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GIRLS’ 3-A CHAMPIONSHIP : Jefferson Outlasts Narbonne, 60-53, for 1st City Title

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SPECIAL TO THE TIMES

The premonition of victory came a little sooner to Kyetra Brown than to her Jefferson High teammates.

“After the the first quarter, I was pretty sure we were going to win,” said Brown, a 5-foot-6 guard who had 14 points and nine assists. “At halftime, I knew we had it won.”

She was right. The Democrats hung on for a 60-53 victory over Narbonne to capture its first City girls’ basketball title in the 3-A final Friday at the Los Angeles Sports Arena.

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The top-seeded Democrats held a 30-19 lead at halftime and led by as many as 15 in the first half.

However, the unseeded Gauchos opened the second half with an 8-2 run to close it to 32-29 on a three-point basket by Valerie Ogawa with 4:57 left in the third quarter.

“We gave them a chance, but we couldn’t slack up,” Jefferson forward Shonte Tippie said. “I didn’t know if we could stop them or not.”

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Tippie’s fears proved unfounded.

The Eastern League champion Democrats raced to a 7-0 lead before Narbonne scored its first points on a layup by Ogawa with 3:36 left in the first quarter. They opened a 43-31 lead after three quarters and scored 15 of the next 17 points. Narbonne was unable to get closer than six thereafter.

“Every time we made a run, they seemed to have something in reserve,” Narbonne Coach Glenn Kaminishi said.

Tippie scored seven of her game-high 20 points, including a three-point basket, during the stretch. She also pulled down 12 rebounds in the game.

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Chaka Smith added 12 points and 10 rebounds, and Helen Ruano had eight points and four blocks for Jefferson, which closed out the season with a 26-3 record, winning its final 12 games and 15 of its last 16.

“I don’t care what anybody thinks, I never say we’ve won until the game is over,” Smith said. “Anything can happen. I wasn’t sure until there were 20 seconds left.”

Smith and Tippie opened the fourth quarter with consecutive baskets to culminate a 15-2 run which gave Jefferson a 47-33 advantage a minute into the fourth quarter.

Smith converted a three-point play to give Jefferson, which never trailed, its biggest lead, 52-35, with just over five minutes to play. Although the Gauchos went on a tear after that with 18 points, they ran out of steam.

Denise Takamoto had a team-high 14 points for Narbonne, which finishes the season with a 16-11 record. Valerie Ogawa and Lenora Tuisalo’o scored 13 each.

Records: Jefferson 26-3; Narbonne 16-11.

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