Del Oro falls to Christian Brothers in overtime

For three quarters Tuesday night, the No. 3 seed Del Oro girls basketball team looked poised to defeat No. 2 Christian Brothers in the Sac-Joaquin Section Division II semifinals. Instead, the Lady Eagles were left with a heartbreaking 57-51 overtime loss in a game that slipped away late and turned in the extra period. Del Oro built an early lead while trying to pull an upset on the road. The Lady Eagles dictated pace and forced Christian Brothers to grind through possessions, carrying a 10-point advantage into the fourth quarter. But the Falcons flipped the momentum down the stretch. Christian Brothers tightened up defensively and made key plays on the offensive end to stay in the mix. Senior Joy Omishakin led the Falcons with 24 points, adding five steals and four assists to spark the comeback effort. Olivia Novi added 13 points while Leila Serrano scored 10. The Falcons excelled on the glass, grabbing 26 rebounds, including seven on offense. Junior Journey Williams was a force inside with nine rebounds and three blocks, while sophomore Claire Cuckovich added five boards and three assists. Del Oro's lead evaporated in the final minutes as Christian Brothers surged ahead in the fourth quarter. The Falcons took a two-point lead in the final seconds, but a foul with two-tenths of a second remaining sent Del Oro's Madeline Poe to the line with a chance to force overtime. Poe calmly sank both free throws, extending the game and stunning the home crowd. But the emotional lift didn't carry over into the extra period. Christian Brothers continued its surge, regaining momentum and capitalizing its opportunities to pull away. The Falcons advanced to the section championship game for the third time in four years, where they were set to face No. 1 Antelope on Friday at Golden 1 Center. Wednesday's news of the passing of Christian Brothers boys basketball player Jaden DeJesus-Eves cast a somber tone over the Falcons' postseason run. The Christian Brothers girls program announced it would dedicate the remainder of its season to DeJesus-Eves, a freshman, as it prepared for Friday's Division II final. Christian Brothers and Del Oro advance to the CIF NorCal Regional Tournament, which begins Tuesday. State tournament brackets are set to be released Sunday afternoon.