Had the injury occurred earlier in the season, perhaps coach Brian Harrigan could have adjusted. Perhaps he could have brought a shooter up from junior varsity, or spent more time honing the stroke of someone already on the roster. But with two playoff games a week, there was no room to maneuver, and the Irish were forced to go with what they had.

Against lesser teams, Bell’s absence wasn’t an issue. Sacred Heart’s devastating defense, fullcourt or halfcourt, was enough to demolish most opponents, even those good enough for California’s month-long postseason. Tierra Rogers, Ki-shawna Moore and Jazmine Jackson were too talented on the perimeter, and sophomore Kamilah Jackson, Jazmine’s sister, and just 5 feet 10, was too tough inside.

But when the Irish came up against St. Mary’s of Stockton in the Northern California championships, the free ride was over. The Rams were ranked fifth in the nation at the time, and coach Tom Gonsalves knew exactly what to do: He sat his previously man-to-man team in a 2-3 zone and dared Sacred Heart to make outside shots.

Once there, the Irish were heavily favored over Magnolia of Anaheim, but there were more than a few skeptics. How could a team that shot so poorly against St. Mary’s be number one in the nation? How could a team that looked so bad be that good?

The skeptics were not won over by the first 2:42 of the state title game, as neither team scored during that span. The Sentinels, no dummies, packed into a 2-3 zone and dared the Irish to make threes. They couldn’t (zero for nine for the game). They missed layups and Jazmine Jackson, their senior leader, went four for 19 from the field. Moore, the point guard, was one for nine with six turnovers.

But great teams find a way. Kamilah Jackson, who had played poorly against St. Mary’s (no points, four rebounds), dominated inside. She had 10 points and nine rebounds at halftime, and despite foul trouble, finished with 17 points and 17 rebounds.

That Sacred Heart defense made the Sentinels’ offense disappear, and the Irish won ugly, 48-33.

There is a case to be made that this SHC team wouldn’t beat Long Beach Poly, or Southridge, or Highlands Ranch, if they played tonight – and that might be true. But the Irish did beat those three, on back-to-back nights, earlier in the year, and when faced with adversity, on and off the court, found a way to get the job done.

Though the well-oiled machine creaked and sputtered, in the end, it had just enough juice to get across the finish line ahead of every one else. And all the leaking fluid and battered tires couldn’t keep the Irish from making the plays that had to be made to win their second straight Division III title at Arco Arena Saturday.

That’s what champions are made of. That’s what’s called heart.

Division I

The number one and number two teams in the country were playing in the same arena on the same day – sadly, they were playing several hours apart.

This year, though, the Berkeley players were confident. They had demolished Kennedy of Sacramento in the Northern California championships, and were primed to pull off the upset of the number-two team in the nation.

Maybe next year. Camilla Rosen drove to the hoop with 3:20 left in the first quarter to give the Yellowjackets an 8-6 lead, but after that, the Poly juggernaut just rolled over the NorCal champs. The final score was 55-31, but it could have been worse, maybe much worse. Monique Oliver, Poly’s 6-3 center who’s considered a prized 2009 recruit, missed all four of her shots, and had just two free throws. Jasmine Dixon, a McDonald’s All-American who’s going to Rutgers, missed numerous close-in shots, as did the rest of the Jackrabbits. Had those layups and putbacks gone down, the final margin could have been 30 or more.

April Cook (bound for Washington State) and sophomore Thaddesia Southall were the only two Poly players who shot particularly well, but since the Jackrabbit defense forced 30 Berkeley turnovers and held the Yellowjackets to 23 percent shooting, there wasn’t much doubt about the outcome.

And by the way, aside from Dixon and Cook, no Poly senior played more than seven minutes. Can you say ‘four-peat’?

Division II

Though Archbishop Mitty coach Sue Phillips is one of the best around, and the Monarchs now have won four state championships, this is pretty much all you need to know about the state of California’s second-largest enrollment division: Mitty set a record for most losses by a state champion with 11.

