BERKELEY, Calif. – In the first quarter of the NCS Division IV semifinal between Lick-Wilmerding and St. Mary’s, all things were clicking for the visiting No. 4 Tigers. They raced out to a 17-2 advantage and were out-hustling, out-rebounding, and definitely out-shooting the No. 1 Panthers. That dreamlike beginning wouldn’t last, however, and ultimately St. Mary’s prevailed, 72-60, earning a berth in Saturday’s final versus division foe St. Patrick/St. Vincent.
St. Mary’s (22-7) trailed almost the entire game. But after ending the first behind 23-9, the Panthers roared to life, ratcheting up the defensive intensity, crashing the glass, and employing the fast break. A 19-8 run to close the first half brought them into within two. By the start of the fourth, they were down by three.
“We were a little too antsy, but they just came out like they always do and we couldn’t stop it. But once the bench came in and settled us down a little bit, then we came back,” St. Mary’s coach Chris Toler said.
With 5:30 remaining in the contest, the Panthers seized a 53-51 advantage. A couple of minutes later, sophomore Anela Thomas recovered a loose ball in a scramble and fired ahead to Jazmine Barnes for a layup, giving the Panthers a 59-56 lead. Thomas then had a bank shot to expand it to five, and Jasmine Farmer dropped in a rainbow from deep within two-point territory to make it 65-58. The Panthers hit enough free throws the rest of the way to ensure victory before an enthusiastic crowd on both sides.
Unfortunately for Lick-Wilmerding (28-2), standout guard Annabel Schneiberg left the game late in the first after turning her ankle. She didn’t return to the court, and the Tigers felt her absence. Ava Grey hit four three-pointers and scored a team-high 15 points, but Schneiberg netted eight points in the limited time she had on the court.
Both Toler and Lick-Wilmerding coach Daniel Tesfai admitted the game could have gone very differently if not for the injury, but noted the other factors that ultimately deciding the outcome.
“We started out pretty strong and confident, but it’s a game of runs,” Tesfai said. “We tried to sustain it for as much as we could. Regardless if we lost Annabel or not, we’re capable of picking up anybody who drops off our team.
Toler called it the “turning point” but added that characteristics of his team which have been present all season were huge.
“Arguably our best two players didn’t have their best games tonight,” Toler stated. “You saw those two cheering for their other teammates. You don’t find too many teams where your star players are not clicking, but they’re cheering. That characteristic, that trait that we have has got us to this point.”
Farmer paced St. Mary’s with 17 points, nine rebounds, and two assists and two steals. Barnes added 14 points, three assists, and two thefts, Thomas had 13 – including nine in the second half – and Kayla Rosemon, a four-year varsity starter, chipped in 12 points and brought down eight rebounds.
St. Mary’s, which also defeated Tennyson and St. Bernard’s on the championship path, now gets set to meet St. Patrick-St. Vincent on Saturday at Pinole Valley High School at 1 p.m. The Panthers defeated the Bruins 59-51 at home on January 10th, and 60-52 on the road on January 28th.
“The whole season we pride ourselves on our defense,” Toler remarked. “This group of girls, they believe in each other, they love each other, they care about each other. That belief in knowing and hoping the next person will step up has helped their growth exponentially.”