SoCalHoops High School News

CIF NorCal State Regional Girls' Semifinals:
Game Scores & Details--(March 10, 2000)

All of the girls state semifinal games (with the exception of the Division I games) were played last night; the finals are all on Saturday for the Northern Regional titles, and the right to represent the Northern California region in Sacramento in the State Finals a week from this weekend.  For a look at the entire State Tournament brackets (including the Southern Regional results), use this link.

Division I Girls' NorCal Regional Semifinals
(Played Friday, March 10)

Archbishop Mitty 76, Beyer 38--The Beyer girls basketball team, riding a 17-game winning streak, made the two-hour drive from Modesto thinking it had a shot at upsetting Mitty in Friday's Northern California Division I semifinal. It took only a little more than four minutes for the Patriots (30-3) to realize they had no chance, after the defending state Division I champion Monarchs forced six turnovers and made nine of their first 12 field-goal attempts en route to a 23-6 lead. No. 1-ranked Mitty (29-2) continued its onslaught, building margins of 27-6 after the first quarter and 43-14 at halftime en route to a 76-38 blowout. With their 24th straight victory, the Monarchs will head for Sacramento today for a rematch of the past two NorCal Division I finals against Berkeley at 6 p.m. at Arco Arena. Monarchs senior All-America guard Rometra Craig, scored a game-high 23 points, 13 in the first quarter. Beyer senior guard Erin Nieralzik said her team was shell-shocked in the opening minutes.

Berkeley 74, Nevada Union 39--No. 2 Berkeley (28-2), which lost to the Archbishop Mitty Monarchs 61-53 in last year's Regional Final and beat them 62-44 in the 1998 championship game, advanced Friday with a 74-39 semifinal win over visiting Nevada Union and they'll get a third shot at Berkeley at Arco Arena on Saturday. All-American Aisha Hollans scored 25 points on 8-of-19 shooting and grabbed 17 rebounds Friday as Berkeley High School defeated Nevada Union 74-39 in a Northern California Division I semifinal. The Yellowjackets (28-2) will play top-seeded Archbishop Mitty (29-2) tonight at 6 p.m. at Arco Arena for the championship. The Monarchs blasted No. 4 Beyer of Modesto 76-38. Beyer edged Nevada Union to win the Sac-Joaquin Section championship last Saturday in overtime. Nevada Union trailed Berkeley 30-26 at the half before the Yellowjackets heated up from the outside, using a 15-3 run. Robin Roberson scored 16 points for Berkeley.

Division II Girls NorCal Regional Semifinals
(Played Thursday, March 9)

