Motoring right along into girls basketball on our Year in Review train. Remember, when these are over, it'll be time to get into football football football all the time. Busy and we love it.

In the mean time, for baseball fans out there, I've been doing some work on the Bakersfield Blaze this week. The team is playing very well in the last month or so. If you can stand the heat and the sun for the first inning or two out at Sam Lynn Ball Park, it might be worth going out to see the Blaze when they return home next week.

2008-09 Kern County GIRLS BASKETBALL

Overview: Stockdale, a huge dropoff, then Garces, another huge dropoff, and not much else. Maybe that’s being harsh, but that was reality in Kern County girls basketball last winter. There were other good teams — Bakersfield made the Division I semifinals, North had a few nice wins, Ridgeview exceeded expectations, etc. — but Stockdale and Garces were a cut above the rest. Especially, as usual, the Mustangs. Stockdale finally ditched its bridemaids moniker, winning the Division I section title with a brilliant performance against Clovis West after losing in the championship each of the past three years — once to West and twice to Clovis West. It was their fifth straight trip to the D-I final (they won it in ’05), an amazing streak.
As for Garces, it was a remarkable year. The Rams lost an early-season game at an out-of-town tournament, then didn’t lose again until they reached the Division II section championship. There, nationally ranked Hanford handed them a lopsided loss, and nationally ranked Santa Ana-Mater Dei did the same thing in the state playoffs. But it was what happened in between that made the season such a success. Garces went undefeated in the SEYL, twice out-lasting Bakersfield in close games and pulverizing the “next-best” teams in town, North, Ridgeview and Golden Valley, a couple of times each. The Rams, who were led by sensational soph Caitlin Bernardin and post Sarah Allen, saved their most impressive effort for the D-II semifinals. Keep in mind Garces had moved up two playoff divisions from 07-08, so beating third-seeded Sanger 69-45 and then taking a state playoff game for win No. 30 was quite the feat.

Best team: Unfortunately, Garces and Stockdale never met. What Stockdale did in the playoffs, and in some games against common opponents, makes me think the Mustangs would have taken that one easily.
So many great girls basketball teams win by executing a full-court style, and Stockdale is a perfect example. Against a weaker team, the Mustangs simply coasted to big wins — they had 16 victories by 30 or more points. The pressure usually wore down tougher teams, too, with a couple of wins against Fresno-Edison, including one in the D-I semifinals, being a good example of that. What really set this Stockdale team apart, though, was its post presence. Say what you want about Alexi Smith, the BHS transfer who was the area’s best post two years ago, suddenly appearing to fill Stockdale’s most pressing need, but it was apparently on the up-and-up, and, more important for our purposes, it worked wonders. Really, though, the duo of Jalei Kinder and Melissa Sweat is again what made Stockdale special. The duo combined for 37 points and 15 rebounds as the Mustangs won the big game at long last.
Honorable mention: Garces, Bakersfield, North

Best player: During All-Area selection time, I went with a split for Player of the Year between Kinder and Sweat. Not sure I can break it now. If you force my hand, I think I’ll go with Sweat — she had the best performances come playoff time, and she’s the bona fide triple threat on offense, plus a great rebounder. Kinder had a better regular season and probably was the best on-ball defender in the county, not to mention a great 3-point shooter. The point is, between these two and Smith, Stockdale probably had the three best players in the area (though I’d listen to an argument for Bernardin). Easy to tell why they were so dominant locally.
Honorable mention: Stockdale C Alexi Smith; Garces F Caitlin Bernardin; North C Brooke Sampson; Garces C Sarah Allen

Best game: A little bit under the radar here, but before Garces took out Bakersfield High 51-49 on Jan. 8, the Drillers were still the top dogs in the SEYL. They had ran through it undefeated the year before, and even without Alexi Smith, there wasn’t a bona fide reason to believe BHS wouldn’t give Garces everything it could handle. Well, it did. And the Rams were up to the task, erasing a five-point fourth-quarter deficit and then outlasting the Drillers in overtime. When the teams met again later in the year, the Rams won another slugfest, leaving no doubts that they were the new kings of the east side.
Honorable mention: Stockdale 70, Clovis West 60, Division I championship; Stockdale 74, Fresno-Edison 54, Division I semifinals; Bakersfield 48, North 47; Stockdale 64, Bakersfield 47

A look ahead: The big news of the offseason came early, and it’s that Melissa Sweat won’t be returning to Stockdale next year. Her dad took a job in Madera, and she’ll attend Madera Ranchos-Liberty for her senior year. Sun’s shining on that school. Sweat has graduated, also, so Stockdale might experience a bit of a down year. But that’s not saying much, considering how far above everyone they were to begin with. Kinder is more than enough talent to start with, and I’d keep an eye on the Mustangs’ little point guard, Alyssa Shannon, who impressed me tremendously as a freshman last year.
As for everyone else, Bernardin will be a year better and Garces should threaten for the SEYL again, though I think that whole league will be better (Garces and Golden Valley, too). Centennial should be back to contention after a down year, and Hernan Santiago is building something at North.

Year in Review Index
July 1: Football
July 2: Volleyball
July 3: Boys cross country
July 6: Girls cross country
July 7: Girls tennis
July 8: Girls golf
July 9: Boys basketball

Tomorrow: Wrestling