Acalanes Performs Ultimate Rush Job

Two years ago, very little was expected from the girls’ basketball program at Acalanes High in Lafayette.

After all, the team had not won a postseason game since 1977.

That all changed during the 1996-97 school year, when an uncommonly strong freshman class and a demanding first-year coach arrived at the school, located about 10 miles east of Oakland in a community of about 30,000.

Today, the school has a policy barring fans from celebrating on the court after big victories.

And there have been lots of big victories.

For the second time in three seasons, the Dons (29-4) will play for a state championship. They face Harvard-Westlake (29-5) for the Division III title on Saturday at 12:45 p.m. at Arco Arena in Sacramento.

Acalanes has won three consecutive North Coast Section division championships and compiled an 86-16 record in the three seasons since it hired away Casey Rush, formerly an assistant at rival Campolindo, a two-time state champion.

Last season, Acalanes defeated Rush’s former school, ending Campolindo’s 96-game Tri-County Athletic League winning streak, and the Dons have split the last six meetings with their longtime nemesis.

“There’s a lot of pressure on us to succeed now,” said Corrie Mizusawa, a junior point guard and Acalanes’ top scorer. “There are a lot of expectations from everywhere, beyond just our team. Our community and a lot of people even outside of our community expect a lot from us.”

Juniors Mizusawa, Hilary Andersen and Lauren Murray, each 5 feet 8 inches, have started since they were freshmen and have been the foundation of the program.

“There’s definitely a combination of two forces at work here,” said Keith Schmidt, Acalanes’ principal. “[Rush] and the three freshmen kind of revolutionized the game for us. They are the core who have helped us reach this point.”

That revolution was built not only around a talented class of players, but also a rigorous conditioning program and a relentless full-court pressure defense.

“I’ve got some good players, and their work ethic is unparalleled,” Rush said. “No one is in better shape than we are, and nobody is going to outwork us.”

Rachel Rosemeyer, a 5-10 senior transfer from Campolindo, and Lisa Ovadia, a 5-7 junior guard, complete a lineup that will have a considerable size disadvantage against a Harvard-Westlake lineup that includes 6-2 post players Omelogo Udeze and Rolake Bamgbose and 6-foot swing player L’Tanya Robnett.

But Acalanes has beaten taller teams before.

“How do we make up for that?” Rush asked. “We pick ‘em up [defensively] the minute they get off the bus.”

Last week, in the Northern Regional final, the Dons limited top-seeded Loomis Del Oro, a significantly taller team, to two-of-20 shooting in the second half and claimed a 37-22 victory.

“Defense is always what wins games for us,” Mizusawa said. “We never lose sight of that.”

The Dons reached a state final in 1997, Rush’s first season, but lost to Torrance Bishop Montgomery.

Last season, Acalanes was ranked No. 1 in the state before being upset by No. 8-seeded Sacred Heart Cathedral in overtime in the first round of the Northern Regional.

“I think that loss helped us for this year,” said Mizusawa, who scored eight three-point baskets in a recent playoff game. “Now, we go into every game knowing that the other team can beat us.

“We won’t be overconfident like that again.”