From near ruins to championship Bruins, Bear River rallies to win 12th section championship
It looked grim at the half in Yolo County on Friday afternoon for the top-seeded team in the Division V bracket, shots going too short or long and trailing by 14.
But the effort was there and it never let up.
The storied Bear River Bruins of Nevada County had to grit and grind their way back into game and then they won it, topping defending champion Valley Christian Academy of Roseville 61-59 in overtime to win the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section championship at UC Davis.
Bear River players jumped for joy, a remarkable feat in itself that the Bruins even had enough energy to walk. There were tears and then laughs, a mix of pride, relief and joy. It’s the 12th section banner for the school located in equal parts Lake of the Pines and Grass Valley, and few title games were as exhausting as this one.
Bear River received a sendoff on campus by an army of well wishers, and the school later had a full theater room on campus to watch the game. Students, faculty and staff caught the action on the NFHS livestream, small-school pride standing tall.
For coach Jenn Krill, this was more than just her second title in three years. This is a lifetime memory with kids she calls her own, right on down to her daughter, Marianna Moya-Krill, a junior who had 11 points, four rebounds and four assists.
Krill can relate to the thrill of victory. She was a key cog on two Division I section titles teams for Nevada Union High School in 1989 and 1990, when the Miners of Grass Valley ruled the region under fiery and fun coach Craig Strohm. He inspired Krill to get into teaching and coaching.
Winning never gets old, Krill said, but it never gets easier, particularly when facing a program as good as Valley Christian, which has won five section titles since 2014 under coach Kim Contreras.
“I played a lot of games and have coached a lot of basketball, but the last two weeks with this team was the absolute best vibe I’ve ever been around,” Krill said. “I credit our team captains. It’s unbelievable the positivity and energy we have.”
It took all of that and more for Bear River (23-7) to climb back into this one. Junior guard Taryn Cleek finished with 25 points, seven rounds and six assists. Senior guard Krissy Kelly had 13 points, seven rebounds and three assists while freshman guard Gabby Sams added 10, five and five.
Sams had the game’s biggest defensive play, a steal after a VCA timeout, to seal it with seconds to go. Cleek’s bucket with 2:14 made it 61-57, and the Bruins held on from there.
Kelly is the team star, the leader of the pack who fouled out with 3:04 left to play, her team down 52-51. But the Bruins didn’t buckle. They rallied.
“She was out of the game but was still into it, coaching from the bench,” Krill said. “I’m so proud of her. It’s frustrating to foul out of a section championship game. Krissy has the keys to the car. We have co-pilots and people in the back. She drove the car even from the bench. Her energy was the same on the bench. She fouled out and no heads hung. Amazing.”
Moya-Krill hobbled through the contest after turning her ankle in Thursday’s practice. She willed herself through this one, not wanting to let down her teammates and school. The effort was enough to make her demanding coach/mother tear up a bit.
“I feel like I have a close relationship with every kid on the team,” the coach said. “We text. We talk. They come into my classroom. I am so appreciative of the relationships. Having a daughter on this (team), it’s special. When she rolled her ankle, you could feel the energy leave the gym. I am proud of how she sucked it up. That’s playing for others.”
Bear River is a school nestled in a foothills region that embraces student-athletes. Football games are an event. Girls basketball continues its legacy, and they will find room to add yet another championship banner and plaque to the trophy case.
“A lot of it starts with kids being around other young kids,” Krill said. “We have Future Bruin nights. We invite middle-school kids to come to games. They look up to these girls. Our success builds future success.”
She added: “The girls always want to be part of something bigger. They see the championships we have. They want a poster in the lobby. Taryn Cleek walks into my class yesterday and says, ‘Krill, 23 hours from now, we’re playing for a section championship.’ Alright. I’m down!”
Cleek said a lot of the Bruins have grown up dreaming of such fun.
“I can’t believe it’s happened,” she said, “but so glad, so happy.”
Janet Donker led VCA (20-7) with 14 points. Ellie Gunter had 13. Gabby Jackson-Brown had 12 points and 17 rebounds. Mariah Contreras also scored 12 points.
Both teams will advance to the CIF Northern California regional championships beginning next week. The CIF will release those brackets on Sunday.
This story was originally published February 23, 2024 at 6:44 PM.