PIEDMONT, Calif. – Coming into the finale of the 12th annual Paris Twins Classic at Piedmont High School, the host team and Archbishop Mitty both had racked up two easy wins in the first two days, and both came into the game undefeated.
Even with Mitty star player Morgan Cheli on the bench, the nationally-ranked Monarchs were still favored to add another bit of hardware to their illustrious history. That didn’t happen. Instead, a fiery and sharp-shooting Highlanders squad sent the home crowd into a frenzy as Piedmont defeated Mitty 60-56.
Natalia Martinez had a game-high 20 points, including eight in a decisive second quarter, for Piedmont (6-0).
“Our girls worked hard,” Piedmont coach Bryan Gardere said. “We kinda wanted to see where we were, athletically, effort-wise, team-wise, where do we stack up?”
The Highlanders’ Eva Levingston was a handful for the Monarchs defense, registering eight points, nine rebounds, six assists, and four blocks. Madison Hill and Perseas Gioukaris chipped in 10 and nine points, respectively. Mitty clamped down on Trinity Zamora, often the focal point of the team’s offense, but she had six of her eight points in the fourth, and added nine rebounds and three blocks.
For Mitty (6-1), freshman McKenna Woliczko led the way with 15 points to go along with 11 rebounds and three blocks, Elle Hanson added 12 points, and Maya Hernandez tallied six points, nine boards, and four assists. Cheli was nursing a sore foot that’s not believed to be serious.
The Monarchs outscored their opponent by one in every quarter except the second, which the Highlanders won 20-13. Piedmont had as much as a nine-point lead in that quarter, at 40-31, but Mitty closed to within one before a mini-burst by the home squad made it 45-40 at the half.
As Piedmont continued to maintain a lead, the crowd’s energy built up more and more. At the half, it was a question of whether the Highlanders could continue shooting at the same pace while withstanding an inevitable push by Mitty.
“I’ve learned that if I show any love at halftime, the second half they come out look like we’re in Disneyland,” Gardere added. “I’ve been pretty good about showing some love after. I stayed on trying to help the post because they have good post players. We kept it basic.”
Zamora’s three-pointer with 1:25 remaining made it 59-52 Piedmont. Moments after a Woliczko put-back made it 59-56, Jordan Bowar came up with a steal but hit the floor in doing so. After an officials’ timeout as a result of the fall, Mitty missed, then missed again after Woliczko deflected an inbounds pass. The Monarchs had to shave precious time off the clock to get into the bonus and send Piedmont to the line.
With 9.7 seconds left, Zamora made the front end of a one-and-one. Mitty couldn’t get a decent shot off after crossing half-court, and the celebration for Piedmont and its fans officially began.
“We knew that they were going to press, so we had to be aggressive, but we had to stay composed and calm,” Martinez said, adding that Mitty’s height advantage didn’t change their approach and that they could use their speed as a counterpoint.
“I knew I was going to be pressured a lot,” Zamora acknowledged. “Being able to handle the ball, making the right pass, and getting rebounds was a huge thing for this game.”
“We came into this game with a lot of energy,” Levingston said. “We played together, that’s how we won.”
It was Piedmont’s second championship win in this tournament’s history. For the first time, the tournament could be seen online, via Spark My Sport.
Cardinal Newman 51, Vanden 49
In the third place game of the Paris Twins Classic, Cardinal Newman staved off Vanden in a 51-49 victory. Kate Schat scored a game-high 19 points, Abbie Mullins added 12, and Leah Martinez chipped in six points while hauling in 12 rebounds. Schat broke a 49-49 tie with a drive through the lane with 1:37 remaining, and that proved the difference as Vanden missed its last four field goal attempts, including a loft from behind the three-point line as time expired.
Kalyn Harris paced Vanden (3-3) with 16 points and six boards, while Alyssa Jackson added 15, Gabby Wright chipped in seven with 13 rebounds, and Calonni Holloway tallied 10 points.
Cardinal Newman (6-2), coming off a drubbing at the hands of Piedmont on Friday, went toe-to-toe with the Vikings from the outset.
In fact, the two teams each scored 13 in the second quarter and 12 in the fourth, while the point differential in the first and third quarters was one in each instance. Vanden’s last lead was 48-47. Janelle Pena, who had nine points and five rebounds, made a three-point play that made it 47-44 Cardinals. After that, the only field goal for either side belonged to Schat.
“Today was a really nice win because it wasn’t a pretty game, but we stayed the course and we were able to grind it out and still get the win and that’s really what I’m looking for from them, is resiliency,” Cardinal Newman coach Monica Mertle said. “Our captains were much more vocal today and I thought that was huge. They were really focusing on uplifting their teammates and being connected.”
Newman began this tournament with a win over St. Ignatius, while Vanden routed St. Mary’s-Berkeley before being routed themselves, by Mitty. The Cardinals finished second in last year’s Paris Twins Classic.
