Palisades Off The Mark In Second Half Of Loss In Division Iv State Basketball Title Game

SACRAMENTO — Senior Ayla Teegardin of Palisades held her caput precocious connected Saturday morning. A 51-37 nonaccomplishment to Yuba City Faith Christian successful nan authorities Division IV girls hoops last astatine Golden 1 Center couldn’t lessen nan inspiring backstory of really she and her Dolphin teammates had already won by making it to nan last contempt each nan proceedings and tribulations of nan Palisades Fire that destroyed a organization successful January 2025.

Teegardin mislaid her home, spent 3 months successful a edifice and battled to regain her teenage life.

“I struggled pinch a batch of worry coming into games,” she recalled.

Basketball and teammates kept her focused. This play has been different challenging clip pinch practices astatine nighttime and astatine mediate schools until nan precocious schoolhouse gym was yet re-opened astatine nan extremity of January.

“That traumatic business has brought everyone closer,” first-year coach Lebre Merritt said.

On Saturday, Palisades (16-14) fought Faith Christian (34-1) to almost a tie astatine halftime, trailing 29-26. But nan Dolphins scored only 11 points successful nan 2nd half and had nary reply for Long Beach State-bound Lauren Harris, who came successful arsenic nan nation’s profession three-point scoring leader while averaging 31.2 points this season. She vanished pinch 26 points, 16 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 blocks and 2 steals. She made a half-court changeable astatine nan extremity of nan first quarter.

Elly Tierney of Palisades did her champion connected discourtesy pinch 15 points and six rebounds. Teegardin vanished pinch 3 points and six rebounds.

The Dolphins outrebounded Faith Christian 43-33 but made only 15 of 63 shots.