Branson puts hammer down in third quarter of Division V final

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Well, at least San Luis Obispo Mission Prep can say it still has an individual state and national champion on its campus.

As far as a team state champion, the Royals will likely need to wait yet another year.

Ross Branson built a 39-20 lead after three quarters of the girls’ Division V state final at Arco Arena in Sacramento, and the Bulls could probably go the entire fourth quarter without scoring and still win against poor-shooting Mission Prep, which is 0-5 in state final games.

The Royals cut the deficit to five in the opening seconds of the third quarter, but Branson scored six straight points and Ally Kersthold nailed a three-pointer from NBA range with 3:37 remaining in the quarter, giving the Bulls a 33-20 lead. Mission Prep scored only five points in the quarter.

-- Dan Arritt

-- Image from www.jupiterimages.com

-- Editor Bob: Did you know that Branson has a mountain bike team? Well, it does.