txsu UaXcil [GrsMarch 5,2004 DpurII

Brett Fisher

This titlebefits aHOFer

I'd like to take a moment tocongratulate the newest inducteeof the baseball hall of fame: Mydad.

A month ago, Robert Fisher,my father, joined seven othermernbers of his 1958 state finalsbaseball team who wereenshrined into the Citrus College(Calif.) Baseball Hall of Fame.

So it isnl Major LeagueBaseball's llall of Fame. Big dealif this ':hall" is located inGlendora, Calif , and notCooperstourq N.Y And so what

- if *The Fislf' wonl be keepingcompany with the likes of the'Yankee Clipper," "Sultan of

- Swat''or "Stan the Man."This was Dad's day in the sun,

and thatk what mattered.'He was just a fine young man,

just a great person,' former Citrus_ College headbaseball coach' Galen Bowman said of my father.'

Dad played under Coach- Bowman for just one season -the first, in fact of Bowman's 15-

year head-coaching carcer atCitrus College. And he had appar-ently left a big impression on theman yfis managedthe Owls to' oneoftheirgreatestbaseballachisvements.

'1 can't say enough about the

ryalitv of the pe6on,' saidB'wma '11*sjsrtskind of

:@.gd_.--that's probably the highest crmpliment a person could receive."

It has been 46 years since my- father's sophomore season ulhen

the Citrus Owls won their EastConference and two of three play-of games to reach the Catiforni;state college baseball frnals. TheOwls fmished second-best inthestate ttrat year and ended their

Rams reach fiI Rrte of Passage wins firststate basketball title.By Brett Fisher

The best Class 3,A. boys basketball team inNevada resides right here in the MasonValley. And eventhough its players hail fromlastly di-fferent parts of the country, the RiteofPassage Rarns nonetheless call this placehome, too.

"The kids said they wanted to bring thetitle home to Yerington," said ROP SilverState Academy Business Manager MarkJacoby.

Last Saturday, the Rams did exactly that bydefeating Moapa Valley, 78-60, in the Class3,4' state championship final game held atLawlor Events Center in Reno, and earningthem ttreir first Nevada state basketball title.

"The kids were just ecstatic," ROP headcoach Eric Jordan said. "They worked sohard to get to that point."

ROP point guard Kevin Deshields led histeam in scoring against the Pirates, some-thing he has done throughout much of thisseason. The first-year player hit on 10 fieldgoals and poured in a game-high 29 points,including 15 in the first half.

He nailedtwo ofhis nine free-throws in thegame dounthe shetchinthe fourth quartertodiscourage the Pirates &om cutting any fur-ther into ROP3 l0-point lead.

The Rams didto MoapaValley what it alsohad done to Northern 3,A. League rivalDayton just the day before by overwhelmingtheir opponents early.

They jumped out quickly to a 26-lladvantage in the first quarter and were up by18 points at the halftime break.

Moapa Valley was able to outscore ROP,19-16, in the third quarter, but the Rams alsohad strerched their lead to as many as 2lpoints midway through those same eightminutes of play. They ultimately proved toomuch for the Pirates and capped a2l-12ruin the fourth period with the state finals vic-tory.

Four ROP players scored in double figr:resSaturday. Besides Deshields, DevinBarefield and Andre Reed netted 12 poiirtsapiece. And Jermaine Parkerput in l0 points,including a pair of three-point teys. SanquanFrazier had eight points and Quentin Divensadded seven for the Rams.

Tears ofjoy flowed freely from the players

RAM AIR: ROP guard Kevin Deshields, lefagainst Dayton's Ryan Blaver, right, durinlheld last Friday night at Spanish Springs H

after the final buzzer sounded against MoapaValley, and coach Jordan admitted that lefthim with a lump in his throat.

i'For me, I was overwhelmed and numb,"he said.

After all, it had been I 8 years since Jordanhad played in a state title game. He was amember of Rancho (Las Vegas) HighSchoolh boys state championship basketball

tealUtlNatAnl

mertionin tlSilr

By Herb HallSpecial to the Mason Valley News

KENNEWICK Wa. -As she moves upthe sideline just outside the three-point arc,the basketball is advanced from the backcourttorvard Brandee Smitht hands.

In one easy motion, the 5-foot 8-inch

night whenWCC shot a dismal l-17 frombehind the three-point arc.

The 36-teamNW,\ACC is the largestjrtnior college conference in the nation and isdivided into four regions u'ith teams fromWashinSoa Oregon Idnho and BritishColumbia Si{een teams qualified for the