As usual, the North Coast Section girls basketball season will likely belong to a handful of private schools. They are not as prolific as they are in the CCS, but rule the roost in the East Bay and figure to again in 2017-18. Bishop O’Dowd, Carondelet, and Salesian are all locked and loaded.
Cardinal Newman has to re-tool to make after the graduation of a terrific post pair, but should still be a considerable threat, and don’t sleep on the dynamic inside-outside presence of St. Joseph Notre Dame. St. Mary’s-Berkeley is still clawing its way back into the elite after a flush of talent left several years ago.
It will be interesting to see which public schools will provide a formidable challenge. Miramonte is a sure winner again, and Diablo Athletic League cousin Campolindo is prepared to defend its NorCal title. Heritage is likely to build upon a successful run in 2017-18, and California is on the radar as well.
Of course any number of factors can accelerate or derail a team’s season, which is what in part makes sports at all levels so exciting. While most of the teams on this list are predictably strong year in and year out, there are any number of schools which can play above expectations.
Meanwhile, standout players can come from anywhere – from the shores of Alameda to the redwoods of the North Bay, from Brentwood to Fremont, and everything in between. Which players will grab hold of a new opportunity, and which ones will grow by leaps and bounds before our very eyes?
Here’s a look at the field.
10 TEAMS TO WATCH (in alphabetical order):
Bishop O’Dowd
The Dragons lost only one key player over the summer. Myah Pace took her talents – which showed in her per game averages of 15 points and 12 rebounds – to the University of San Diego. She was the NCS Female Basketball Player of the Year, and became just the second in the school’s history to amass 1,000 points and 1,000 rebounds.
She won’t be easy to replace, but this sophomore-heavy team still has plenty of ability to go around. Look for senior Zakiya Mahoney, who plays bigger than her 5’9” frame, to make up some of that loss, and junior point guard Jada Holland to amp up her leadership. Second-year player Daylee Dunn figures in the mix as well, while 5’11” freshman Kennedy Johnson is the tallest Dragon on the hardwood.
O’Dowd breezed through the WACC last year and each of their five losses came to superb teams – Mitty and Salesian twice apiece (including falling short of the Pride in the Division III Championship game) and once to Pinewood. Expect more of the same this season, with many candidates having an opportunity to make a splash.
California
Gabby Edmond has averaged 13 points per game over her career thus far, and she’ll once again lead a Grizzlies team that finished with 22 wins and finished in the top-100 in the state in 2017. Mikaela Bismillah and Audrey Moulton are amongst the other returnees who could make an impact. Even with Keilani Yuto transferring to Castro Valley, the Grizzlies should still make things interesting despite an undemanding schedule.
Campolindo
A Cougar squad that captured the NorCal Championship in 2017 returns their two most potent scorers but will be challenged to make up for the departure of a couple of role players. Haley Van Dyke was everywhere last year, bringing home 23.5 points, 15.4 rebounds, 4.9 steals, 3.8 assists, and 3.5 blocks per game. The super senior is joined by coach Art Thoms’ daughter Ashley Thoms, who poses a long-range threat and netted 15 points per contest.
Van Dyke and Thoms have played together along with Grace McGuire since their freshman seasons, but there are a couple holes which need to be filled.
Cardinal Newman
Few teams come into a season with as memorable as a storyline as the Cardinals. The Santa Rosa private school was partially gutted by the Tubbs fire in October. Photos in the Press Democrat showed smoldering remains of the main office, and it reminded everyone that as invested as we become in high school sports, the faces behind them extend far beyond the playing field.
Coach Monica Mertle will get back to business, however, minus two important roster spots. Hailey Vice-Neat, the backbone of the offense, and Lauren Walker, a stalwart in the middle, both graduated. That leaves a trio of guards – point Maiya Flores, workhorse Tal Webb, and the exciting Avery Cargill – to drive the Cardinals to victory. Sophomore Anya Choice, arguably their best bench player, likely moves up the ladder, and beyond that we’ll see who can stand out.
The school’s football team recently advanced to the NCS title game, and like those on the gridiron, some of the basketball players’ homes were affected. And just as sports often serves as a place for overcoming adversity to shine, the fire will be on the minds and in the hearts of the Cardinals, and each victory may just be a little bit sweeter.
Carondelet
Maaeva Dwiggins, Ali Bamberger, and point guard Leah Walton will form the heartbeat of the Cougars, who must sustain the loss of the feisty Bri Simonich. Count on the 6’3” Bamberger to pick up most of that slack, with Alex Brown also playing a primary role in the paint and Dwiggins expanding her role, though she has missed time early in the year.
