Two years ago the Desert Christian Academy girls' basketball team made the quarterfinals. Las year the Conquerors made the semifinals. You can see where this is headed.
On Saturday night in front of a crazy student section, Desert Christian Academy defeated Workman (City of Industry) 49-40 to claim a spot in the D-5AAA championship game next weekend.
*This is the first time the Conquerors have made it to a girls' basketball CIF championship game. In fact, it was the first time any desert girls' basketball team has made to a CIF championship game since 1984 when Indio won the Division 2A crown. The rare feat was matched by Cathedral City later Saturday night.
Aysia Johnson, Desert Christian Academy senior: Johnson, who is playing her first year with the Conquerors is the straw that stirs the drink for the Conquerors. She is the point guard and knows how to finish around the rim. She scored 19 to lead the way, and played smart and calm even after picking her fourth foul in the third quarter.
Kaylee Espinoza, DCA senior: Espinoza scored seven of her nine points during a first-quarter surge that gave the Conquerors a lead they never relinquished, while holding down the defensive end against Workman's talented center Brianna Lopez.
Ashley Klopfenstein, DCA junior: Kl0pfenstein did a little bit of everything for the Conquerors. She finished with 10 points, seemed to get every loose ball and played superb defense on talented Workman point guard Julia Magaway (15 points). In one early back-to-back possession she had a nice assist to Johnson for an easy bucket, and then stole the ball at half court and took it the distance for another quick 2. The Conquerors never trailed after that.
Despite the Conquerors racing to a 20-4 lead when Katie Schmidt started the second quarter with a 3-pointer, the visitors did not go away quietly. Workman dominated the rest of the second quarter and trailed only 27-20 at the half. The home crowd was getting a little restless, as the Lobos had found their stride. But the first 30 seconds of the third quarter was huge. Jayla Grubbe canned a 3-pointer on a set play out of the half, and then a hustle basket by Klopfenstein gave the Conquerors a quick 12-point edge and some breathing room. As the Workman bench called timeout, Conquerors coach Johnny Huerta was jumping and high-fiving his girls on the quick second-half start that he knew was a much-needed momentum shift.
Kaylee Espinoza, DCA: "We came so close before, quarters and semis and now we're going to CIF and I'm so happy. This is awesome."
Espinoza on what's different about this year's team: "Well, one big thing, of course, is having Aysia Johnson join us. That was a wonderful blessing and also I think we really built this into more a family thing and just a friendship thing this year."
Coach Johnny Huerta: "I can breathe a little bit now. These girls just don't give up. We always say to play hard no matter if you're down 40 or up 40 and the girls take that to hear and didn't crumble."
Huerta: "To take this next step and get over this hump to make the final feels so good. This is something I always dreamed about as a coach, to play for a CIF championship and we're going to get that chance."
The best thing about this Conquerors' team is how all the parts fit nicely together. Johnson and Klopfenstein can share the ball-handling duties, Espinoza is solid in the paint and has a nice mid-range jumper, and then Schmidt and Grubbe spread the floor for Johnson to drive with their 3-point accuracy. With only eight girls on the roster, depth is obviously a worry for the Conquerors. They did get tired in this game and even more worrisome Johnson, Espinoza and Klopfenstein all were in foul trouble heading into the fourth quarter. But they played smart and didn't panic. That will be a must in the title game if they want to take home the crown just like the DCA boys' team did last year.
The Conquerors (26-2) will play Hueneme (Oxnard) for the CIF D-5AAA title next weekend. The two teams bounced back and forth all year as the No. 1 and No. 2 teams in the division. It is not decided yet whether the game will be Friday or Saturday or which neutral site will host the game.
*An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated that DCA and Cathedral City were first girls' basketball teams in desert to make a final. Indio won the title in 1984.