Clovis West girls basketball dynasty survives early scare, stands strong once again
The Clovis West High dynasty seemed on the verge of collapsing, even if only for a while, with the girls basketball team down double digits during a Central Section championship game.
Sure, the Golden Eagles had played in some close contests during their run of 13 straight Central Section titles.
But had Clovis West ever trailed by 10-plus points like Saturday?
And yet when it was over, Clovis West figured out how to end up in familiar territory, hoisting another section title at midcourt of Selland Arena.
Using a complex and aggressive 3/4-quarters, 2-2-1 press that the Eagles had rarely shown prior to the Division I final, Clovis West overcame an early 10-point deficit and confused Clovis High enough to pull away with a 53-41 victory before a rambunctious crowd at the downtown Fresno arena.
Clovis West (29-3) seized its 14th consecutive section title, 17th championship under coach Craig Campbell and 24th section crown overall in Golden Eagles girls basketball history.
“There were times this was a frustrating year,” said Campbell, whose latest title was won despite losing seven seniors from a year ago. “I could see our potential, but we didn’t go 10 toes down every day.
“But something flipped these last two weeks. They bought in once the playoffs started. We were really humming and really believing. ... They were feeding off my energy of not being all panicked and flustered.”
Instead, Clovis West simply kept chipping away at Clovis High’s large lead early on while running a variety of defensive schemes — whether it was a laidback zone, aggressive traps or perhaps its most effective look of the night with a high-pressure 2-2-1 press.
With two defenders applying pressure on the ball handler roughly 15-20 feet before halfcourt, the Eagles figured out a way to get the ball out of the hands of Clovis star point guard Sadie Sin, force turnovers, and at the least, make the Cougars (22-10) play at an uncomfortable pace.
By halftime, Clovis’ once cushy lead had been reduced to a 23-21 advantage.
“We had a bunch of stuff we hadn’t run yet this year that we executed really well,” Campbell said. “And we wanted to play tempo. We wanted to play with pace and space. ... We spent the entire halftime (talking about) our defensive rotations.
“(Clovis) had a really hot first half. I was worried. But I could see that if we could settle in and take away that 3-point shot, we’d be OK.”
Clovis West pulled away in the third quarter and outscored Clovis 16-5, with point guard Ramie Chatman leading the charge with her drive and dish abilities.
Thanks to a quick first step and confident handles, Chatman often penetrated to the lane for baskets of her own or kicked out for wide-open shots for teammates.
With six minutes left in the game, it was Clovis West that owned a double-digit lead.
And it was largely because of the Clovis West press as the Eagles forced 20 turnovers and generated 25 points off Cougars mistakes.
Sin, who signed with Long Beach State, would often attempt to break Clovis West’s press with a pass.
But that sometimes led to turnovers. Or, she’d get the ball past halfcourt but rarely received the ball again on the possession to allow the speedy guard to attack or shoot or playmake further.
Sin was held to eight points off 2-of-7 shooting, and had four assists but with seven turnovers.
Then also consider this about Clovis West’s defensive gameplan against Clovis’ talented guard: Sin scored six points in the first four minutes — both off deep 3-pointers — but was limited to just two points the rest of the way.
“I should have done a better job moving her, getting her in better spots to hit some more shots — that’s on me,” Clovis coach Cooper Steele said. “They’re a great team. They made great adjustments, they got the ball to the right place and made big shots, and we didn’t quite hit that big one.”
Sin scored 28 points in the previous matchup when Clovis beat Clovis West 55-44 during the regular season on Feb. 6 in a critical game that helped the Cougars clinch an outright Tri-River Athletic Conference title.
Campbell, however, credited that Clovis West loss in helping the Eagles get back on track for the postseason.
“We might not get this (championship) without that loss,” Campbell said. “We realized it’s earned and not given.
“We have some much respect (for Clovis). Coach Steele does a tremendous job; a dynamic player in Sadie Sin; shooters all over the court. This one was definitely earned.”
Clovis guard Yazmin Aguilera led all scorers with 16 points and sank 5 of 9 3-pointers.
Chatman, who has offers from a few Division I schools, including Fresno State, had 15 points for Clovis West. She also contributed six rebounds and five assists to three turnovers.
Forward Ryleigh Schoonover, who signed with Fresno State, scored 15 points, too, shooting 7 of 8 from the free-throw line, and adding nine rebounds and three blocks.
Clovis West now has beaten Clovis for the section title in three of the past four seasons, including last year’s 53-44 overtime thriller.
“It feels really great that we can continue the Clovis West legacy and continue to streak,” Chatman said. “Obviously, that’s what we want to do. But every year, we have to build our own legacy.”
This story was originally published February 28, 2026 at 10:27 PM.
