Bria got her Shine on for Christian Brothers in D-III section rout of Merced
Briana Shine has bright yellow finger nails, courtesy of a fresh coat of polish. The look matches her radiant smile, if not her relentless approach to basketball.
A 6-foot-1 forward headed to UC Davis on a scholarship, Shine has been the driving force for Christian Brothers High School, a versatile senior who fills a box score in a rush of hustle. She muscled inside for 11 points and yanked down 17 rebounds, doled out four assists and made two steals on Friday afternoon at Golden 1 Center against Merced.
Those contributions and those from her supporting cast keyed a 50-33 rout of Merced in the Sac-Joaquin Section Division III championship. Shine and her Christian Brothers teammates will have a chance to flash their skills (and flare) again this week as the state tournament gets underway Tuesday.
“I’m a very girly person and I love getting my nails done,” Shine said, grinning. “Sometimes I think opponents might think I’m too much of a diva.”
CB coach Shandyn Foster would describe her star more of a “nightmare” for opponents to deal with. Too tall to deal with inside, too skilled to ignore on the outside, too fast to lose on the break.
“No one in Sacramento can guard her,” said Foster, who won her second banner in three seasons as coach. “That’s why she’s going to UCD. She’s so active. It’ll be an emotional day when this season ends and I don’t get to coach her any more.”
Shine won her third section banner in her four varsity starting seasons. If she seems more intense this season in competition, baseline to baseline, there’s a reason for it.
“My UCD coach Jennifer Gross told me to play every possession like it’s your last, and I do,” Shine said.
Basketball is a way of life for Shine. Her sister, Brittany Shine, was The Bee’s Player of the Year in 2010 for Sacramento High. The sport also means a great deal to Foster. She is a graduate of Christian Brothers and a one-time Falcons baller when she went by Shandyn Hicks.
Does it mean a little more to win a title for your own school?
“Absolutely!” Foster said with a laugh. “I remember when CB asked if I wanted to coach and I wasn’t sure. Then I did, and it was, ‘OK, I’m back home.’ It means so much to me.”
Foster showed typical class in praising Merced, which came in with a 19-game winning streak. She appreciated Merced (27-4) reaching a final for the first time in 28 seasons and how athletic the Bears are. Christian Brothers (24-8) countered with its own athletes, using a 30-6 run in the middle of the game to blow it open. Merced went nearly nine minutes without a field goal and was held to its second lowest scoring output of the season.
Faith Murcheru scored 12 points for CB, Sarah Jackson 10, Karli Cooper nine and Laney Prichard and Janelle Chin four each. The Falcons outrebounded Merced 48-32, came up with 13 steals and boxed out while the Bears missed 17 of 18 3-point shots. Kaitlynn Perez led the Bears with 12 points.
“We told the girls, ‘Whatever you do, execute,’ and we got the loose balls and took charges,” Foster said. “That’s what we teach.”
Foster was moved by the flood of CB students who packed the rooting section. It’s a far cry from when she played for the Falcons 20 years ago.
“It’s a whole lot better than it used to be in terms of support,” Foster said. “When I played, we’d have 20 people in the stands. No fun. Now we student sections. It makes it so much more fun.”
The fun continues next week in the CIF Northern California Regional tournament. Brackets will be released by the CIF on Sunday.
This story was originally published February 28, 2020 at 5:15 PM.