Amador 82,  St. Francis 63--Amador Valley of Pleasanton (26-5) will return to ARCO Arena Saturday to defend its NorCal title against Concord's Carondelet thanks to a memorable 39-point effort by guard Mia Fisher in an 82-63 win against visiting St. Francis of Mountain View. Amador and Carondelet will square off for the third time this season. Carondelet won at the Reno McQueen High showdown, 60-45, in December. The Dons won the North Coast Section crown last weekend, 65-57, at St. Mary's College.  St. Francis had  26 fouls.  Amador Valley High School turned to star guard Mia Fisher, who scored 39 points, and the host Dons opened up an 82-63 rout of St. Francis in the California Interscholastic Federation Northern Region Division II semifinals. The Lancers appeared to be a tough draw as they finished the first down only one point. Amador Valley will next face Carondelet at 2:30 p.m. Saturday at Arco Arena in Sacramento. The Dons have split their two meetings with the Cougars, winning the last one in the North Coast Section championship game. Amador Valley is trying for its second trip to the CIF finals in as many years. Last year the Dons lost to Brea-Olinda 54-51 in the championship game. St. Francis opened the game on an 8-2 run hitting two of their three first quarter 3-pointers. Amador Valley answered with a 7-0 run and led 14-13 after one. With the score tied 14-14 early in the second, the Dons gradually but methodically scored 14 unanswered points. Amador Valley used a solid half court defense, with Britany Kernan and Ashley King-Bischof controlling the paint and guards, and a patient half-court offense to take over the game. The Dons offense drew eight second quarter fouls and converted 9 of 12 free throws. They also outrebounded the Lancers 15-8 in the first half. But that was in the shadows of Fisher who was unstoppable. Fisher missed her first two shots of the game then reeled off seven straight before missing her final shot of the half. She netted 16 points in the second quarter, 22 total for the half.  The Dons' run grew to 24-4 as Amador Valley built a 40-23 halftime lead. Fisher was still feeling it in the second half. She made Amador Valley's first four shots in the third and paced an 18-10 run to balloon the lead to 58-33. Fisher did more than shoot. She chalked up a triple double with 12 rebounds and 11 assists, including a three-quarter court Magic Johnson-style bounce pass to King-Bischof on a fast break. Fisher made seven consecutive baskets in the second half as well. She finished the night shooting 14 for 17 and made 11 of 12 free throws. Amador Valley got substantial help from its supporting cast. Offensively, Tessa Winter scored 16 points with five rebounds and three steals. King-Bischoff poured in 12 and six rebounds Defensively, the Dons did a solid job shutting down St. Francis' offense. The Lancers were, for the most part, one shot and out -- and most of the shots were with a hand in their face. Amador Valley outrebounded St. Francis 36-17 and held the Lancers to 20 field goals.St. Francis  13 10 16 24--63 Amador Valley  14 26 20 22--82 St. Francis (26-6) -- Knudsen 0-1-1, Butterick 4-4-14, Biniek 6-2-14, Collins 1-0-2, Capuyan 3-2-9, Himes 1-0-2, Bow 1-0-3, Meacham 1-3-5, Sobolik 3-4-10, Val 1-1-3. Totals 21-17-63. Amador Valley (26-5) -- B. Kernan 2-2-6, Lockyer 0-2-2, King-Bischof 6-0-12, Winter 7-1-16, Fisher 14-11-39, Rogers 2-0-6, Wyatt 0-1-1. Totals 31-17-82. Three-point goals -- Butterick 2, Capuyan, Bow; Rogers, Winter.

Carondelet 49, Homestead 27--Leigh Gregory had 10 points, nine rebounds, three blocks and three steals as the Cougars (29-2) rolled to the victory. Carondelet survived the crowd, as well as the Mustangs tenacious defense to advance to Saturday's Northern Regional final.Homestead (23-8) committed 33 turnovers, 20 in the first half. Keathley finished with six steals and eight assists to go with six points. Nicole Lynch and Leigh Gregory led the Cougars in scoring with 10 points each. Point guard Vickie Chiang led the Mustangs with 10 points. Carondelet had too much height and ball-handling skills for the Mustangs, who committed 34 turnovers against Carondelet's pressure defense. Homestead had turned the ball over a combined 62 times in its previous two games, a 49-44 win over St. Francis in Saturday's CCS title game, and a 39-38 victory over visiting El Camino of Sacramento in a first-round NorCal tourney game Tuesday. Carondelet, which will face Amador Valley (26-5) for the NorCal title Saturday at Arco Arena in Sacramento, took control Thursday with a 9-0 start. Homestead came back with its best run of the game, scoring eight unanswered points to pull within 9-8 early in the second quarter. Carondelet then scored the final 13 points of the period for a 22-8 halftime lead. Homestead trimmed its deficit to 26-15 late in the third quarter, only to see the Cougars go on a 7-0 run for a 33-15 lead heading into the final eight minutes. Most of Homestead's turnovers came against Carondelet's pressing, trapping defense and on passes into the post that were intercepted by the 6-2 Margo Strupeck, 5-10 Shannon Phalen and 5-11 Leigh Gregory. And, when one of those three players needed a breather, 6-1 Alicia Powers entered the game. Carondelet, which has only three seniors on its roster, was led by Nicole Lynch and Gregory with 10 points apiece. The Homestead girls basketball team won the Central Coast Section Division II championship this season even though it lacked a true point guard.  But that missing element cost the Mustangs (23-8) on Thursday, when Carondelet (29-2) recorded a 49-27 victory in the second round of the Northern California tournament at Homestead. Carondelet had too much height and ball-handling skills for the Mustangs, who committed 34 turnovers against Carondelet's pressure defense. Homestead had turned the ball over a combined 62 times in its previous two games, a 49-44 win over St. Francis in Saturday's CCS title game, and a 39-38 victory over visiting El Camino of Sacramento in a first-round NorCal tourney game Tuesday. Nakamura also praised the Homestead student body rooting section, which he and school administrators criticized for being overly vociferous Tuesday.  Carondelet, which will face Amador Valley (26-5) for the NorCal title Saturday at Arco Arena in Sacramento, took control Thursday with a 9-0 start. Homestead came back with its best run of the game, scoring eight unanswered points to pull within 9-8 early in the second quarter. Carondelet then scored the final 13 points of the period for a 22-8 halftime lead. Homestead trimmed its deficit to 26-15 late in the third quarter, only to see the Cougars go on a 7-0 run for a 33-15 lead heading into the final eight minutes. Most of Homestead's turnovers came against Carondelet's pressing, trapping defense and on passes into the post that were intercepted by the 6-2 Margo Strupeck, 5-10 Shannon Phalen and 5-11 Leigh Gregory. And, when one of those three players needed a breather, 6-1 Alicia Powers entered the game.Carondelet, which has only three seniors on its roster, was led by Nicole Lynch and Gregory with 10 points apiece.

