Lowell wins 4th boys title; Lincoln girls back on top

Lowell wins 4th boys title; Lincoln girls back on top
Will McCulloch, Chronicle Staff Writer
Saturday, March 7, 2009

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(03-06) 22:57 PST -- Lowell High's Michael Yonemoto will remember the last 63 seconds of the Cardinals' 48-47 victory over Lincoln in the San Francisco Section championship game on Friday night as the defining moment of his basketball season.

His coach probably would point to a meeting in the middle of the season when Yonemoto wanted to talk about playing time.

"He came to me in the middle of the season and told me it was wrong to bench him," Lowell coach Rob Ray said. "That's all I was looking for. I just wanted a little more effort from a few of the seniors."

Ray got the effort, and Lowell earned its fourth section title in six years in front of a packed crowd at Kezar Pavilion.

With the score tied 43-43 and 1:03 remaining, Yonemoto, a 6-foot-1 forward, slashed through the lane for a basket off the glass, absorbed contact and then made a free throw. After Lincoln's Devin Koch missed a possible game-tying jump shot with 16 seconds left, Yonemoto made two free throws to seal the win.

"It was a wake-up call," Yonemoto said of the midseason conversation.

Yonemoto, who finished with a game-high 16 points, also excelled on defense. He limited De'End Parker to 14 points (6-for-17 shooting), which included a three at the buzzer.

Lowell (23-10), which led 25-19 at the half, got 14 points from Yuhki Sakai, two nights after he torched Marshall for 35 in a semifinal win.

Lincoln's Devin Koch had eight of his 13 points in the first quarter, but picked up his third foul in the first half and fourth early in the second. Lincoln senior Steven Tom came off the bench to score 10 points, including a steal and layup with 3:17 remaining to give the Mustangs (26-10) a 41-40 lead. But Sakai's three-pointer with 2:56 left put Lowell ahead for good.

GIRLS
Lincoln 48, Lowell 37:
Leading 25-23 with 3:15 remaining in the third quarter, the Mustangs used a 15-2 run (sparked by junior guard Vivian Ho's three-pointer, steal and score) to pull away from the three-time defending champion Cardinals in the San Francisco Section title game at Kezar Pavilion. ... It was the first section title since 2004 for the Mustangs, who were led by Stephanie Lu's 12 points. ... Ho added 11 and Maripousa Silifaiva chipped in 10 points for the winners. ... Lowell (27-4), which was led by Ashley Ong's 14 points, had 28 turnovers against Lincoln's pressure defense. ... Hallie Meneses added seven points and four assists for Lincoln, which lost 49-48 to Lowell on Feb. 6. ... Both teams move on to next week's NorCal Division I playoffs. ... Lincoln (27-4), which blew a 10-point, fourth-quarter lead in last year's title game with Lowell, led 19-17 after a sloppy first half in which the Mustangs made six of 21 shots from the field and Lowell made seven of 28.

- Will McCulloch