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El Toro forward Camryn Bradshaw caught the pass near the high post, dribbled once and spun toward the basket with the shot clocking running down in the fourth quarter of the CIF-SS Division 3A girls basketball final Saturday.
A special moment for a mother and daughter duo followed.
Bradshaw banked in about a 6-foot shot while drawing a foul and extending the Chargers’ lead to five points with 5:16 left. The senior roared with emotion as her mother and El Toro assistant coach Nicole Bradshaw stood and cheered.
“It’s been the greatest blessing to be able to be coached by her,” Bradshaw said of her mom after El Toro defeated Cantwell-Sacred Heart 52-48 at Edison High for its first section title. “My mom has been an assistant since my sophomore year.”
“She loves it,” Bradshaw added about her mother. “She loves the game.”
Nicole Bradshaw coached University for seven seasons before resigning in 2019 to spend more time with her family. She guided the Trojans to three Pacific Coast League titles and seven playoff appearances.
Nicole Bradshaw also coached her daughter Emily at El Toro in 2022-23.
El Toro coach Pat Nunez praised his experienced assistant coach Saturday.
“She’s been Instrumental,” he said of Nicole Bradshaw. “It’s been awesome having her on staff. She pours her heart into it and she’s a huge part of our success.”
El Toro featured a pair of multi-sport standouts in Bradshaw and Delyla Cabrera.
In the fall, both helped El Toro’s girls flag football team reach the Division 2 quarterfinals. Cabrera, a sophomore, starred at quarterback while Bradshaw played running back and wide receiver.
This spring, Bradshaw will return to softball, which she will play at Princeton.
El Toro’s players said the presence of their student section contributed to their win.
The section supported point guard Mariana Mina with cheers of “Let’s go Kobe!” The senior wears jersey No. 24, one of the numbers Bryant donned for the Lakers.
“Just keeping up the energy and keeping us positive,” El Toro sophomore guard Lenzy Turner said of the section.
NOTES
Rosary’s Kate Duarte and Maddison White also are top multi-sport athletes. The forwards, who helped the Royals finish as the Division 2A runner-up, earned all-league honors in girls volleyball.
Second-year Tesoro coach Ra Reyes is an experienced travel coach. Before arriving at Tesoro, he coached WNBA champion Sabrina Ionescu of the New York Liberty during her grade school years with Cal Stars in Northern California. “(Our) style of play is straight from the Cal Stars, what we used to do, that up-tempo stuff and transition,” Reyes said.