Millikan Rams star Courtney Clements was in the house Thursday evening, but not where Long Beach sports fans wanted to see her. Instead of suiting up in the Rams’ familiar blue and yellow to face off against Poly for the fourth time this season, she was sporting an LBP shirt, there to cheer on the last Long Beach team standing as Poly tried to take out the A.B. Miller Lady Rebels. At stake was a trip to the So-Cal regional championship on Saturday; the winner of that game plays in Sacramento on the 15th for the state championship. The crowds turned out for the important contest, and Poly’s Ron Palmer Pavilion was filled to near capacity.
A few seconds into the game, Poly guard Ariya Crook-Williams, wearing number three, sank a three-pointer, and the gym went nuts. The mood in the stands was confident, fans seeming to think they were on their way to yet another Poly rout. But then Brianna Hall, also wearing number three for the Lady Rebels, ran down court and immediately sank a three of her own. Clearly, this wasn’t going to be an ordinary game. What ensued stunned the fans: after Poly’s opening basket, the Rebels went on an 11-0 run, on the strength of senior guard Brianna Hall, and sophomore sensation Chloe Wells. The Rebels also did a great job of drawing fouls from the much larger Jackrabbits team, while playing a ferocious style of defense, slapping hard at the ball any time a Poly player brought it below her shoulders. Jasmine Dixon hit all four of her free throws in the first quarter, and completed a three-point play near the end, willing the Rabbits to stay in the game. Although they were outplayed in every phase of the game, they managed to keep Miller’s lead to five points going into the second.
The Rebels had scored 21 points in the first quarter, and they’d kept Monique Oliver, who struggled in Tuesday’s game, to two points. Fans wondered if the funk of that game (which saw Poly’s second biggest name foul out after a disappointing scoreless effort) was going to extend to Thursday’s contest. Coach Buggs said after the game that Oliver had felt she let the team down. “That’s why it was very important that she have a good game today,” he said. “She was huge, carrying us into the next round.” Oliver’s second quarter was something to behold, as she put up thirteen points and dominated defensively, while playing off enough to keep from getting into foul trouble again.
On the strength of Oliver and Dixon’s 29 first-half points and a defense that responded well to Buggs’ defensive adjustments, the Rabbits took a hard-won 43-36 lead into the locker room. But the mood in the gym remained uncertain. The Rebels’ two stars, Hall and Wells (who in the mid-five foot range with small frames and darting speed are the antithesis of Dixon and Oliver) were performing well, too, with 23 points between them. It was clear that the best halftime adjustments would carry the game, and, as usual, Buggs’ team came out retooled and ready to go. By the end of the third, Poly was up by 20 and had kept Hall and Wells to a combined two third-quarter points. Jasmine Dixon had nine points, including her third three-point play of the night, and the game was in the bag. Dixon and Oliver put in 25 and 24, respectively, and combined for 46 rebounds, proving that while Poly’s role players have played a huge role in the team’s success, there’s a reason its stars get top billing. In the end, after Poly settled down on defense, the Jackrabbits were simply too big and powerful for the much smaller Lady Rebels, and they went on to win 87-58. But don’t think of this as a blowout. Granted, the fourth quarter was as uncompetitive as it usually is in a Poly game, but the Rebels’ lead at the end of the first quarter is not insignificant, and it proves that Poly has the mental toughness to absorb a blow from an opponent, adjust, and then come back even stronger.
After the game, Coach Buggs spoke of the Rebels’ ability to score in waves: “We were hoping that wouldn’t be at the start of the game, but it was. We just tried to stay patient. I felt they took their best shot early, but as poorly as we played we were still only down five at the end of the quarter. After that I thought we’d be in good shape.” ‘Good shape’ is as fitting a way as any to describe how Poly looks headed into Saturday’s contest against Narbonne (who match up to Poly similar to the way that Miller did), in the LA Arena. Over the last seven days they’ve won four games decisively, with very different game plans and playing styles. They’ve weathered foul trouble, huge scoring runs, shaky reffing, and a massive amount of talent on the opposing teams, but the Jackrabbits have proven they can win in any way necessary, and they’re well on their way to an unheard of third consecutive state championship.