Gupilans lead Bell-Jeff to title

Bellarmine-Jefferson 54, Pinewood 47
SACRAMENTO (AP) - Shelley Gupilan scored 22 points as Bellarmine-Jefferson of
Burbank completed a near-perfect season with an 54-47 win over Pinewood of Los
Altos Hills in the Div. V girls' state championship at Arco Arena on Friday.
Gupilan's cousin Margeaux added 13 points, including back-to-back 3-pointers at the end of the first that extended Bell-Jeff's lead to 31-20 at the break.
Though Pinewood rallied in the fourth quarter, the final margin was the closest the
Panthers could get.
Lindsay Nickel scored 16 points for Pinewood (31-5) and Hailie Eackles had 15 to go along with 10 rebounds.
The Panthers have won three previous state championships -- 1999, 2005 and 2006 -- but could never get comfortable against Bell-Jeff's full-court pressure. Pinewood turned the ball over 22 times and shot just 28 percent and made only 6 of 28 three-pointers.
The Guards' only loss of their 34-1 season was to Montclair Prep on Dec. 30,
by a score of 63-62, and they finished the season on a 20-game winning streak.