El Dorado misses out on championship in final minutes against heavy favorite Argonaut

El Dorado had seen Argonaut before. They had seen the Mustangs’ aggressive full-court press, their ability to draw fouls, and their whirling dervish of a lead guard in Gabbie Gascon. The Cougars saw it all in their second game of the season, when they suffered a 21-point loss at the hands of the Mustangs.

Thursday afternoon, however, El Dorado was deadlocked with top-seeded Argonaut late in the third quarter of the Division IV section finals. Junior guard Haley Kline nailed a 3-pointer to tie the game 28-28, and their supporters were going wild.

Argonaut junior Cherisse Carney answered with a tough bucket in the paint. She was fouled but missed the free throw. Argonaut got the ball back and this time it was junior Lauryn Bierman who got to the charity stripe. The Mustangs kept grinding inside, but the Cougars kept swiping right back.

Junior forward Tiffany Brewster hit a clutch jumper to give El Dorado a 36-35 lead with 2:40 left in the fourth quarter, but it was the final lead of the tournament for the Cougars, as Gascone would hit a 3-pointer for Argonaut and the Mustangs would close it out with a final score of 45-37.

“We were right there,” said El Dorado head coach Larry Gray. “We had a chance with a minute and a half left. So I can’t be more proud of how we competed tonight.”

El Dorado gave the Argonaut all kinds of problems, particularly down low. Brewster and senior forward Kim Quicksall served as twin towers in the paint. Both are listed as 6-feet tall and both have red streaks dyed into their hair.

“That’s their personality,” Gray said. “They’re best of friends. ... But they all get along very very well. They feel like they’re family.”

The Cougars had seen Argonaut before. They adjusted and got better. Gray estimated the team cut its turnovers in half since their last meeting. His squad was much quicker and smarter in breaking down the full-court press, he said.

One thing El Dorado had never seen before was the Golden 1 Center. The last time the program reached the section finals was 41 years ago in 1979, long before the arena was built.

Argonaut on the other hand is no stranger to the spotlight. When Gascon was asked whether the size of the arena bothered her at all, she just laughed it off.

“Not really, because I’ve played here before,” Gascon said. She finished with 11 points, six rebounds and two assists.

This marks Argonaut’s third consecutive section title, though its first in Division IV.

Bierman led all scorers with 12 points. Brewster had a team-high 10 for the Cougars. Kline added 5 steals for El Dorado.

Both teams will get a spot in the upcoming Northern California regional tournament. Brackets will be announced Sunday.