Boys Basketball: League toughens up Spirits into deep playoff run
March 3, 2015
ALONSO TACANGA/Valley Press
LANCASTER — Paraclete's 2-8 league record this past season said a lot about the Spirits.
A member of the nationally recognized Gold Coast League, Paraclete is a powerhouse in the Antelope Valley.
"Two wins doesn't sound like a lot, but it's a big-time accomplishment," Spirits senior Patrick Kilcoyne said.
A year after going winless in league play, something that didn't prevent them from reaching the playoffs, the Spirits won two in a league packed with monster teams.
Those victories were enough to earn Paraclete a 14th seed in the CIF-SS Division 4A playoffs, where the Spirits recorded 20-point wins over an 18-1 Rolling Hills Prep team in the first round and fourth-seeded Trinity Classical Academy in the second.
"When the brackets came out, I got seven calls (from coaches) saying, 'We are so glad we don't play you,'" Paraclete head coach Tim Atkerson said. "This was in the first round. I was just thankful to get in."
Its playoff inclusion more than warranted after lopsided wins in the first two rounds, Paraclete (17-12) failed to make the semifinals of the tournament only after blowing an eight-point lead in the last five minutes of the game against No. 5 Valley Christian during a 50-47 loss on Feb. 24.
Paraclete senior Blake Jordan had 24 points in the loss.
"We were crushed," Atkerson said.
The journey, however, was very satisfying. After going 12-3 in non-league play, the Spirits got past a mental hurdle in league play by beating Crossroads 54-53 on Feb. 10 during the league's seeding games. The win played a role in propelling Paraclete, which also lost on a buzzer-beater against Viewpoint on Feb. 5, into a championship-caliber playoff run.
"That win really gave us confidence," Paraclete assistant coach Newton Chelette said.
Minus McAuliffe, a team that struggled during a winless first year in the Gold Coast League, all other seven GCL teams made the postseason. League champion Sierra Canyon was the No. 3 seed in the Open Division playoffs, the best in all of the CIF-SS.
Second-place Windward, fourth-place Brentwood, fifth-place Viewpoint and sixth-place Crossroads were the No. 1, 2, 3 and 6 seeds in the Division 5AA playoffs, respectively. Windward plays Viewpoint in the championship game on Friday.
The GCL's third-place team, Campbell Hall, plays in the Division 4A title game on Friday, which is where Paraclete, the GCL's seventh-place team, had hoped to be.
"That league win (vs. Crossroads) was important," Atkerson said. "But we're still upset we didn't get to the final four."
The Spirits started the season short-handed due to the loss of a potential starter due to injury and also due to football season overlapping with basketball. Once the team finally began to come together, Paraclete lost Kilcoyne for the season to a torn ACL during a Wasco tournament game on Dec. 26.
It was a heartbreak for the team. But not the end of the senior's tenure as a Spirit.
"(Kilcoyne) showed us more the kind of man he was after the injury," Atkinson said. "He was there every game."
Kilcoyne's loss only meant more responsibility for senior Brennen Bryant. He responded by averaging 22 points and 13 rebounds for the season, pretty much taking it upon himself to carry the Spirits in every game.
"(Bryant) has carried the load of five starters," Atkerson said. "It would be an injustice to him for me to comment on him. Just ask the other coaches. Just look at their scouting reports."
Added Chelette: "I don't think you can say enough about (Bryant). The determination he plays with, the effort, just incredible."
Standing at 6 feet, 5 inches, the athletic Bryant was the Spirits' biggest player by far and in charge of dealing with the league's other big men night in and night out.
There were plenty of those. Two examples: Sierra Canyon sophomore Cody Riley, who is 6-foot-8, and Windward freshman Shareef O'Neal, Shaquille's son, who is 6-foot-7 and a mere bench player.
"It was a fun experience to play against some big guys," Bryant said. "That's something I can take for the rest of my life."
At times, it wasn't as fun. Paraclete always seemed to come up short. During a home game against Viewpoint, the Spirits blew an 11-point lead in the fourth quarter to lose 51-48 on a buzzer-beating 3-pointer by Christian Juzang.
When the Spirits finally broke through against Crossroads, a team which had defeated them earlier in the season 63-55, it was like a weight lifted off their backs.
"It was definitely a good day for me because it was my birthday," Bryant said. "I definitely feel like it helped."
Added Jordan: "It was a very important game to win."
Two weeks later, the season ended in heartbreak for Paraclete. The painful loss, however, was not the defining moment of the season.
"It's not about where you end up because only one team is going to win their last game in our division," Atkerson said. "It's all about the journey. It's so much more than winning."
For the Spirits, it was an eventful one in a league full of players who will go on to play college basketball. Two wins meant a great deal to them, whether they were league ones or playoff ones.
"A lot of teams pride themselves on win-loss records, we refuse to do that," Atkerson said.
