ROUGH RIDE FOR ROOSEVELT

By Megan Poindexter
VSP Senior Writer-

It was bittersweet for the No. 4 seed Roosevelt girls’ basketball team Tuesday night, as they played host to the No. 6 seed Marlborough High School in the first round of the CIF state playoffs.

Despite a hard fought battle, the Roughriders were unable to overcome many obstacles and suffered a 60-42 loss.

“I can’t even put into words what these girls have done and how proud I am of them all,” said head coach Mark Gradoville.

While the team was disappointed in the loss, as it put an end to their season, it made school history, an accomplishment most didn’t see coming.

In an unpredictable season, Roosevelt finished with a 28-3 record and won their first Central Section title last Saturday in a 51-47 comeback victory over Porterville.

“This means so much for the program because we have never been this far,” said senior guard Lashari Clayborne. “I’m disappointed that we lost, but this school has never had so much pride.”

School and community pride were definitely evident in the Roosevelt school gym, as fans nearly filled every seat in the building.

And the enthusiasm never died. Even when the Rough Riders were down by as many as 20 points, people were on their feet cheering until the end.

“We finished this year best in the valley and we can walk out of this gym with our heads raised high,” said Gradoville. “I don’t think people ever dreamed or believed we would be here at the beginning of the season.”

Roosevelt got behind early as the Mustangs went on a 12-3 run to open the game, and continued their dominance ending the first quarter with a 21-12 lead.

Marlborough’s Jade Smith scored 12 points in the quarter en route to 22 points for the night.

“I was just trying to get my shots up,” said Smith. “Our coach is always telling us to just shoot, shoot, shoot and I was feeling good.”

The Rough Riders played a tough second quarter, scoring 11 points to the Mustangs’ 13 to end the half down by 11.

With the physical play of the game intensifying, both teams received technical fouls in the first half.

Mustangs’ bench coach Treka Jackson received a technical in halfway through the second quarter and less than 1:20 later did Gradoville got one as well.

In the Division II section championship game, Gradoville received two technical fouls and was forced to remain on the bench the rest of the game.

The intensity continued into the second half, with the Rough Riders coming back on a mission to crawl back into the game much like they did against Porterville.

Outscoring Marlborough by three points in the quarter, Roosevelt was able to narrow the gap to 41-33 before the Mustangs exploded to close it out.

“It’s simple,” said Gradoville. “They were just bigger, stronger, and better than us.”

Roosevelt’s efforts weren’t enough as the Mustangs were persistent and opened the quarter with a 14-4 run to put themselves up by 20, a lead they would not relinquish

Two technical fouls were issued to Roosevelt players in the second half and one to a Mustang player all for unsportsmanlike conduct.

“I really think we could have played with more heart tonight,” said Clayborne.

With the win, Marlborough, the Southern Section runner-up, will advance to face top seeded Foothill in Santa Ana on Thursday in the regional semifinals.

“This was good for us because we’ve never had to travel in the playoffs before,” said Smith. “We need to keep focus and this really helped us learn to keep our composure.”

STATE PLAYOFF SCOREBOARD
Girls Div. I
Stockdale 47
Long Beach Poly 76

Girls Div. II
Beverly Hills 65
Hanford 90
Next: at Brea Olinda Thursday

Garces 26
Mater Dei 85

Girls Div. III
Roosevelt 42
Marlborough 60

Porterville 20
Woodbridge 38

Girls Div. IV
Kingsburg 29
Harvard-Westlake 72

Corcoran 20
Pacific Hils 61

Girls Div. V
Fresno Christian 58
Christian Life Academy 47

Boys Div. II
Garces 74
Leuzinger 108

Liberty-Bakersfield 57
Reseda 75

Boys Div. III
Gahr 74
Hanford West 54

Ridgeview 47
Harvard Westlake 70

Boys Div. IV
Kingsburg 62
Bishop Montgomery 71

Bakersfield Christian 67
Chaminade 48
Next: at Bishop Montgomery Thursday

Boys Div. V
Mission Prep 34
Windward 76

Central Valley Christian 81
View Park Prep 66
Next: At Windward Thursday

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