ETHAN KASSEL
Prep2Prep Senior Editor

February 21, 2022

SAN FRANCISCO — An already undersized Lick-Wilmerding team was faced with a massive challenge, both figuratively and literally, when Terra Linda came to Kezar Pavilion for Saturday’s NCS Division 4 quarterfinal, led by 6-foot-3 forward Angela Murray.

Despite being outrebounded 48-32, the Tigers still enjoyed a double-digit lead for the bulk of their 73-54 victory, securing a third consecutive CIF State Tournament berth in the process.

“We’re a gritty team,” UC Santa Barbara commit Annabel Schneiberg said. “I’ve been saying it for four years, and I’m gonna continue saying it. We’ve seen that kind of toughness and adversity, and we’re ready for it.”

Despite standing at just 5-foot-7, Schneiberg collected a game-high 14 rebounds to go along with her 21 points and seven assists. Lick-Wilmerding’s trio of Schneiberg, Dominique Cabading and sophomore Emmie Hou combined to outscore the Trojans all by themselves.

“Their guard play is amazing,” Terra Linda head coach Ron Reher said. “I’ve watched film of them, and it doesn’t do it justice. They were just so quick. Every time we turned around, they were burying a 3.”

With starters Marcella Bustamante and Paris Hing out injured, Hou’s role has been magnified. She scored 13 in Saturday’s win, burying a pair of 3-pointers.

“She has a good sense for the game,” Lick-Wilmerding head coach Daniel Tesfai said. “She plays smart, spaces out the floor for us and does the intangibles, pestering the guards, helping on defense.”

Murray scored 12 of her 16 points in the third quarter to keep sixth-seeded Terra Linda (15-15) afloat, but after she scored on an inbound play to cut the lead to 42-30, the Tigers rattled off an 8-0 run as Cabading hit a 3-pointer and scored off a steal before Schneiberg fed Hou for a three.

“We’re a small team,” Tesfai said. “We graduated a 6-foot-2 kid, a 5-11 kid that’s playing Division I tennis and a 5-8 kid that’s playing Division III basketball. It’s about being great at your role, not filling the other person’s shoes. That comes with defensive effort, energy and quality possessions.”

Cabading, a four-year starter like Schneiberg, scored 21 and issued five assists, the last of which came on a Hou 3-pointer to put Lick-Wilmerding (21-5) up 65-43 early in the fourth. Her back-to-back threes in the first quarter give the Tigers a 19-5 lead in a game where they never trailed.

“We’re gonna give up a little bit (on the glass), but if we can limit them to one or two shots on their end, we can get back down on offense and take advantage of our possessions,” Tesfai explained of his team’s approach.

Ryleen Edwards rounded out the third-seeded Tigers’ attack with nine points, five rebounds and four assists.

Murray grabbed nine rebounds in a game that Reher, who has plans to retire following the season, called one of the junior’s best.

“She was dominant today,” said Reher, who plans to hand over the head coaching role to assistant Mary Dong.

Terra Linda also got 10 points from Naomi Kayser and a well-rounded game from Bridget Boyle, who finished with seven points, seven rebounds and five assists. Yasmine Puac had seven of her team-high 12 rebounds in the fourth quarter.