The Corcoran High Panthers were all smiles as they entered Selland Arena through a side door Saturday morning, walking across a red carpet as music played and a smattering of fans cheered.
Their smiles were even bigger 21/2 hours later after the top-seeded Panthers survived No. 3 Kingsburg 63-58 for the Central Section Division IV girls basketball title.
It was Corcoran's fifth D-IV championship this decade; the Panthers also won in 2001, 2002, 2004 and 2005 but had lost in the semifinals to Exeter the past two years.
"It feels amazing, like no other feeling I've ever experienced," said Tabitha Torres, who collected 18 points, nine rebounds, nine assists and five steals for the Panthers.
Priscilla Zepeda added nine points and eight rebounds for Corcoran, Kim Gomez contributed eight points and 13 rebounds, and Kaleigh Botill eight points and eight rebounds.
"They played well at the beginning, but at the end we made a lot of silly mistakes -- but a lot of that was due to the Kingsburg pressure," Corcoran coach Doug White said.
Kingsburg's Shaylee Yano, averaging 18 points per game, exploded for 30 in as many minutes. Allison Billington scored 13 points and grabbed seven rebounds for the Vikings, and Nereyda Padilla had seven points and nine rebounds.
"Corcoran did a good job of keeping us out of sync," Kingsburg coach Nick Harrell said. "We had our opportunities and that's all we can ask for."
Both teams struggled on offense in the second half with Corcoran shooting 30% from the field and Kingsburg 23.5%. The Panthers shot 46.9% in the first half and Kingsburg 40.7%.
"It's tough to lose, but we played hard and at least we got here," Yano said. "They were the better team today."
Corcoran jumped to a 10-1 first-quarter lead. The Vikings took their first lead, 12-11, on a Yano steal and basket. Yano scored seven in the first quarter, which ended in a 19-19 tie. Torres, averaging 21.4 points per game, scored just two in the first quarter but put in 11 in the second to help Corcoran take a 41-29 lead into the half.
Kingsburg closed it to 51-48 at the end of the third quarter on a Billington 3-pointer with 10 seconds left.
The Vikings again pulled within three at 61-58 on a Yano basket with 25 seconds remaining in the game. But Ariel Pruitt sealed Corcoran's victory with two free throws with 14.4 seconds left.
Both teams advance to the CIF Southern California Regional -- Corcoran with a 28-7 record and Kingsburg at 20-9. Seedings will be done today.
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Basketball Gallery 9: Section Finals
Girls Basketball Scores
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