GIRLS’ BASKETBALL / DIVISION IV STATE FINAL : St. Bernard Repeats as Champion

No matter that the Playa del Rey St. Bernard girls’ basketball team lost four of its five starters from last season’s State Division IV championship team because of graduation.

No matter because the player the Vikings had returning was Olympia Scott.

Scott led St. Bernard to its second consecutive title when it defeated Grass Valley Bear River, 53-43, Friday at the Oakland Coliseum in a rematch of last season’s final.

Scott, a 6-foot-2 senior forward, and Marte Alexander, a 6-4 senior center, each scored 14 points to lead the Vikings (28-4). Scott also had a game-high 20 rebounds, including nine offensive boards.

St. Bernard did not take control until the fourth quarter. With St. Bernard trailing, 43-39, Alexander and Scott combined for 10 points as the Vikings scored the final 14 points.

“Really, I think they were a good team, but I don’t think they were the better team,” Scott said.

It took St. Bernard a while to prove that.

With the score tied, 31-31, Scott made a short jumper with 23 seconds remaining in the third quarter to put St. Bernard ahead.

But Jenny Shayani (33 points) made two free throws and a layup to give Bear River (34-4) the lead, 35-33, at the end of the quarter.

St. Bernard came back to tie the score, 39-39, with 5:40 left. Lara Wicks and Shayani each made layups in the next 1:16, to give Bear River a 43-39 lead, but it did not score again.

For St. Bernard, the game ended an era. Scott will head to Stanford next season and Alexander will head to Arizona.