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Basketball Season Ends in Semifinals Defeat

Photograph Courtesy of Berkeley High Yearbook After a long season, the Berkeley High School boys varsity basketball team’s 2017-18 year has come to a close.

Sports

Photograph Courtesy of Berkeley High Yearbook

After a long season, the Berkeley High School (BHS) boys varsity basketball team’s 2017-18 year has come to a close. The team drew the sixth seed in the Northern bracket of the California Interscholastic Federation State Championships, hosting the 11 seed St. Ignatius on March 7th. This match ended with a surprise loss, as the Jackets fell 71-54.

In the 2015-16 season, the team was able to make it all the way to the state championship. They lost in the final to Crespi High School by a 15 point margin. After the state championship heartbreak, last year’s season was one of change and rebuilding. The team took on a new head coach in Ralph Fields, a successful and recognized former player. The varsity squad also suffered the loss of twelve seniors, which left behind a young team for the 2016-2017 season. “Last year we built a good foundation in a new system leading in to this year,” said senior Ben Baker.

The team looked strong coming into this year, with experienced veteran captains like Kyree Brown, Baker, and Avery Burt to lead the team, as well as hungry young players with immense amounts of raw talent.

“We think we can win state, and another goal of ours is to go undefeated in preseason,” said Baker when asked about the team’s goals before the season tipped off. After finishing the preseason with a 13-3 record, the boys looked ready to start their run at state. They started off their regular season with an impressive 5-0 start, only to be beaten by BHS’s rival, Bishop O’Dowd. The team suffered a frustrating 64-58 loss away from home.

Berkeley’s final league game and only other league loss would also come at the hands of the O’Dowd Dragons.

Next up was the NCS basketball championships. Despite the loss to end the regular season, the Jackets didn’t lose any momentum in the playoffs. The team’s first NCS game was at home against Granada, who they defeated by a whopping margin of twenty-one points. They then hosted De La Salle and were able to prevail in a close game, winning by three points in overtime. Their NCS hopes were ended in the semifinals when they lost to 1 seed Clayton Valley Charter, who had previously beaten them in a preseason game. The team’s stay in the state tournament was short, as they lost in the first round against St. Ignatius. The team’s two final defeats were both winnable games, but the team’s offense start to falter. “Honestly, shots just weren’t falling as much late in the season. We lost our flow,” said Brown.

While the team did not reach their lofty goals, this season was a marked improvement from the previous one. The Jackets were able to win two more NCS games than last year, and qualified for the state tournament after being eliminated the year before. The team’s attitude likely contributed to their success.

“We are all team players, and none of us are selfish,” said Baker. While senior guards Baker and Brown are graduating, there is a reason for optimism after a season that ended without regrets. “I’m proud of my team. I think we shocked a lot of people. We didn’t get the outcome we were hoping for but that’s how it goes sometimes,” Brown said.