CHICO – The Butte Valley Lady Bulldogs captured the NSCIF D-VI Crown on Friday afternoon at Chico State’s Acker Gym. It wasn’t easy.

After winning its first 22 games of the season in dominating fashion, second-seeded Butte Valley faced the top-seeded Hayfork Lady Timberjacks for the championship. The contest went back and forth for most of the first quarter and a half, with the teams exchanging leads four times. However, trailing 16-13, Hayfork went on an 11-0 run to close out the half and headed to the locker room with a 24-16 lead. The Lady Jacks seemed to be in total control.

For the Lady Bulldogs, the wheels hadn’t quite come off, but it appeared that the lug nuts were lose and the rims were rattling. As it turned out, that wasn’t the case.

“We talked about it was still our game, and its our year,” said Lady Bulldog Kai Braren concerning the team’s mindset at halftime. “We had to come out hard and play like we had all year.”

Coach Mike Cross also switched up his defense, going to a diamond and one to help control Hayfork’s top scorer, Alysha Yeske, who had torched Butte Valley from the land of three in the first half. It was also designed to protect the Lady Bulldogs’ six-footers, Kady Porterfield and Kai Braren. Porterfield had three first half fouls and Braren was saddled with four. Both finished the game.

Hayfork increased its lead to 12 points early in the second half to 30-18, but the Lady Bulldogs were far from down and out.

A pair of freebies by Beth Holguin made it 30-20 and started an 11-2 run for Butte Valley. A put back by Kady Porterfield cut the margin to under 10 points at 30-22. After Hayfork scored, Holguin went base line and picked up three points the hard way, 32-25. A Porterfield steal led to a break away hoop for Holguin, 32-27. With 11 seconds left in the third quarter, Porterfield made it a one possession game, 32-29, with another put back.

Both teams had a hard time scoring to open the fourth quarter, until Hayfork broke the ice, to increase its lead to 34-29 with 5:59 on the clock.

Holguin scored on a spin-a-rama drive for Butte valley, 34-31. Another Holguin bucket cut the deficit to a single point, 34-33, with 3:22 to play. The Lady Bulldogs took their first lead since midway through the second quarter, 35-34, when Porterfield grabbed a rebound off a missed free throw and banked it home, with 3:00 left in the game. The foul was the fifth on Hayfork’s top rebounder and shot blocker Jamie Curry.

Holguin upped the Butte Valley lead to 37-34. Then, from the top of the key, Braren nailed the Lady Bulldogs’ only trey of the game, 40-34. Holguin dished to Porterfield for a deuce, giving Butte Valley a 42-34 advantage with 50 ticks left in the season. A hoop by Porterfield and a freebie from Holguin finished out the scoring, making the final 45-37. Butte Valley outscored Hayfork 16-5 in the final fame.

After the game, Cross said that his team was the Rodney Dangerfield of the section.

“No one gives us respect. They just say its little Butte Valley. No one knows about us,” said Cross.

They do now.

The Lady Bulldogs did more than win the section title, they did what no other girls team has done in 25 years in the North Section—go undefeated.

Butte Valley also avenged last season’s 47-45 overtime loss to Hayfork in the section final.

Beth Holguin led Butte Valley with 16 points and 4 assists. Kady Porterfield put up 14 points, pulled down 12 boards, and had 2 blocks. Kai Braren added 11 points and grabbed 7 rebounds.

Alysha Yeske led Hayfork with 23 points.

Note: Butte Valley won 23 varsity games, and also beat Klamath Union’s JV team, for an overall record of 24-0.

Hey Lady Bulldogs! Congratulations! Below is a team photo you can print without the slide show text.