“We’ll be a different Carondelet team than we’ve had the last few years,” coach Elgin Leslie reports “We’re going to look to pound it inside and take advantage of our size. A little bit slower, not as much pressing as we have in the past. On any given night, we probably have six players that can be our leading scorer.”
Last season, the Cougars cruised to victory over Heritage in the Division I NCS Championship game. They are a perennial lock to win the EBAL and have gone 77-16 under Leslie, who had the tall task of taking over for longtime coach Margaret Gartner. Carondelet will look for its third straight NCS title in 2018, but first there will be plenty of healthy competition to get them battle-tested.
Heritage
Last spring, the Patriots marched all the way to the NCS Division I title game. Though they fell handily to Carondelet, it was still a remarkable year for Rob Ocon’s squad. Though this year’s roster has not been posted on MaxPreps, it’s a safe assumption that Mikaila Wegenke and Jordan Sweeney are back. They form the backbone of the offense, along with now-experienced post Abigail Muse.
Heritage will have a formidable schedule before BVAL play begins. The Patriots face Mater Dei, participate in the West Coast Jamboree –Elite Division, encounter St. Mary’s-Stockton and Miramonte, and as of this writing, vanquished Eastside College Prep in the Cardinal Newman Classic.
Miramonte
The Matadors come into the season with a lot of youth and perhaps less depth than in recent years, but no matter how they look, watching Kelly Sopak and his assistants systematically deconstruct opponents with hustle defense and swift offense is like watching a master conductor at work.
The 2017-18 roster begins and ends with point guard Clair Steele, who nearly single-handedly tipped the scales against Vanden in the 2017 Division II NorCal final. She’ll almost assuredly be the team’s most consistent scorer and distributor.
Any number of players could be next in line, including sharp-shooting sophomore duo Erin Tarasow and Rebecca Welsh. Down low, junior Emily Huston and freshman Samantha Johnston will clean up the boards and Huston should take on a larger offensive load in this her third season.
Sopak might have an ace—actually two aces—up his sleeve. Miramonte will have a belated Christmas gift in the form of 6’1” Ayla Elam, a transfer from Head-Royce who averaged over 20 points, 17 rebounds, and 3.5 blocks per game for the Jayhawks last year. Meanwhile, Jordyn Bryant, an important part of the Mats’ run the last couple of seasons, moved but could return to the school and again wear the green and white.
“We’ll have a different team in January,” Sopak says.
Even in December, Miramonte should remain a force to be reckoned with, and lay a foundation for the next memorable starting five.
St. Joseph Notre Dame
The Pilots moved to the BCL-East last season and trounced the competition in league play, going undefeated with each victory coming by a margin of 29 or more. Coach Shawn Hipol makes up for that lack of quality league opponents by scheduling a healthy dose of non-league matchups; this year Mitty, Carondelet, Salesian, and St. Mary’s-Berkeley are among such teams.
SJND returns nearly all its players, including their top four scorers: center Kayla Nunn, point guard Zhane Duckett, and wings Malia Mastora and Sophie Nilsson.
The Division IV NCS and NorCal semi-finalists have a shot at walking away with a title on some level, particularly if Mastora and Nilsson, both sophomores, build upon last year’s success.
St. Mary’s-Berkeley
The Panthers will contend without Carolyn Gill, who took her talents to Cal State-Fullerton, but they have two exciting players in senior guard De’janae Evans and sophomore forward Kayla Rosemon. In recent years, St. Mary’s has slipped behind rival Salesian in the TCAL-Rock Division, but a team with this much pedigree must be always be considered. If Rosemon, in particular, takes a big leap forward St. Mary’s could make some noise. Maylana Deluca could step into a more prominent role as the Panthers also saw third-leading scorer Kennedi Villa depart.
Salesian
Salesian is loaded with seniors and juniors, and the Pride is likely to build on last year’s success, which included an upset of Bishop O’Dowd for the NCS Division III title, a league championship, and 24 overall victories (they were ousted by St. Mary’s-Stockton in NorCals).
Angel Jackson, who stands 6’5” and was highly touted from the start of her high school career, enters her junior season just as much a terror for opponents and has reportedly improved her offensive capabilities.
Coach Steve Pezzola has a deep cupboard of guards and wings to flesh out the rest. Taimane Lesa-Hardee, Taisia Fleming, Sydni Stewart, Anjel Galbraith, Makayla Edwards, and Nia Chinn all can provide needed spark on any given night.