Division III Girls NorCal Regional Semifinals
(Played Thursday, March 9)

Petaluma 51, Santa Cruz 48--The top-seeded Trojans, down by 11 points with 2:30 left in the third quarter of Thursday night's CIF Northern California semifinal against visiting Santa Cruz, were definitely on life-support before they engineered an inspiring fourth-period rally to nail down a 51-48 victory. The win sends the Trojans (29-6) into Saturday morning's NorCal Championship at Arco Arena in Sacramento against No.2 seed Sacred Heart Cathedral of San Francisco, which dismantled No.3 seed Manteca in the other Thursday semifinal, 51-27. Senior point guard Renee Maxie scored 19 points and turned in an outstanding defensive effort against the unseeded Cardinals (26-7). Maxie and her teammates may have been in the minority late in the third period, as Santa Cruz responded to a defensive lapse by by the Trojans, scoring 10 straight points to take a 30-21 lead. But before the Trojans got their defensive -- and offensive act -- together, the Cardinals had taken a 36-25 led with 2:30 left in the third period. To make matters worse, 5-11 junior forward Ashlynn Dolcini fouled out late in the third quarter, placing the rebounding duties primarily on the shoulders of 6-0 junior center Kristina Blair, who also scored eight of her 14 points in the final eight minutes, and grabbed seven of her game-high 15 rebounds, including one she literally ripped from the grasp of a Cardinal player. After a follow shot by Christie Barnacle got the Trojans within 36-28, Blair grabbed a rebound and put it back for two points for 36-30 with 20 seconds left in the third quarter. Two free throws by Tameka Blue got it back to 38-30, but the Trojans could sense a comeback. A drive by Maggie Tarr, who had six of her nine points in the final period, made it 38-32, then a drive by Maxie and two free throws from Blair got it to 40-36 with 5:14 left. Santa Cruz moved the lead to 46-39 with 3:17 left, but a running jumper by Maxie made it 46-41, and two free throws by Blair made it 46-43 with 2:33 to play. Blair's follow at 1:40 got it to 46-45, and then the 5-5 Tarr put a serious move on 6-3 Marisa Boyce for an uncontested layup and a 47-46 lead with 1:05 left. Tarr then hit two free throws for 49-46, but the Cardinals pulled within a point on an inside shot by Monica Grova (18 points) with 10 seconds left. Santa Cruz was forced to foul, with Maxie sinking two free throws with nine seconds left for a 51-48 lead. Maxie then
blocked a 3-point attempt at the buzzer.

