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Fortuna freshman Kaleya Parkinson was named tournament MVP of the Quartz Bracket at the West Coast Jamboree, as the Huskies continued their impressive pre-league schedule with a tournament championship.
The Fortuna girls won all three of their tournament games and stretched their winning streak to five straight as they improved to 11-3 on the season.
The Huskies opened with a 70-25 win over Westmoor on Saturday before edging Amador Valley 54-53 on Monday to reach the championship game.
In Tuesday’s final, they capped a few impressive days with a 40-34 win over Ridgeview.
Parkinson scored a team-high in points in each of the last two games, including 14 points in the final, but it was the team defense that lifted the Huskies to victory, in particular the play of seniors Jaydyn Dalton, Taylor Heussler and Macee Marquez.
“We overcame a poor shooting hight and played stellar defense,” Fortuna head coach Tom Chapman said after Tuesday’s championship game. “Our defense kept us in the game.”
The Huskies trailed for much of the final, but enjoyed the better of the late exchanges to pull out the win, scoring 18 of their 40 points in the fourth quarter.
“We came alive offensively in the fourth quarter,” Chapman said.
And it was a total team effort.
“I was really impressed with our entire team,” the coach added. “The bench energy was phenomenal. It truly helped motivate and energize the players on the floor.”
Heussler added eight points in the win and was named to the all-tournament team, as was junior Evalynn Little, who finished with 14 rebounds and three points.
Marquez added six points in Tuesday’s win.
On Monday, Parkinson finished with a team-high 14 points in a tight one-point game against Amador Valley, including nailing a decisive 3-pointer with just six seconds remaining.
Marquez scored 10 points and Little had nine points in what Chapman described as a “great team victory.”
“The team played hard all four quarters,” the coach said. “I am proud of their resilience. The girls did a fantastic job weathering the ebb and flow of the game.”
Amador Valley made the Huskies battle all the way after going on a big late run to capture the lead with 15 seconds remaining.
But the Huskies would respond with a clutch finish.
“The team did not get rattled,” Chapman said. “They stayed focused and executed in the final moments of the game.”
All 10 Fortuna players scored in the their tourney opener against Westmoor, including Olivia Scilacci, who finished with a team-high 13 points.
The consistent Heussler added 10 points in that win, while freshman Olivia Powell also impressed and chipped in nine points.
“I am pleased with the team’s energy and play after the long travel,” Chapman said after that game. “We did a good job pressuring the ball and scoring off of turnovers.”

Categories: Basketball, Fortuna

