Last season, Salesian looked for leadership following the graduation of Minyon Moore. The team is now Jackson’s for the taking, but she owes some of her success to the players around her, who make it impossible for teams to focus just on her.
10 PLAYERS TO WATCH (in alphabetical order):
Ali Bamberger, Carondelet
Bamberger was a reliable inside presence last season, but this campaign she will asked to take on a larger offensive role now that Bri Simonich is playing for St. Mary’s College. With Maaeva Dwiggins to deflect some of the attention of defenders and Leah Walton to feed her passes, Bamberger – and Carondelet – is poised for a memorable season.
After the team put a bow on an opening night win, Bamberger commented, “Because I’m tall and I’m taking over for some of our top leading scorers, I think my role will be to step up in scoring and step up in defense, too, get those blocked shots and rebound more than I used to.”
Maaeva Dwiggins, Carondelet
One of two senior Cougars, Dwiggins brings athleticism and energy to the wing. On another team, she could be a high scorer; on the deep Carondelet teams, she’s really just as important, even while scoring less. She can do something of everything, but is particularly effective in the mid-range game—thus complementing Bamberger and others in the paint, and Walton and Erica Miller on the outside.
Lesila Finau, Dublin
The girls’ team in Dublin may have had less attention than the boys in the last few years, but there’s one player everyone should stand up and notice. Finau exploded onto the scene in her sophomore campaign and replicated that performance last year, contributing 13.3 points, 4.5 rebounds, 3.9 assists, 4.4 steals, and 2.1 blocks per game. The Gaels’ do-everything point guard is primed for another strong season.
Maiya Flores, Cardinal Newman
Since her freshman year, Flores has had a couple of post players to dish to with regularity. Now in her senior year, those players are gone and the Cardinals transition to a smaller team. Running the point and sinking three-pointers is expected; the key this season will come in the form of leadership. Without Hailey “Chief” Vice-Neat, and, more importantly, in the wake of the devastating Tubbs Fire, Flores has every chance to be a lightning rod on the court and a symbol of resilience for the players and their fans, especially as one of the players who lost her home in the fires.
Angel Jackson, Salesian
Angel Jackson was impossible to ignore, even if she didn’t come into her high school career highly-touted. Jackson has lived up to the hype, swatting away shots with regularity and gobbling up rebounds on both ends of the court. Last season she notched 11.2 points, 10.2 rebounds, and 5.8 blocks per night. But it’s this year – her junior campaign – where she could really grow. Her offensive output to this point has been decent, but the buzz is she could improve markedly on that. If she does, she could help Salesian challenge the finest teams in NorCal.
Zakiya Mahoney, Bishop O’Dowd
Myah Pace leaves a huge void and Mahoney is one of a few players who can best fill it. Her motor and rebounding ability are both integral to the Dragons’ success, and as one of two seniors leadership will be as well. Look for Mahoney to be a prime candidate for a jump in scoring average.
Kayla Nunn, St. Joseph Notre Dame
Nunn takes on a bigger role this season as the only senior of note on the team. She paced the Pilots with 10.7 points, 8.6 boards, and 2.4 steals per game in a very successful season for the squad. She’s the tallest on the roster along with two other players – but will spend far more time near the hoop than the other two. Her relentless efforts should reward the Pilots in spades.
Kayla Rosemon, St. Mary’s-Berkeley
Rosemon tallied 8.6 points and 8.3 rebounds per game as a freshman, and could blossom further in her sophomore turn. The two graduating seniors of note from 2017 were Carolyn Gill and Kennedi Villa; neither was a post but Gill hauled 7.7 rebounds per game. It will fall on Rosemon to make up some of that difference, and a bigger appetite for points is realistic as well.
Clair Steele, Miramonte
Eyes are on this potent point guard to lead Miramonte to its usual signature wins. Steele, who was a sophomore the year Sabrina Ionescu was a senior, has gotten better every season and this one shouldn’t be different in that regard. She can drive through a forest of defenders, step back for a three, or execute a crisp pass to an open teammate all with equal efficiency.
“I have to step up a little more,” she acknowledged after the Mats’ season-opening win. “We have a lot of freshmen that are going to be taking on big roles. And also get on their butt a little bit and say you are going to be held accountable.”
Haley Van Dyke, Campolindo
Van Dyke has done nothing but impress since her freshman season. The 6’0” Washington-bound senior is the heart of the Cougar lineup and a five-position player. Since last season ended she has worked to improve her perimeter game, and is likely to put gaudy numbers similar to 2017-18 (see team highlight above). Already she could sink a three, so a more frequent and consistent outside shot combined with her ability around the hoop and her passing game will spell trouble for opponents.
