ORINDA, CA – On their home floor, the Miramonte Matadors gave their fans a delight to savor into the New Year, eclipsing Prairie 60-38 in the West Coast Jamboree Diamond Division Championship game. Clair Steele led the way with 15 points, with 12 of them coming in the second half, and Jordyn Bryant and Elle Louie added 13 and 10, respectively.
The Mats trailed after a tepid first quarter, 14-11. But in the second, the defense sprang to life, holding the Falcons to just five points while cashing in on 22 on the offensive end. Louie was a critical part of a 14-0 to start the quarter, with four points, three steals, and an assist in the first couple of minutes alone. Freshman Erin Tarasow sank a trio of shots in the quarter, and another freshman, Rebecca Walsh, added four points.
Steele and Bryant were an unstoppable combo in the second half, combining for 13 of the team’s 14 third quarter points and 10 of the 13 fourth quarter total. Steele, a junior point guard, tallied six rebounds, six assists, and four steals on the night.
“We tried to manufacture some energy,” Miramonte coach Kelly Sopak said. “Playing this many games in this many days, fatigue sets in. When we struggle, we’re looking for number 20 (Sabrina Ionescu ‘16) to score. We don’t have a number 20 anymore so we have to re-establish our identity. We’ve got some nice young players that are filling in for us.”
For Prairie, who traveled all the way from Washington to come to the Jamboree, was led by Brooke Walling and her 10 points and 10 rebounds.
Bryant picked up the Scoop Jackson Most Valuable Player Award, while Steele took home the Jim Capoot Memorial Award. Tarasow and Walsh, along with Prairie’s Walling, Cassidy Gardner, and Jozie Tangeman, were named to the All-Tournament team.
“It means a lot as a captain,” said Steele about receiving the Jim Capoot award. “I need to be able to lead and inspire the younger players and set an example and what it really means to play high school basketball.” She credited her teammates for a great defensive second quarter. “They were flying everywhere, getting a bunch of loose steals with their defensive intensity and effort.
Elk Grove captures third place
Ikeysha Smith netted five three-pointers and scored a game-high 19 points as Elk Grove routed St. Francis-Sacramento 56-36 in the Diamond Division third place game. Thundering Herd standout Mira Shulman had a fine all-around game, but didn’t need to do as much heavy-lifting as normal to get the job done. She finished with eight points and four assists, with an additional three players tallying seven points.
The game was close at the half, with Elk Grove clinging to a 27-25 advantage. But in the third, Smith attained eight of her total points while the defense limited the Troubadours to just a pair of field goals and a free throw.
Pilots steer home Consolation
St. Joseph Notre Dame defeated Arcata in the Diamond Division Consolation Championship game, 41-35. Malia Mastora scored 15, Maila Lepolo added 10, and Kayla Nunn hauled 11 rebounds for the Pilots, who doubled up the Tigers in the first quarter, 14-7, and again in the third, 12-6. Ashley Quigley paced Arcata with 14 points, though all but four came in the fourth quarter, and Kaylie McCracken tallied 14 boards to pair with six points. In the final minute, a couple of turnovers by Arcata (including a steal by Nunn) put the game away.
St. Ignatius tops Sheldon for Amber Championship
St. Ignatius came up with clutch plays down the stretch to preserve a 46-41 win versus Sheldon (Ore.) in the Amber Division Championship game. Ayzhiana Basallo, Alyssa Downs, and Maggie Burke combined for 33 of the Wildcats’ points in a battle that was close the whole way. Kami Walk led Sheldon with 14 points.
With 32 seconds remaining, Aly Mirabile converted a lay-up for Sheldon to draw the Irish to within three. Basallo hit both ends of a one-and-one free throw attempt, and with 18 seconds left, Sheldon made two free throws of its own. Forced to foul, the Irish sent the Wildcats to the charity stripe. Madelene Ennis gathered an offensive rebound and got it to Burke, who sank a pair of free throws to ice it.
“Last year we didn’t do as well as expected (in the Jamboree),” said Burke. “It was a really big thing for us to do well. A good challenging game is what we needed.”
Burke, a 5’11” senior forward, walked away with the MVP, while Basallo, Ennis, and Rachel Harvey were named to the All-Tournament team. Burke also collected a game-high nine rebounds.
