Refuse to lose. That's the motto the Roosevelt High girls basketball program chose for itself seven years ago -- and the Rough Riders still wear it today in green letters on the back of their white warm-up jerseys.
They certainly lived up to it Saturday in the Central Section Division III championship at Selland Arena.
Top-seeded Roosevelt pulled off some 11th-hour heroics with a late charge in a 51-47 come-from-behind win over No. 2 Porterville.
It was Roosevelt's first appearance in a section final. And, just seven years ago, the Rough Riders experienced a 42-game losing streak.
"These kids just have the will to win," Rough Riders coach Mark Gradoville said. "They are the most amazing bunch of kids I've ever been around. What they've done for their school and the community is beyond words."
Trailing by 10 points with 5:45 left in the fourth quarter, Roosevelt began working back into the game. Still, the Rough Riders were down 47-40 with 2:53 remaining.
"We believed in each other," said Trinity Washington, who scored 12 points for Roosevelt. "We never doubted we would win."
Porterville's last point of the game came at the 2:53 mark when Noel Garcia sank a free throw.
"I thought we played well except the last three or so minutes," Porterville coach Brian Hill said. "We just didn't do the little things we've done all year, like boxing out, handling the ball, finishing. We let them get their momentum."
Roosevelt pulled within 47-45 with 1:57 left on a 3-pointer by Lashari Clayborne then tied things up on a Jonae Theus layup with 46 seconds left. Theus was fouled on the shot and made the free throw to give Roosevelt the lead.
Another free throw by Theus with 28 seconds left made it 49-47. Mahogany May made two free throws down the stretch to seal the win.
Roosevelt outscored Porterville 21-8 in the fourth quarter.
"We never give up ... ever," said Clayborne, who finished with 10 points. "That's what makes the difference. We keep fighting to the end."
Theus led the Rough Riders with 14 points and also had 12 rebounds. Vanessa Gomez grabbed a team-leading 13 rebounds for Roosevelt.
"We've been saying since last summer we were going to get here. Now we're here -- and we won it," May said. "It feels great."
Alex Shew led Porterville with 21 points and had eight rebounds. Kyla Hill scored 11 for the Panthers, and Cory Ann Snyder grabbed a team-leading 11 rebounds.
"It was a heartbreaker," Shew said. "We had it, and then it got away."
Both teams advance to the CIF Southern California Regional -- Roosevelt with a 28-2 record, Porterville at 28-3. Seedings are today.
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Basketball Gallery 9: Section Finals
Girls Basketball Scores
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