Defense wins playoff game for the 6th grade girls

Look no further than the 6th grade girls playoff game Saturday afternoon to explain why defense can win games.

The girls did not score a single point in the second half, yet still were able to punch a ticket to their first ever championship.

Their defense was relentless in an 8-2 win and they'll need that same time of intensity Friday night when they go for gold.

For a team that has trouble scoring, getting on the board early was a key for this game.

Jamie did so midway through the 1st quarter with two free throws and Lesly scored a career high 4 points, with two crucial buckets late in the first.

Leading 6-0 and less than 10 seconds to go in the half, Edwena caught a ball off the out of bounds play and gracefully banked in her shot. And that was the last bucket the 6th graders made on the afternoon.

It didn't matter they didn't score again because the defense was swarming. Their head coach Leslie said she had never seen the girls as fired up as she did during the game.

Mentally, the girls were focused and they played like they were determined to do whatever it takes to win the game.

Edwena and Fiona both grabbed really tough rebounds down low, and Rebecca, Kelly and Jamie were relentless of their pursuit of the ball during the press.

The 6th grade didn't give the other team any room to operate the entire afternoon, giving up only one basket off a turnover in the 3rd quarter.

Offensively, they still needed to score more to give themselves a cushion. Even though they had a decent lead throughout the game, one or two bounces the other way, and the game might've been a whole different story.

Many of the shots the girls took were from close range, but they overshot one too many times. From right in front of the basket, the girls had several shots that were way too high off the backboard that didn't even hit rim after the glass.

They still have a tendency where they get nervous and rush their shots, which explains the lack of accuracy on some of their shots.

On the defensive end, the girls played as well as they could've wished. And in the championship, they'll need to do the exact same to avenge an 11 point loss earlier this season.

Never in anyone's wildest dreams a year or two ago could anyone fathom these girls playing for the title.

With three of the girls not winning a game until their third season of basketball, and four of the girls coming aboard this year as rookies, this is definitely one of the feel good stories of the year.

This team has gone through a lot of triumphs and tribulations in a short span of two to three months, from dominating their first two regular season games, and then scoring just one point in a loss late in the season.

But all that matters now is one game, and that game is Friday night at Mission Dolores, where they'll look to cap off a magical season.

It was probably meant to be for the girls since a lot of the shots the other team took just rimmed out.

Also the scorekeeper set the clock for 7 minutes instead of the normal 6 minutes, per 6th grade rules.

But in the end, they could've played another six or seven minutes, because on this afternoon, their defense was just that good.