SANTA ROSA, CA – Aquira DeCosta and the St. Mary’s-Stockton Rams gave Cardinal Newman all it could handle in the Cardinal Newman Classic finale, 74-55. DeCosta scored 22 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, and powered a second half charge to overcome the Cardinals. She was backed by fellow juniors Ariel Johnson and Neenah Young, who contributed 17 and 15 points, respectively.
Cardinal Newman kept pace in the first half, in large part due to Maiya Flores’s five bombs from downtown, but a defensive change by the Rams and cold shooting by the Cardinals spelled their demise. Meanwhile, St. Mary’s-Stockton finished the third quarter strong and controlled the fourth to pull away. DeCosta, a 6’2” post who has garnered national attention, had 14 of her total in the second half, including six free throws.
“We did a better job in the second half stopping the three-point shooting,” St. Mary’s coach Tom Gonsalves said. “They wore down a little bit.”
Flores had all of her team-high 15 points in the first half, which ended with the Rams up 36-33. Avery Cargill and Hailey Vice-Neat also hit double digits, with 12 and 11 respectively.
“In the second half we didn’t score with the basketball,” Cardinal Newman coach Monica Mertle said. “They spread out defensively and we needed to attack the lanes more.”
It was no surprise DeCosta went home with the tournament MVP trophy. She had 20 points, 20 rebounds, and five steals in Thursday’s 69-53 victory over Menlo-Atherton, and 15 points and 10 boards against Pleasant Valley on Friday in a 78-60 win. Young dropped in 30 points, with six netted from beyond the arc, in the semifinal, while Johnson had 14 points, seven rebounds, six assists, and four steals in the opener.
“DeCosta is special because she’s all about the team,” Gonsalves noted. “She’s the epitome of the team player. She pushes herself.”
Cardinal Newman had defeated Campolindo on Friday after blasting Oakland on Thursday. Flores, Cargill, and Vice-Neat, along with Young and Johnson, made the all-tournament team.
CAMPOLINDO 62, PLEASANT VALLEY 56
Haley Van Dyke terrorized the Vikings with 28 points and 10 rebounds, and Ashley Thoms chipped in 10, as Campolindo outlasted Pleasant Valley 62-56 in the third place game of the Cardinal Newman Classic.
“She has great athleticism and feel for the game,” Campolindo coach Art Thoms said. “She plays anywhere from point guard to center. She has tools that translate to both positions.”
In the second quarter, Van Dyke scored 12 of her total on six baskets, and the Vikings did not make a field goal until 3:14 remaining. But in the third quarter, Pleasant Valley’s Sirena Tuitele went to work in the post, scoring 11 of her team-high 19. A competitive fourth quarter saw each team get to the line multiple times, a couple late three’s by Pleasant Valley, and a defensive stop by Jessi O’Reilly to seal the victory.
“It was a great matchup going in,” Thoms said. “Our starting five I’d take to battle with anybody.”
Earlier in the tournament, Campolindo bested St. Mary’s-Berkeley 76-65 but fell to Cardinal Newman, while Pleasant Valley capped Sacramento 67-54 before losing to St. Mary’s-Stockton 78-60.
