High school basketball: Immanuel pulls away from Mendota in Division IV championship
Nana Moreno didn’t hold back after her Immanuel girls basketball team captured the Central Section Division IV girls championship.
Jenna Goertzen scored 20 points and Moreno added 12 points in the Eagles’ 41-29 victory over Mendota at Selland Arena on Friday afternoon.
“We come a long way, long practices, tears, blood and sweat,” she said. “So much that goes into these hours and most of all the Lord. You just put your faith in him and he’ll carry you to great lengths.”
The game was close through three quarters before Immanuel outscored the Aztecs 13-5 in the final quarter.
It was the Eagles’ first section title since 2017, according to section historian Bob Barnett and the sixth in sixth in school history.
Loren LeBeau was hired to be the Immanuel coach in 2022, two years after his release from prison.
In 2012, he was arrested and later sentenced to prison time for a DUI crash on Shepherd Avenue in northeast Fresno that killed 7-year-old Donovan Maldonado and injured the boy’s father and sister. LeBeau fled the scene, though he later returned.
He coached at both Fresno State and Fresno City College as well as several high school programs, including Edison, Clovis West and Central, where he led his team to the Central Section finals.
LeBeau was asked what it means to have a second chance at coaching.
“We’re a people of faith,” he said. “I’ve been on an unbelievable journey. I’m extremely humbled. Immanuel has given me a second chance. I don’t take it for granted. I don’t take it lightly. I can’ thank the Immanuel community for giving me a chance because it’s been a tragic journey for many people.”
Immanuel’s full court pressure wore on Mendota in the fourth quarter.
Moreno took note of that and gave the Aztecs credit.
“They never give up,” she said. “They just kept pushing and hustling. You got to keep moving and they’d hustle back every time they get the ball. They’d be right there. Just relax and you’ll be fine.”
This story was originally published February 23, 2024 at 6:18 PM.
