BELMONT. CA – The bottom line in the title game of the Seventh Annual Steve Geramoni Invitational at Notre Dame High is Prep2Prep North Coast Section No. 5 ranked Miramonte put on a virtual clinic. The result was a resounding 75-44 victory over San-Joaquin Memorial-Fresno that gave the Mats fans an early Christmas present.
Three-point shooting, crisp passing, and vise-like defense were the theme for Miramonte (8-2), particularly beyond the arc where the young Mats made 15 three-pointers to one for the equally young but athletic girls from the Central Section.
Miramonte also had 15 assisted baskets to three for San-Joaquin Memorial and 12 steals to five for the Panthers. About the only place they lost the battle to the bigger and taller girls from Fresno was on the boards, but the 40-25 disadvantage was somewhat irrelevant at the end with the way the offense and defense was clicking.
“We set the tone offensively and we really haven’t done that this season. Our defense has been carrying us,” Mats Coach Kelly Sopak said. “The good thing about this game is we came out firing.”
Lehigh-bound guard Clair Steele, the only current senior starter, was named tournament MVP and led the way with 19 points (two 3-pointers) eight assists, five rebounds and two steals. Steele really didn’t try to score in the first half and fed her teammates, although she did have seven points, but five of her assists led to easy baskets that helped the Mats to take a commanding 41-19 lead at the half.
Sophomore wing Erin Tarasow was the recipient of several Steele passes and had 10 of her 18 points (four 3-pointers) in the first half.
A fresh new face that has emerged partly due to some Mats girls being banged up early on is Mia Mastrov. Prior to the Geramoni tournament the 5-11 left-handed freshman guard that can dribble with either hand on the fly or reversing direction to pull up for a jumper, was eighth on the depth chart but is now starting. She had 12 points (three 3-pointers), a team-high seven rebounds, two steals and an assist. Mastrov also had 14 points in a semifinal 51-40 victory over Valley Christian to earn an All-Tournament selection.
Sophomore Rebecca Welsh nailed three 3-pointers and finished with 11 points.
San-Joaquin Memorial (6-2) just could not get good shots and the ones they did get were not falling. Sophomore 6-0 post Sarah Garrett came off the bench to lead the way but only mustered eight points to go with four rebounds. Lucy Parks, a 5-10 junior forward, was named All Tournament. She had seven points and seven rebounds.
Both teams move on to the West Coast Jamboree beginning on Thursday.
San-Joaquin Memorial opens against P2P NCS No. 6 Campolindo in the Gold Division at Heritage while Miramonte is in the Diamond Division at College Park-Pleasant Hill.
While Sopak won’t have two big names in time for the Jamboree, the prospects come January certainly should improve the overall team and particularly the rebounding with the addition of Jordan Bryant and Ayla Elam.
Bryant, a 5-11 senior forward that was an All DFAL – National selection last season, just returned from London and Sopak feels she hasn’t had enough practices to take the court before the New Year.
Elam is a different story. The leading scorer and rebounder last year at Head-Royce (17.1 points, 14.5 rebounds per game) will bring her all-around game and 6-0 frame to the Mats attack when she becomes eligible in January.
Shorthanded Valley Christian takes third place
It would have been a better Christmas present for the Valley Christian faithful had they beaten Miramonte in the semifinals and had a chance at the tournament title, but a shorthanded Warriors Coach Chris McSwain got the most of the girls that played in a 65-40 victory in the third-place game over Soquel.
The 12 noon game was very similar to the 1:30 title game in that Valley Christian (6-6) shot the lights out and Soquel did not, but that was to be expected as a young Knights fall to 1-5 on the season. Valley Christian made nine three-pointers to one for Soquel.
Fallon Dexheimer, a tenacious sophomore guard and a pupil of shooting guru and Pinewood Coach Doc Scheppler, had a game-high 24 points with four three-pointers. She also had seven steals and five rebounds.
Senior guard Katie Mason, who was named All-Tournament, also had four three-pointers and finished with 14 points, and three assists. Fellow senior Trinity Stark had 10 points, six rebounds, six steals and two assists.
Soquel got team highs of 17 points and eight rebounds with three assists from junior forward McKenzie Duran. A player that showed some potential was flashy freshman guard Renee Parker. She needs work but although she only had four points Parker added six steals, three rebounds and two assists.
McSwain’s two best players have been out and it has obviously contributed to only a .500 non-league start. Junior 5-10 wing Nyah Willis has been out since straining her knee at the Clovis West tourney three weeks ago, and 6-3 senior power forward and Liberty University-bound Lizzie Moore also has been nursing a knee strain. According to McSwain both should be back by the start of WCAL action on Jan. 10 at home against St. Francis.
Reese back for Woodside Priory
After missing seven games and almost all of the Cardinal Newman game after going down against the Cardinals with what turned out to be a bone spur, Tatiana Reese, the lone senior and team leader for Woodside Priory, made her return in the fifth place game of the Geramoni Invitational with 11 points in a 57-47 win over host Notre Dame.
Ila Lane, a 6-4 junior post, had 14 points and 11 rebounds and sophomore guard Dominique Robson also had 14 points.
Woodside Priory had a rough stretch without Reese but improves to 4-6 this season
Notre Dame (4-3) got 12 points from freshman Alaiyah San Juan.
Mike Ciardella sighting
Sitting by the rolled back stands behind the scorer’s table at the Geramoni Invitational was a girls basketball legend on the Peninsula, none other than Mike Ciardella.
We won’t go into everything he’s done over the years but back when Ciardella was coaching teams could petition up to a higher division, and the Open Division was only a dream. In 1993 he took Sacred Heart Prep to the Division V state championship in the enrollment division they were in then and still are in.
In 1994 the Gators jumped in with the big fish in Division I and took down defending D1 state champion Lynwood, 59-53 in what is one of the all-time great D1 finals. They were D1 the next year and this time in another unbelievable state title game they won a 52-50 squeaker over Mater Dei-Santa Ana.
The next year, feeling he had nothing more to prove, and to the dismay of the naysayers, Ciardella dropped Sacred Heart Prep back down to Division V where they won the 1996 crown with a 64-52 victory over Mission Prep-San Luis Obispo.
Until Carl Buggs of Long Beach Poly won four straight state championships from 2006-2009 Ciardella held the honor himself.
Ciardella’s last stint was as the Athletic Director at Notre Dame before retiring a few years ago, and he’s recovering from a battle with cancer he’s been winning, but he just can’t stay away and he’s assisting at Sequoia.
