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Sports

Basketball Brings Excitement to Redlands Adventist Academy

The Bulldogs boys and girls teams have a chance to put the tiny high school on the map as both play semifinal games this weekend.

Things like this just don’t happen here.

Here, is Redlands Adventist Academy, a Kindergarten through 12th grade campus that values family, religious teachings and academics.

Athletics? That’s primarily used as a diversion from the pressure cooker of rigorous college preparatory classes.

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But this week, the Bulldogs boys and girls basketball teams are enjoying a level of “campus celebrity” usually reserved for the big schools. Fans pouring onto the court after a victory, hugs from strangers, media coverage for goodness sakes – all usually reserved for a student body that’s, well, not quite so reserved.

This year’s RAA teams have a chance to do something special as they both attempt to get to the CIF championship game for the first time.

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For the boys, the Bulldogs travel to Boron Friday afternoon for a CIF 6A semifinals. The game has been rescheduled to a 2:45 p.m. start to accommodate the Seventh day Adventist school, which does not play on its Sabbath, from sundown Friday to sundown Saturday.

“It’s a little surreal,” RAA boy’s coach Jason Hinkle said. “We’ve had moderate success and some winning seasons, but a lot of times when we make the playoffs, were the underdogs and we get beat. When I talked to the kids today (Wednesday), they’re really excited. A lot of alumni are coming back and watching the games.”

The girls host La Verne Calvary Baptist Saturday night in a 7 p.m. game at Mesa Grande Academy in Calimesa.

A victory for either or both teams will put Redlands Adventist Academy in its first CIF title game, Friday or Saturday, March 4 or 5 at Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana.

“It’s a very awesome experience,” said RAA Athletic Director Jan Rice. “Quite a few people are taking notice which is just wonderful.

“We have very talented kids. I know my principal is very proud and she came to our game last night. I’m sure the kids are doing very well keeping up with their schoolwork as well. It’s just exciting.”

There are challenges as well for a small school trying to play what can be considered big-time athletics.

For instance, girls coach Jeremy Hoch said he has to share his players with a myriad of other campus activities, scheduling tournaments around Christmas concerts or practices around student association meetings.

Many of the boys have younger siblings they watch after school and they bring them to practice. Hinkle said it’s fun to see “second or third graders trying to run suicides right along with us.”

The girls are led by Victory League Most Valuable Player senior Jill Webster, who averaged 15 points during the regular season, and sophomore point guard Bri Felipe, who averages 13.5 points and scored a season-high 43 points this season.

The boys are led by four seniors: leading scorer Mikeal Anderson (19 ppg); point guard Matthew Dupper, Stephen Lawson and Chido Mutopo. While Anderson and Dupper run the offense, Hinkle said Lawson and Mutopo are his defensive specialists. “They’re not going to score a lot of points and they’re OK with that,” Hinkle said. “They’re just two guys out there giving 100 percent all the time.”

Both coaches understand what this means to their players and the student body, and both know seasons like this – at a school with a high school population of just over 100 kids – doesn’t happen every year.

“You get a small school and we don’t have that many kids,” Hoch said. “You just never know when you’ll get that one kid that will make a difference.”

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