Category Archives: Sports
Cal women fall to Louisville, 64-57, in Final Four
Hot beat heart.
The Cal women’s basketball team, which had gutted out two overtime victories on their way to a first-ever Final Four tournament appearance, fell short on Sunday night in New Orleans against the hot Louisville Cardinals. … Continue reading »
Berkeley’s Mayor Bates places a liquid Final Four bet
On Sunday, the Cal Bears women’s basketball team will be playing for more than a place in the NCAA championship game. Berkeley Mayor Tom Bates has wagered 10 bottles of Narsai David cabernet sauvignon against Louisville Mayor Greg Fisher’s 10 bottles of Kentucky bourbon that the Bears will prevail in their Final Four match against the Louisville Cardinal.
“All bets are on and I can already taste the bourbon now!” Bates confidently declared. … Continue reading »
Cal women top Georgia, 65-62, head to first Final Four
When Cal trailed by 10 points with seven minutes to go, naysayers may have hung their heads in despair. When a missed free throw failed to ice the game in regulation, doubters could continue to worry. But on a dramatic night in Spokane, the Cal women’s basketball team triumphed in overtime, topping the Georgia Bulldogs, 65-62.
The win by the second-seeded Bears took the team to the program’s first-ever Final Four. On Sunday in New Orleans, they’ll play the winner of Tuesday night’s game between Louisville and Tennessee. … Continue reading »
Fiat lux: Cal baseball under the lights after 121 years
Cal baseball has 121 years of history, including 80 at Evans Diamond. But the team added to the annals of history last night with the first-ever night game at Evans in front of 2,133 fans. Unfortunately, the Bears fell to USC, 4-3. It was the team’s first home loss this season, dropping the Bears’ record to 15-11 (4-3, Pac-12).
Two years ago, the baseball team was facing extinction, the victim of athletic department cuts. Team alumni and supporters rallied to raise the money, sparing the team and spurring an amazing run to the College World Series in June, 2011. … Continue reading »
Lady Yellowjackets fall in final to Long Beach Poly, 46-28
Berkeley High’s girls’ basketball powerhouse, the Lady Yellowjackets, played — and lost — their third consecutive state final on Friday night, falling to Long Beach Poly, 46-28. The game was Berkeley’s record-setting 12th state final appearance.
Senior standout Rachel Howard led the Yellowjackets with 11 points and five rebounds. Berkeley was held to 23% shooting from the floor and committed 26 turnovers. It was the fourth meeting between Berkeley and Long Beach Poly in a state final: the Jackrabbits … Continue reading »
BHS girls three-peat in NorCal hoops championship
Berkeley High’s girls basketball team, a perennial powerhouse, added to a distinguished history with a 56-45 victory over Oak Ridge-El Dorado Hills on Saturday in the NorCal Division I championship game. It was the third consecutive NorCal championship for the Lady Yellowjackets and a record 12th NorCal title for the team.
Senior Rachel Howard, a four-year varsity player, led the team with 23 points and nine rebounds. Junior forward Desire Finnie had 14 points and eight rebounds. The win took their season record to 22-11. … Continue reading »
BHS Lady Yellow Jackets headed to NorCal champ game
By David A. Gerber
The Berkeley High women’s basketball team pulled off yet another upset on the road against Gunn-Palo Alto on Tuesday night in front of a packed house by a final score of 54-46.
The Lady Yellow Jackets started the game off on a 9-0 run and never looked back; playing stellar defense and hitting their shots when they needed to. Gunn didn’t score until 11.9 seconds left on the clock in the first quarter and they were never able to get within less than 6 points.
Down the stretch, Gunn made runs in front of an electric home crowd that erupted with nearly every shot they made, but just when they would inch closer, it seemed like Berkeley would hit a clutch shot to keep the opponent at a distance. … Continue reading »
BHS women’s basketball team continues Cinderella story
By David A. Gerber
Update, March 13: The team made it to the Division I Northern California regional championship game for a fourth consecutive year after topping host Gunn-Palo Alto 54-46 in Tuesday’s semifinals. Read more on BUSD site.
Original story: Berkeley High School women’s basketball team continued its Cinderella story last Saturday night as it knocked off the favored McClymonds High School of Oakland by a score of 54-44. Both teams had a boisterous and cheering crowd on hand at the game, which was played at Oakland Tech High School.
Berkeley started off the third quarter with a 10-0 run and seemed to never look back, playing strong defense through to the end. Desire Finnie led Berkeley with 20 points and 13 rebounds, with 10 of those points coming in the 4th quarter. Rachel Howard contributed 12 points and 11 rebounds, with Jaimoninia Welch-Coleman adding 10 points for the Yellow Jackets. … Continue reading »
Berkeleyan inducted in 2012 Ultimate frisbee Hall of Fame
Dennis “Cribber” Warsen, who calls Berkeley home, and Molly Goodwin who attended UC Berkeley, are two of four Ultimate frisbee players who have been selected for induction into the sport’s 2012 Hall of Fame.
