in Division III of the CIF State playoffs and will take on the No. 13 seed Rancho Cucumonga at home on Feb. 27 at 7 p.m.

This story was originally published February 24, 2024 at 11:39 PM.