At the same, competitive inequity worked in Mitty’s favor in Northern California. A Division III team that lost to St. Mary’s of Stockton in the NorCal semis, Miramonte of Orinda, beat Mitty by 26 in December, but had to stay in Division III in postseason.

Still, the Monarchs did what they had to do against Mira Costa, thanks in great part to foul trouble for the Mustangs. Mikah Maly-Karros had 20 and 10 for Mira Costa, but fouled out with 2:19 left in regulation. Point guard Kylie Nakamine had fouled out at the 3:50 mark, which left Megan Richardson to try to carry the load all by herself.

She almost got Mira Costa the win, but missed one of two free throws with 24.8 seconds left, setting up an overtime that Mitty dominated. Classye James and Lindsay Leo made big plays, but the biggest of all came from Monarch senior Ariel Castillo, who banked in a 30-footer as the shot clock was running down to turn a five-point game into an eight-point game and seal Mitty’s fourth title.

In time, Brea’s absence will be forgotten, but for now, the different ways each of the 10 California sections determine their champions have cast a somewhat of a shadow on the Monarchs’ crown.

Division IV

Last year, St. Patrick St. Vincent blew a 14-point halftime lead and collapsed in the state champion game against Marlborough, losing by 15. This year, though, sweet redemption rained down on the Bruins.

Trailing 48-33 with 2:05 left in the third quarter, they stormed back to build a 64-57 lead with 2:18 remaining, and seemed poised to bask in the glory of their first state title.

Umm, not so fast. The Torreys of La Jolla Country Day suddenly caught fire, and starting doing what they had done to get that big lead, and when Ariana Elegado went to the hoop with 35 seconds left, she finished to give LJCD a 65-64 lead.

By this point, the Bruins’ primary offensive force, Alex Cowling (21 points, eight rebounds) had fouled out, and making a basket seemed as difficult as climbing Mt. Everest barefoot. The St. Patrick St. Vincent offense had stalled, and senior guard Jameiz Terrell felt the pressure. She threw up a twisting, running 12-footer that defined the word ‘prayer’ – and it went in with 27 seconds left to give the Vallejo school back the lead.

That was plenty of time for Country Day, though, and its two stars, Dominique Conners and Janae Fulcher, both of whom finished with 23 points. But Conners missed two free throws with 13.7 seconds left, and after the Torreys scrambled to get the rebound, Fulcher missed a basically uncontested layup – and the Bruins escaped with the championship they feel they should have won in 2007.

Division V

Branson of Ross was going for its second straight championship in the small school division, a division Northern California had traditionally dominated. In addition, the Bulls were finally at full strength, as twins Sam and Rachael Bilney had both missed portions of the season.

So it certainly looked like Branson would coast against Mission Prep of San Luis Obispo – and that’s exactly what happened.

The final score was 51-39, but the Royals were down 19 at one point, and never got within double digits after that. Branson shot poorly, missing easy looks, but the Bulls hit 23 of 30 free throws and held Mission Prep to just 30 percent shooting.

The Royals battled, and got 18 points from Leigh Yetter, but the Bilneys (who will go to Richmond in the fall) had 33 points, 11 rebounds, seven steals, four assists and three blocked shots between them to control the game.

Oh, and like every other California state champion, the Bulls lost to Sacred Heart Cathedral earlier in the year. Big or small, the Irish beat them all, in California and around the country, and clearly ruled the Golden State in 2008.

Clay Kallam is the publisher of Full Court Press (www.Fullcourt.com), an online magazine devoted to women’s basketball. The author of the book “Girls Basketball: Building a Winning Program (Wish Publishing, 2002), Kallam has written about the women’s game for several national publications and is a voter for the McDonald’s All-American team, the Parade All-American team, the All-WNBA team and the Wooden Award. He is the coach of the Campolindo High School varsity basketball team and formerly wrote for the Contra Costa Times newspaper chain. Clay can be contacted via our Contact form (click "Ask Clay Kallam").