Delaney Shiring leads El Dorado to Division III state basketball title
SACRAMENTO — Delaney Shiring, a 5-foot-10 senior at El Dorado High, continued to deliver clutch baskets when her team needed them most during a grueling second half that lifted the Golden Hawks to their first state girls basketball championship with a 42-40 victory over San Jose Valley Christian in the Division III final Friday at Golden 1 Center.
“It’s amazing,” said Shiring, who finished with 15 points and six rebounds. “It’s meant to be. It’s all so historic. We’ve embraced these great moments.”
El Dorado (24-14) appeared to have a comfortable nine-point lead midway through the third quarter when Kenedi Nomura, who scored 18 points, helped spark a Valley Christian rally. A Shiring basket late in the quarter ended a 5-0 Warriors run.
Shiring’s biggest basket came with 47 seconds remaining for a 41-38 lead. The lead fell to 41-40 with 38 seconds left on a basket by Anaya Bannarbie. Then Riley Morikawa made one of two free throws with 13.1 seconds left for a two-point advantage. Valley Christian never made a potential game-tying shot.
El Dorado’s Kennedy Wood focuses on making free throws in the Division III state final.
(Greg Stein)
“They had some really good defenders,” Shiring said. “I really focus on the big moments where the shot counts.”
El Dorado made the Southern Section playoffs as an at-large team before advancing in the postseason under coach Matt Raya, winning a Division 4 sectional title and a Division III regional title.
