Whitney celebrates first section championship under coach that parents nearly chased away
It was so bad in 2020 with mounting losses and searing criticism from parents that the coach pondered quitting, stepping away from a sport that has given her so much.
But Sydney Gatson stuck it out as the girls basketball coach, backed by her Whitney High School administration and inspired by student-athletes who appreciated her mentorship.
“I was ready to walk away,” she said.
Jason Feuerbach, Gatson’s athletic director at the Rocklin school at that time, said: “I once had to escort her to her car after a game. I would not let her quit. She’s a role model kids look up to. I told her she was worth a million bucks.”
Gatson was all grins on Friday evening at Golden 1 Center, practically dancing in the back tunnels of the NBA venue on the way to the media room, where she raved about the grit of her team. The coach also showed resolve in hanging in there.
Seeded third in the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Division II tournament, the Wildcats scratched and clawed their way to a 36-33 victory over top-seeded Christian Brothers, earning the program its first championship. Players credited their coach. She pointed to them for the success, a team that bounced back from crushing losses to Folsom and other area powerhouse programs to stage their most spirited playoff run in program history in improving to 19-11.
During the on-court awards ceremony, Feuerbach, now an assistant section commissioner, embraced Gatson.
Now in her 10th season as coach, Gatson speaks glowingly of the future of her program. It’s a young team with no senior starters. Junior post Harper Peterson scored 21 points and had eight rebounds. Forward Tylie Kitchen had eight rebounds after yanking down a school-record 26 earlier this season. Junior Sammy Schuler stepped up to play point guard because Gatson needed someone to do it, and she had five points, four assists and eight rebounds. Sophomore forward Za’Raya Harris had seven rebounds, and freshman guard Natalia Benavidez was a defensive pest, her role, while contributing five points.
Whitney missed 12 of its first 13 shots but hung in there against a Christian Brothers team that roared in having won 29 of 31 games.
“The game was a microcosm of our season,” Gatson said. “We’re so resilient. Any time we hit a wall, we keep going. We had some bad losses this season against some great teams. Next day in practice, we went back to work. We knew what we were capable of.”
Gatson said she made it an emphasis to make basketball fun. Practices can be grueling, but with music, there was a nice balance.
“Music brings a different vibe,” she said. “The season is draining. It helps keep our spirits up. These are phenomenal players and young women. I’m just so proud of them.”
Peterson’s putback gave Whitney a 33-31 lead with 1:26 to go, and Schuler made two free throws to make it 35-33 with 19.2 seconds left. Peterson scored the final point on a free throw with 4.8 seconds left, and then there was Gatson leading the celebration.
Harper scored 15 in the second half and insisted later that she doesn’t “feel the pressure.”
“We knew we could do this,” she said, a smile creasing her face.
“Harper’s had a lot of accolades but she’s so incredibly humble,” Gatson said. “The last three weeks, she’s been that player we’ve needed.”
Jada Hunter scored 15 to lead Christian Brothers. Aleyah Harmon had eight and Joy Omishakin seven, but the Falcons sorely missed Kaia Foster. The daughter of coach Shandyn Foster went down early with a knee injury and did not return. She scored 32 in a semifinal win over Woodcreek.
“That hurt,” Shandyn Foster said. “We missed her scoring.”
The coach credited Whitney for its grit but bemoaned her team’s missed free throws — the Falcons made 6 of 16 — and rebounding.
Both teams will advance to the Northern California regional tournament.
This story was originally published February 25, 2023 at 12:08 PM.