Colfax’s dream season ends in Northern California Regional final against Sierra Pacific

Colfax High School senior guard Grace Bliss picked up her fifth foul with 1:02 left to play in Tuesday night’s Northern California Regional D-lV final against Sierra Pacific of Hanford.

Bliss fouled out and exited the game to a standing ovation from the Colfax home crowd. She was emotional and greeted her coaches and teammates on the bench with hugs. It’s not the way any team with title aspirations wants to end a season but the way many do, as Colfax lost 52-39 to a powerhouse from the Central Section.

It ended a dream season for Colfax (30-5), which included a Sac-Joaquin Section Division V championship and a 20-game winning streak.

“That was rough seeing Grace foul out,” Colfax coach Rich Simpton said. “After the game in the locker room, our team reflected on an amazing season and tried to keep it positive. These opportunities don’t come around very often and I know our girls enjoyed this season. They gave up a big part of their lives to get to where we are right now.”

The Falcons showed signs of life after a sluggish start to the second quarter and cut Sierra Pacific’s lead to two. But as Colfax guard Jazzy Owens went up for a layup, she was fouled and suffered a knee injury. She came back into the game midway through the third quarter, but the pain was too much. Owens wouldn’t return the rest of the game, which swung the momentum. She scored all of her team-leading 14 points in the first half.

“It was monstrous when she went down,” Simpton said. “That was a huge loss.”

Bliss finished her high school career as programs all-time leading scorer with more than 2,300 points. She had five points in her final game in the green and white, days after leading a spirited rally to beat Pleasant Valley of Chico in a semifinal.

“She’s made such a positive impact on our team and community,” Simpton said of Bliss. “She has dedicated so much to this program.”

Sierra Pacific (29-7) was led by Celeste Lewis, who had 14 points. Alana Roberts and Annabelle Saavedra both had 12.

The Bears traveled more than 250 miles to Placer County and will have to travel again for the CIF State D-lV championship against Lancaster on Saturday morning at Golden 1 Center. Sierra Pacific won the CIF State D-V title in 2018 against Lowell of San Francisco.

“We’ve been traveling this whole tournament and we have already traveled over 1,200 miles,” Sierra Pacific coach Amy Bush said. “It’s very hard to win on the road. Golden 1 is such an amazing venue and I’m so excited that we get to go back there.”

NorCal Regional Girls Basketball Scoreboard

Open Division

Archbishop Mitty 69, St. Joseph Notre Dame 53

State Championship Saturday, 6 p.m, Golden 1 Center

Mitty vs. La Jolla County Day

Division l

Bishop O’Dowd 62, Salesian 60

State Championship Friday, 6 p.m, Golden 1 Center

Bishop O’Dowd vs. Rosary Academy

Division ll

Oakland Tech 57, Clovis 41

State Championship Saturday, 2 p.m, Golden 1 Center

Palisades vs. Oakland Tech

Division lll

Saint Mary’s 68, Woodside Priory 59

State Championship Friday, 2 p.m, Golden 1 Center

Paloma Valley vs. Saint Mary’s

Division lV

Sierra Pacific 52, Colfax 39

State Championship Saturday, 10 a.m, Golden 1 Center

Sierra Pacific vs. No. 1 Lancaster

Division V

Branson 57, West Valley 48

State Championship Friday, 10 a.m, Golden 1 Center

East Bakersfield vs. Branson