Country Day seniors can’t close the deal in Division IV title game

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So much for the senior leadership for La Jolla Country Day.

Janae Fulcher and Dominique Conners, who carried the Torreys through most of the Division IV girls’ state final, dropped the ball in the closing seconds, allowing Vallejo St. Patrick/St. Vincent to hold on for a 67-65 victory at Arco Arena in Sacramento.

Country Day had an 11-point lead to start the fourth quarter, but the Bruins could do no wrong down the stretch, taking a 55-54 lead on a three-point basket by Rechel Carter with 4:37 remaining in the game.

They extended the lead to seven points with 2:35 remaining, but Country Day scored eight straight over the next two minutes to take a 65-64 lead with 36 seconds left. Jameiz Terrell then sank a baseline jumper with 25 seconds to give the Bruins a lead they wouldn’t relinquish.

Conners had a great chance, going to the free-throw line with 13.7 seconds remaining, but she was long on the first and short on the second. The rebound went long to Fulcher, however, who drove into the lane and threw up a layup, but the ball rolled off the rim with nine seconds on the clock, clipped off the fingertips of a Country Day player and went out of bounds to St. Patrick/St. Vincent with 2.8 seconds left. The Bruins made one of two free throws on the other end and Country Day never got off a last-second shot.

Tough way to go out for Conners and Fulcher, both college-bound seniors, but half the teams here will go home unhappy.

--Dan Arritt

-- Image from www.mrbilly.com