Schools

VCS Basketball Captures Two Section Titles

Victory Christian boys top Sac. Adventist, girls over Wilton Christian.

GALT - The teams won two more section titles on Thursday for the small Carmichael private school with a big record of success.

The girls topped Wilton Christian 45-37 while the boys won big over fellow Carmichael private school Sacramento Adventist 65-46.

Victory Christian's two CIF Sac-Joaquin Section basketball titles this year follow section championships in and this past fall.

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"It's huge (for the Victory Christian School community and shows) we've got a legitimate (athletic) program," said Vikings boys basketball coach Bob Grexton. "People say we should move up to Division V but we're a small school."

VCS, a pre K-12 school, has about 120 students in high school. Before the season, schools including VCS and Thursday's other finalists had to decide whether to opt up into Division V, where the section semifinalists qualify for the CIF Northern California Regionals and play for a section championship banner at Power Balance Pavilion, The Sacramento Bee reported.

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Both schools decided to stay in the new division, The Bee said, especially with D-V expanding to include schools with enrollments of up to 500, including of Rosemont, which plays in the D-V boys final tonight.

In Thursday's action, junior Molly Huffman led the Vikings with 18 points and senior Laura Neville added eight. The Wilton Christian Patriots were led by senior Kendra Jeffcott with 24.

"Our man-to-man defense wore them down," said VCS girls coach and athletic director Tim Smithers. "Kendra is a great shooter... and we were able to slow her down a bit."

It was a game that was sloppy at times, as nerves appeared to get the best of several players. Huffman went down with leg cramps in the fourth quarter and had to come out of the game. She came back in with under a minute and played through the discomfort until the buzzer sounded, as VCS students stormed the court.

"Weeks of preparation paid off tonight," she said. "I've been looking forward to this (section title) a lot longer (than the volleyball one, in which Huffman also contributed)."

As for the VC boys, the senior trio of Clayton Coppernoll (14 points), Blake Owen (13) and Robby Maxey (11) again led the way, this time over the Capitals. Sac. Adventist senior Jordan Collins led his team with 14 points.

The Vikings opened the game on a 14-0 run before the Capitals got in an 8-2 run but VC proved too strong and pulled away in the second half for the win.

"It has meant a lot to experience this (title run) with this group of guys; I'm proud of everyone," Coppernoll said. "I've been looking forward to this since I was 16."

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SAC-JOAQUIN SECTION HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL PLAYOFFS
DIVISION VI Thursday's championships at Galt High School
BOYS
VICTORY CHRISTIAN 65, SACRAMENTO ADVENTIST 46
Sac. Adventist 8 11 16 11 – 46
Victory Christian 16 11 19 19 – 65
SA–Parker 6, Zellitti-Laur 8, Harrington 2, Collins 13, Thompson 17. VC–Maxey 11, Coppernoll 14, Sawusch 6, Halverson 8, Smith 10, Owen 13, Fischel 3.
GIRLS
VICTORY CHRISTIAN 45, WILTON CHRISTIAN 37
Wilton Christian 10 11 12 4 – 37
Victory Christian 11 14 6 14 – 45
WC– Huffman 18, Furtado 2, Neville 8, Nolan 4, Frentzen 7, Potts 6. VC–Jeffcott 24, Brown 8, Welch 3, McCormick 2.


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