Asked what the honor meant for him, Warsen told Berkeleyside: “For 20 years, I trashed my body and postponed adulthood to play this game. So having this honor given to me must mean that someone noticed, and that feels good. In a way, the Ultimate Hall of Fame is not just a list of players, it is a history of the sport and I am honored to be a part of that history.”
Warsen grew up in New York and went to SUNY Purchase, which is where he started playing Ultimate. After winning five world championships with New York, he was recruited by a San Francisco team and decided to move out west in 1996. In 2006 he moved across the bay and has been living in Berkeley ever since.
In the USA Ultimate’s write-up about Warsen, he is described as possibly ”the best player ever on the best team ever.” … Continue reading »
Cal football coach Jeff Tedford sacked after 3-9 season
Jeff Tedford, head coach of the Cal Golden Bears football team since 2002, was fired today after a 3-9 season and a combined 15-22 record over the last three seasons. Tedford was the highest paid state employee in California, with a salary of $2.3 million a year. His contract with Cal ran through the 2015 season.
“This was an extraordinarily difficult decision, one that required a thorough and thoughtful analysis of a complex set of factors,” Cal Athletic Director Sandy Barbour said in a press statement. “Ultimately, I believed that we needed a change in direction to get our program back on the right track. Cal football is integral to our department and our university, and its influence can be felt well beyond the walls of Memorial Stadium. The program clearly serves as an important part of the connective tissue that binds our community together, and it is imperative that Cal football be recognized as a leader in competitive success, academic achievement and community engagement.” … Continue reading »
Halloween champs: Albany-Berkeley Sting is scary good
By Mark Galbraith
The Albany-Berkeley Girls Softball League’s 12U team, Sting, continues its victorious streak. You may remember the team from the article Michael Lewis wrote for Berkeleyside last year. We’ve been following their progress. Here’s the latest installment:
The Under 12 Albany-Berkeley Sting completed their Fall season by winning this past weekend’s Monster Bash Classic tournament with a thrilling back-from-the grave finish.
Like all good nail-biters, this story starts on a bright, sunny day. On Saturday, Sting got into the Halloween spirit by taking the field in Crayola-inspired Technicolor uniforms, designed by Berkeley’s own budding activewear designer, Katie Kaneko. (At the time of this story’s submission, there was no confirmation if Ms. Kaneko intends to expand upon her Sting designs to create a complete Fall collection.)
Sting’s opener against the Salinas Storm was a well-played contest between two evenly matched teams. Pitcher Quinn Lewis and sharp Sting defense kept the Storm’s potent bats in check for much of the game. … Continue reading »
Berkeley lawn bowling prodigy, 18, is national champ
By Jim Corr
Jon Burnoski, a member of the Berkeley Lawn Bowling Club, triumphed against top bowlers from across the nation at the US Lawn Bowling Association’s National Championships in San Diego on Sunday. In doing so, Jon, who is 18 years old and a freshman at Skyline College in San Bruno, became the youngest lawn bowls singles champion in US history and the first from Northern California to take the US crown in 14 years.
The four-day tournament pitted representatives from the USLBA’s eight regions against each other in a round robin format in which each bowler played one game against each of the other contenders. Jon represented the Pacific Inter-Mountain Division, which includes Northern California, and won six of his seven games. His final points differential of 39 edged out former national champion, Bob Schneider of the Central Division, by five points, a razor-thin margin in this tournament. … Continue reading »
Valley sting: Albany-Berkeley 12U wins at Davis/Dixon
By Mark Galbraith
The Albany-Berkeley Girls Softball League’s 12U team, Sting, continues its victorious streak. You may remember the team from the article Michael Lewis wrote for Berkeleyside last year. We’ve been following their progress. Here’s the latest installment:
As a previous cub reporter on the Sting beat noted last year, dropping into the Central Valley used to be a daunting journey for Albany Berkeley Girls’ Softball League’s finest. Infernal heat, adobe-hard infields, and battle-hardened opponents often added up to disappointment: players dismayed at not having a chance to play for a tournament title and its accompanying trophies, and their parents downhearted at an early exit leaving them no legitimate excuse for blowing-off weekend errands.
However, this is a new trail-blazing Sting team. Coming off a championship run earlier in the month, they entered the Valley without fear, confident in their bats and gloves. Make no mistake: there would be no trips to Pastime Ace or Berkeley Bowl for the traveling Sting faithful this weekend. … Continue reading »
