The Chargers Avoid Upset to Earn Way to Championship Rematch
Butler hit a career high Thursday Night. |
December 29, 2005
Cupertino, Calif. - The Chargers squandered a 13 point first half lead and had to fight to regain the lead to defeat the Arabs 75-70. Cypress started strong with an impressive first half but found themselves behind in the second before fighting back for the 5 point victory. The Chargers were carried by a career night for freshman guard Brae Butler who hit a career high 26 points and 12 rebounds. This was Butler's second career double-double.
Imperial Valley's comeback could be credited to their 7 second-half three-pointers and 22 second half points by the state's leading scorer, Ivy Smith. The Chargers found themselves down by 1 in the second half after losing their double-digit lead. Cypress had to fight back and had to hit key late free-throws to defeat the Arabs by 5. The comeback was led by veteran forward Ana Fakatou who ended the night with 18 points and 14 rebounds, her sixth double-double this season. Freshman point guard Marissa Bravo distributed the ball with 5 assists and 4 steals to go along with her 6 points. Freshman guard Anureet Dhaliwal reached double-digit scoring with 10 points going 4 for8 from the field.
The Chargers will now enter the Championship game of the 16-team Mike Gervasoni Classic. The championship game is a rematch of last year's championship battle that ended in a 93-90 overtime victory for the Chargers over the then undefeated Titans. The Lane Titans are undefeated this season with 14 victories outscoring opponents by an average of 26 points. The rematch will take place at 5:00 pm tomorrow evening at De Anza College.