ALONSO TACANGA/Valley Press
LANCASTER — Paraclete's 2-8 league record this past season said a lot about the Spirits.
A member of the nationally recognized Gold Coast League, Paraclete is a powerhouse in the Antelope Valley.
"Two wins doesn't sound like a lot, but it's a big-time accomplishment," Spirits senior Patrick Kilcoyne said.
A year after going winless in league play, something that didn't prevent them from reaching the playoffs, the Spirits won two in a league packed with monster teams.
Those victories were enough to earn Paraclete a 14th seed in the CIF-SS Division 4A playoffs, where the Spirits recorded 20-point wins over an 18-1 Rolling Hills Prep team in the first round and fourth-seeded Trinity Classical Academy in the second.
"When the brackets came out, I got seven calls (from coaches) saying, 'We are so glad we don't play you,'" Paraclete head coach Tim Atkerson said. "This was in the first round. I was just thankful to get in."
Its playoff inclusion more than warranted after lopsided wins in the first two rounds, Paraclete (17-12) failed to make the semifinals of the tournament only after blowing an eight-point lead in the last five minutes of the game against No. 5 Valley Christian during a 50-47 loss on Feb. 24.
Paraclete senior Blake Jordan had 24 points in the loss.
"We were crushed," Atkerson said.
The journey, however, was very satisfying. After going 12-3 in non-league play, the Spirits got past a mental hurdle in league play by beating Crossroads 54-53 on Feb. 10 during the league's seeding games. The win played a role in propelling Paraclete, which also lost on a buzzer-beater against Viewpoint on Feb. 5, into a championship-caliber playoff run.
"That win really gave us confidence," Paraclete assistant coach Newton Chelette said.
Minus McAuliffe, a team that struggled during a winless first year in the Gold Coast League, all other seven GCL teams made the postseason. League champion Sierra Canyon was the No. 3 seed in the Open Division playoffs, the best in all of the CIF-SS.
Second-place Windward, fourth-place Brentwood, fifth-place Viewpoint and sixth-place Crossroads were the No. 1, 2, 3 and 6 seeds in the Division 5AA playoffs, respectively. Windward plays Viewpoint in the championship game on Friday.
The GCL's third-place team, Campbell Hall, plays in the Division 4A title game on Friday, which is where Paraclete, the GCL's seventh-place team, had hoped to be.
"That league win (vs. Crossroads) was important," Atkerson said. "But we're still upset we didn't get to the final four."
The Spirits started the season short-handed due to the loss of a potential starter due to injury and also due to football season overlapping with basketball. Once the team finally began to come together, Paraclete lost Kilcoyne for the season to a torn ACL during a Wasco tournament game on Dec. 26.
It was a heartbreak for the team. But not the end of the senior's tenure as a Spirit.
"(Kilcoyne) showed us more the kind of man he was after the injury," Atkinson said. "He was there every game."
Kilcoyne's loss only meant more responsibility for senior Brennen Bryant. He responded by averaging 22 points and 13 rebounds for the season, pretty much taking it upon himself to carry the Spirits in every game.
"(Bryant) has carried the load of five starters," Atkerson said. "It would be an injustice to him for me to comment on him. Just ask the other coaches. Just look at their scouting reports."
Added Chelette: "I don't think you can say enough about (Bryant). The determination he plays with, the effort, just incredible."
Standing at 6 feet, 5 inches, the athletic Bryant was the Spirits' biggest player by far and in charge of dealing with the league's other big men night in and night out.
There were plenty of those. Two examples: Sierra Canyon sophomore Cody Riley, who is 6-foot-8, and Windward freshman Shareef O'Neal, Shaquille's son, who is 6-foot-7 and a mere bench player.
"It was a fun experience to play against some big guys," Bryant said. "That's something I can take for the rest of my life."
At times, it wasn't as fun. Paraclete always seemed to come up short. During a home game against Viewpoint, the Spirits blew an 11-point lead in the fourth quarter to lose 51-48 on a buzzer-beating 3-pointer by Christian Juzang.
When the Spirits finally broke through against Crossroads, a team which had defeated them earlier in the season 63-55, it was like a weight lifted off their backs.
"It was definitely a good day for me because it was my birthday," Bryant said. "I definitely feel like it helped."
Added Jordan: "It was a very important game to win."
Two weeks later, the season ended in heartbreak for Paraclete. The painful loss, however, was not the defining moment of the season.
"It's not about where you end up because only one team is going to win their last game in our division," Atkerson said. "It's all about the journey. It's so much more than winning."
For the Spirits, it was an eventful one in a league full of players who will go on to play college basketball. Two wins meant a great deal to them, whether they were league ones or playoff ones.
"A lot of teams pride themselves on win-loss records, we refuse to do that," Atkerson said.