Manteca 51, Sacred Heart 27-- Sacred Heart Cathedral High's fullcourt press surprised visiting Manteca, forcing 20 turnovers and leading to a 51-27 Northern California Division III semifinal win at Kezar Pavilion. The victory sends the No. 2-seeded Irish (27-5) to a Saturday morning championship matchup with top-seeded Petaluma (29-6) at Sacramento's ARCO Arena.  The Irish had 10 steals, led by Toni Russell's eight. The junior point guard also scored 10 points. Irish forward Tessa Moon, led with 13 points. The Buffaloes (29-5) were led with nine points each from Guzman and Katie DeRoos.It was obvious Manteca High had the height advantage Thursday as the Buffaloes and Sacred Heart Cathedral of San Francisco took the floor for their Northern California Division III girls basketball semifinal. But the Buffaloes had some problems, too. The Fighting Irish were faster, played tougher defense and, most important, had point guard Toni Russell.  The 5-foot-3 Russell literally stole the show, scoring 11 points and making 12 steals in Sacred Heart Cathedral's 51-27 win at Kezar Pavilion, ending Manteca's season.  Russell had some help. The Fighting Irish put the clamps on a Manteca offense considered one of the best in the Stanislaus District.  In the first quarter, Russell had her own highlight show. She had seven steals and scored eight points.   She single-handedly forced Manteca out of its running offense. The Buffaloes struggled just to get a good shot off.  After taking a 16-8 first- quarter lead, the Fighting Irish (27-5) went on an 8-0 run to begin the second quarter. It was also a quarter in which Manteca didn't score a field goal.  The Buffaloes went more than 13 minutes between field goals. Guzman scored on a short jumper with four seconds remaining in the first quarter, and Manteca's next field goal -- also by Guzman -- came with 2:50 to go in the third quarter.  Guzman, who scored 27 points in Manteca's 63-61 NorCal quarterfinal win over Novato Tuesday, was held to nine points. She never really got going.   Russell wouldn't allow Guzman to do anything. Russell was small enough and fast enough to squeeze past the double, triple and even quadruple screens the Buffaloes set.   Katie DeRoos, at 6 feet tall a force inside for Manteca, was similarly shut down despite her height advantage. The three-year starter was held to nine points.  Still, the Buffaloes were proud as they left Kezar Pavilion.  They had advanced to the NorCal semifinals, rarefied air almost never seen by public schools. And they set a school record for wins. Their final record was 29-5.  They packed Manteca's Dr. Robert C. Winter Gym for Tuesday's game and about 300 fans showed up Thursday. In ancient Kezar, the echoes made them sound like a thousand. 

Division IV Girls NorCal Regional Semifinals
(Played Thursday, March 9)

