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A determined group of young Rio Dell girls would not be denied at last week’s Jaycees tournament in Crescent City, as they achieved a long-held goal of theirs.

One year after losing to Redwood Elementary in the final of the AAA tournament, Rio Dell’s Monument Middle School team came into this year’s tournament more determined than ever to take home the championship, which was a goal of theirs since many of them first start playing together five years ago, according to head coach Cassie Holmgren.

And they did exactly that with a 35-21 win over Jacoby Creek in the final.

“They decided in third grade they wanted to win the Jaycees (tournament), and last year they came up just short,” the coach said. “This year they came back more determined than ever.”

It showed in their play, as the young Rio Dell girls won all three of their tournament games, including earlier wins over McKinleyville and Ferndale.

“They were ready and they were not going to let what happened last year happen again,” Holmgren added.

It was the school’s first-ever Jaycees AAA tournament championship, boys or girls, and they did it with some outstanding defense and a team chemistry as good as any.

“This team has just played phenomenal defense all year long and they work extremely hard,” the coach said. “These girls, they battle, they never give up. They have pure heart and hustle.”

There were several standouts on a nine-player roster that includes five eighth graders and four seventh graders, all of whom played key roles on the way to a championship and a season that saw them go 28-1.

Eighth grader Tayla Fontaine was named tournament MVP, while teammates Lania Fontaine and Kaleya Parkinson each also were named to the all-tournament team.

According to Holmgren, any one of them or fellow eight grader Karlie Gurney would have been a deserved MVP after all four played pivotal roles on the path to success.

The four standouts, who all play multiple sports, have been playing basketball together for a few years now and have become close friends on and off the court.

“The twins would do anything for the team,” Holmgren said of Tayla and Lania, who are also her daughters. “And Kaleya is extremely skilled and Karlie is our utility player and does whatever you need.”

The team’s fifth eight grader is Miranda Hall, who also stepped up and played well for the team all season long, according to the coach.

The team’s four seventh graders — Emma Crotty, Meka Day, Malyah Washington and Makenna Burgess — each also made big contributions on such a small roster, which also won this year’s Eel River Valley league for the second straight year.

Tayla Fontaine led the team in scoring in the final and finished with an impressive 15 points, while Parkinson added seven points, Lania Fontaine had five and Gurney had four.

Day also took a big charge in the championship game that helped swing momentum her team’s way, while Crotty was a defensive specialist along with Lania Fontaine.

“They play phenomenal team basketball and phenomenal defense,” Holmgren said of the entire team.

And that’s not all they brought to the table. 

“They’re just smart, talented girls,” the coach added. “They are awesome, they really put the team first and they’re just great kids. They have that hunger, but they’re not going to knock you down to get there.”

The Monument coach also praised the performance of the Jacoby Creek girls, who handed her team its only loss earlier in the season.

“I want to give props to that Jacoby Creek team,” she said. “They made us work for it. They’re well coached.”

With the season now over, the Monument girls are already looking forward to the new AAU season, which gets under way in March, and many of the players also play for the Humboldt Wild or Team Beast programs.

Former Fortuna High and College of the Redwoods standout Drew Gillette is an assistant coach on the Monument team and also played a key role in the girls’ success this season, according to Holmgren.