It is an inspiring story of resilience, courage and basketball

LOS ANGELES, CA (MPG) - Bobcats On Three, directed by Alison Taupier, is a powerful documentary following the Paradise High School girls’ basketball team after the most devastating fire in California history destroys their entire town. It is a compelling mixture of hometown realism and heart - a story of courage, resilience and basketball.

That story started when Coach Sheila Craft had just begun her new, dream job as Varsity Coach of the Paradise High School girls’ basketball team. She had successfully recruited 44 strong players across 3 squads and their season was just about to begin until the morning of Nov. 8th 2018 changed everything.

Sheila Craft was at her job at an elderly care home in Paradise, CA. that morning when she heard reports of a fire nearby at around 8:00 a.m. A remote town on the crest of a hill, Paradise had always been protected from fire at all costs. However, this fire was different. After driving to where she could see the fire, she quickly returned to the nursing home and began to help evacuate the 91 elderly residents, despite officials advising people to stay put.

By 8:30 a.m. the skies were dark, the whole town was on fire, and Sheila was stuck in traffic with three elderly residents in her car. After suffering a flat tire and believing that she wasn’t going to make it, she started calling her family to say goodbye. They all managed to somehow miraculously escape when a man (an “angel”) drove up and loaded all of them into his car.

This was the start of the Camp Fire and it burned for 17 days straight.

Within days, Coach Sheila was in a borrowed gym with the remnants of her team. Every player and coach had lost their home, barring one, and the team was already starting to shrink in numbers. Determined, Sheila felt a drive to maintain some hope and normalcy for all of the kids, through all the trauma and chaos and disruption. The team had dwindled to just 14 players as the season began, therefore fielding just one Varsity team with only two seniors playing.

Through perseverance and personality, Coach Sheila created a team united in their ambition to survive. As young athletes, as a team, they came together to create a bond to support each other on and off the court.

This triumphant season, through some of the most difficult moments, is a legacy that will never be forgotten. It is the story of triumph of will over adversity, of positivity over loss, of strength over pity. It is an inspiring story of resilience, courage and basketball.

The documentary is produced by Flat-Out Films and Diamond Docs, directed and written by Alison Taupier, and produced by Michael Shevloff and Jeff Taupier. Executive producers are Paul Crowder and Dashiell Hopper. Co-producers are Emily Kretzer and Ira Flowers. The film was edited by Sierra Neal, and the music was composed by Matter Music.

The film premiered at Big Sky Documentary Film Festival. Joanne Feinberg, director of programming said “It is the best portrait of Paradise after the fire that I have seen––so authentic and heartfelt. It has really stuck with me.”  It was the winner of the Award of Excellence at the Best Shorts Competition and recently won Best Documentary at the Pasadena International Film Festival.

In 2020, the film aired as an introduction to a WNBA game on ESPN and ABC.  Now the whole country can share in this story of overcoming adversity and devastation. A true testament to a caring coach, and the will of the girls who love the game.