Sacred Heart 46, Usurline 36-- Defending state champion Sacred Heart Prep of Atherton will return to the NorCal title game following its 46-36 win over Ursuline of Santa Rosa. Ashley Hallsted led the host Gators (29-5) with 17 points and Haley Woods   added 10.  SHP's opponent at Stockton's Delta College will be St. Mary's of Stockton (32-3), which ended visiting Marin Catholic of Kentfield's season with a 59-55 win. Nickie Smith scored 23 points for the Wildcats (29-4). For a few precious moments, a berth in the CIF Northern California Girls Div. IV basketball final was in the grasp of the Ursuline Bears. The upset-minded Bears had momentum on their side and defending state champion Sacred Heart on the ropes. Unfortunately for Ursuline, it fell victim to an extended scoring drought, a suffocating defense by the Gators and a 22-point fourth-quarter blitz that resulted in a 46-36 loss on Thursday night and the end of their season. The Gators will go on to play in Saturday's NorCal championship game against St. Mary's (Stockton) at San Joaquin Delta College in Stockton. Ursuline finishes at 26-7. The Bears were undone by their season-long problem of poor free-throw shooting. Ursuline shot 8-of-17 from the line against the Gators.  On Thursday night, the Bears were up, 25-20, when Catherine Gravelle scored on a baseline jumper with 3 minutes, 22 seconds remaining in the third period and had chances to extend their lead. But the Gators clamped down defensively, holding the Bears without another basket until Melanie Durian (Ursuline's leading scorer with 10 points) scored with 2:59 remaining in the fourth quarter. The Gators, meanwhile, put together a 21-3 scoring run to take over the contest. The only points the Bears scored in that spurt were two free throws by Monica Mertle and one by Gravelle. Consecutive baskets by Sacred Heart's Melissa Bayol and Janessa Jurian, which gave the Gators a 36-28 lead, knocked the wind out of the Bears' sails. All the things that went right for the Bears in the first half went wrong in the second. Just about all of the close calls and loose balls went the way of the Gators. Also, the Bears didn't do themselves any favors by consistently turning the ball over in the second half. Both Ramsay and Fitzgerald attributed the second-half slide to weariness. And that fatigue also allowed Sacred Heart's Ashley Hallsted, headed to UC Davis on a scholarship, to attack the basket relentlessly and draw numerous fouls on the Bears. Hallsted led all scorers with 17 points. The Gators appeared ready to seize control of the game at the end of the first quarter and early in the second. Hallsted broke an 8-8 tie with a 3-pointer with 36 seconds remaining in the first quarter. Courtney Laird started the second with a basket to up Sacred Heart's lead to 13-8. The Bears at the time were struggling offensively, having not scored a basket since the 4-minute mark of the first quarter. And the Gators' interior defense cut off all avenues to the basket. Durian finally broke the Bears' basket drought by scoring to trim the Gators' lead to 13-10, but Haley Woods answered with a bucket to regain a five-point lead for Sacred Heart. After that, the Bears put together their best stretch of basketball of the half, scoring seven straight points for a 17-15 lead. During that stretch, Monica Mertle contributed a free throw, while Katie Noonan, Kelly Lazzini and Gravelle all scored baskets. A basket by Sacred Heart's Erin Wilson and Hallsted tied the game with 58.1 seconds remaining in the first half with a basket and free throw, respectively. But the Bears were able to take a 19-18 lead into the locker room at halftime when Kendall Dawson's shot from 8 feet bounced high off the rim and through the net.

St. Mary's 59, Marin Catholic 55--Thursday the Rams earned a second consecutive trip to the NorCal final by virtue of their 59-55 win over visiting Marin Catholic. For the second year in a row, second-seeded St. Mary's (32-3) will face Sacred Heart Prep of Atherton (29-5), the tournament's top seed, at 6 p.m. Saturday at Delta College.  To get an opportunity to play Sacred Heart Prep, St. Mary's had to battle harder than it had in more than two months.  The Rams, a group that won all 14 of their San Joaquin Athletic Association games by double digits, were in strange territory in the final moments Thursday when Marin Catholic's Nickie Warren made a steal and a layup and Sammi Osborne sank a 3-pointer just before the buzzer to account for the final margin.  Still, St. Mary's trailed for only the first two minutes, and managed a double-digit lead in every quarter but the first. Forward Michelle Cozad had 23 points for St. Mary's, center Andrea Nederostek had 12 points and 10 rebounds, and guard Dominique Banks added eight points and 13 rebounds.  Brooke Smith, a 6-foot-3 sophomore center, led the Wildcats (29-4) with 23 points and 14 rebounds.  For most of the night Marin Catholic tried to get the ball in the paint or along the baseline to Smith, who is adept at shooting in close with either hand, or fellow sophomore Nickie Warren, a 6-1 forward who had 17 points and 13 rebounds.  What the Wildcats didn't do well for one half was find an answer for Cozad. The 5-10 junior had two 3-pointers and 17 points in the first half, and was the key in a 15-4 Rams second-quarter run that gave them their biggest lead, 29-16, with 3:49 left in the half.  Banks was her usual quietly effective self for the Rams, slithering inside among the trees for offensive rebounds despite her 5-8 size. 

