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It’s rare that the Berkeley Lady Yellowjackets face a test in their own gym. For the past decade, most of the close games the team has played have been at national tournaments far from home. But facing a talented team from Las Vegas in the championship game of the First Annual Lady Yellowjacket Tournament, head coach Gene Nakamura’s squad showed that they have the heart of a champion, beating Bishop Gorman 67-58. 

Tournament MVP Robin Roberson led the way for the ’Jackets, regaining her shooting touch just in time to carry her team past the scrappy Lady Gaels with 26 points. After making just eight of her 34 shots in the first two tournament games, Roberson hit 12-of-23 against Bishop Gorman, including two second-half three-pointers that helped seal the deal. 

“Robin’s one of our go-to players, because she can just flat-out shoot,” Nakamura said, pointing out that Roberson is coming off of a long illness. “She can hit from anywhere on the floor.” 

Roberson, a senior, also had five steals and three rebounds in the game. 

“It’s my job to lead by example,” Roberson said. “It was just time for me to step up. When I’m going good, it makes everyone else play better.” 

Berkeley center Sabrina Keys, another all-tournament selection, pitched in with 12 points and six rebounds, and forward Gelater Fullwood scored 11. 

Bishop Gorman countered the Berkeley offense with their own big threats, guard Breona Gray and forward Liz Cansdale, both all-tournament selections. Gray, who scored a combined 34 points in the first two games, broke out of a first-quarter funk to put up 25 points on the ’Jackets. The speedy guard also helped nullify the Berkeley press, racing past the first line of defense most of the night.  

“(Gray) has an extremely quick first step, and we didn’t account for it a lot of the time,” Nakamura said. 

Cansdale, a pure shooter, scored 19 points and grabbed three offensive rebounds despite giving up several inches to the Yellowjacket frontcourters. She led all players in the tournament with 63 points. 

The Las Vegas team was the first of the tournament to take a lead on the Yellowjackets, going up 5-2 in the first two minutes. But four Roberson baskets keyed a 18-point Berkeley run, and the ’Jackets cruised to a 24-10 lead at the end of the first quarter. But the Gaels turned to Gray and Cansdale, breaking off a 13-4 run of their own to get back in the game. By halftime, the visitors had cut the deficit to 37-30, as Gray scored 10 points in the quarter to go with Cansdale’s six. 

“Our starters got a little tired, so I pulled them, but our bench wasn’t ready to go,” Nakamura said. “That was probably my own fault.” 

The ’Jackets came out cold in the second half, missing their first nine shots from the field. But the defense stood strong, and Bishop Gorman could only cut the lead to 37-34. Berkeley went on an eight-point run, thanks to the smooth passing of sophomore guard Michi Yamamoto.  

“(Yamamoto) got us some easy baskets to put the game away,” Nakamura said. “She sees the floor very well, something our starters weren’t doing for a while.” 

The quarter ended at 50-37 in favor of the hosts, leaving little doubt as to the identity of the eventual champions. Gray’s forays into the lane grew more and more reckless and Cansdale couldn’t get open outside, and the Gaels never got closer the eight points on their way to a second-place finish. 

“It’s nice to win our own tournament,” Nakamura said. “The best thing is that we got better each game.” 

The Lady Yellowjackets head to Chicago for the Nike Tournament on Dec. 16.