Division V Girls NorCal Regional Semifinals
(Played Thursday, March 9)

Pinewood 59, Ripon 34--Pinewood School shook off another lethargic first half to win in familiar fashion Thursday, beating Ripon Christian 59-34 in the Northern California Division V girls basketball playoffs at Palo Alto High. Pinewood has beaten 12 teams by 50 or more points this season, but for the second consecutive NorCal game, the top-seeded Panthers found themselves in a close game as they headed into halftime. Pinewood (28-1), the defending state champions, led 28-24 at halftime. But as it did Tuesday against St. Bernard, Pinewood pulled away from Ripon Christian in the second half. Pinewood was tied with St. Bernard at halftime before winning 66-40. Pinewood's defensive pressure turned the game around Thursday as the fifth-seeded Knights floundered against a half-court trapping defense. Ripon Christian (23-9) turned the ball over on seven of its first eight possessions in the third quarter, allowing Pinewood to go on a 12-2 run and take a 40-26 lead. For the game, Ripon Christian turned the ball over 21 times, compared to Pinewood's six-turnover effort. Sebnem Kimyacioglu led Pinewood with 16 points.  The Panthers keyed on Kimyacioglu and her teammates took up the scoring slack. Point guard Sarah Feely and forward Katy Digovich each contributed 12 points. Digovich added seven rebounds and Feely hit two big three-pointers.Ripon Christian was led by Sheila Kamps' 21 points.  Ripon Christian, pressured from the start by Pinewood, the top-ranked Division V team in the state, made a game of it for three quarters before Pinewood rolled to a 59-34 Northern California Tournament semifinal win on Thursday at Palo Alto.  Ripon Christian (23-9) stayed with Pinewood and trailed 42-32 after three quarters. But Pinewood outscored the Knights 17-2 in the final eight minutes.  Ripon Christian, the Sac-Joaquin Section champions were led by Sheila Kamps' 17 points.  Sebnem Kimyauoglu led Pinewood (28-1) with 16 and Sarah Feely and Katie Digovitch each scored 12.  Private Schools League rivals Pinewood School of Los Altos and Redwood Christian of San Lorenzo will meet in the championship game at Stockton. Defending state champ Pinewood beat Ripon Christian, 59-34; Redwood Christian eliminated Central Catholic of Modesto, 63-34.  Pinewood won the previous two meetings, including last weekend's CCS title game.An inspired first half by the Ripon Christian girls basketball gave way to fatigue in the second half on Thursday night.  The Knights managed to score just 10 points in the second half as their season ended with a 59-34 loss to Pinewood Christian in a Northern California Division V playoff semifinal.   Sheila Kamps scored a game-high 17 points for Ripon Christian, which finished the season with a 23-9 record.  Pinewood's Febnem Kimyacioglu scored 16 points, while Sarah Feely and Katy Diggovich added 12 points each.  Ripon Christian, buoyed by a strong defensive effort, trailed by just four points, 28-24, at halftime and entered the fourth quarter trailing only 42-32.  Pinewood, which employed constant defensive pressure that eventually wore out the Knights in the fourth quarter, put the game away by outscoring RC 17-2 in the final eight minutes. Pinewood (28-1) faces Redwood Christian of San Lorenzo, a 63-34 winner over Central Catholic, in Saturday's Division V championship game at Arco Arena.

Redwood 63, Central 34-- For one quarter on Thursday night, Central Catholic High's girls basketball team held its own against Redwood Christian.  Unfortunately for the Raiders, the same couldn't be said for the final three quarters.  Redwood Christian outscored Central 50-23 over the final 24 minutes to ease to a 63-34 win in a Northern California Division V semifinal.  Leah Thorton scored 20 points and Alli Greenaway 19 to lead Redwood Christian. Angela Thompson added 12 points.  Peggy Stewart scored 13 points to lead the Raiders.  Teresa Martini, Central's leading scorer this season, was held to eight points.  Central trailed 13-11 after one quarter, but Redwood Christian closed the first half with a 17-7 run to lead 30-18 at the half.  Redwood Christian ended the competitive phase of the game by outscoring Central Catholic 18-7 in the third quarter, increasing its lead to 48-25

©Copyright SoCalHoops 1999 All rights reserved
Questions? Comments? Need Information?
Contact: jegesq@SoCalHoops.com