DANVILLE, CA – As the buzzer sounded at San Ramon Valley in Tuesday night’s CIF NCS Division I semifinal, the host Wolves could breathe a sigh of relief and celebrate. Soaking in a 71-67 victory over Carondelet, this tight-knit group which includes three seniors with over 1,000 career points each is now on the brink of a NCS championship, clinching a CIF NorCal berth in the process.
Audrey Bayston wrecked havoc in the post, scoring 27 points along with eight rebounds; elven of her total points came in the first quarter. Anne Marie Santich added 17, with all but two coming in the second half, and Paige Gerhart chipped in 14 for No. 2 San Ramon Valley (25-4). The three seniors also received some help from sophomore Natalie Pasco, who is already well on her way to the 1,000 career plateau herself. She struggled from the field but converted seven free throws and hauled down nine boards.
“When they started taking our shooters, we just started going to the basket,” San Ramon Valley coach John Cristiano said. “We got mismatches inside. Our game plan was to give them the threes…clog the middle up, keep the fouls down, and it worked for us.”
The Wolves trailed early and never had an easy time. They survived an epic performance by Cougars’ senior guard Annie Bonderer, who nailed eight three-pointers and finished with 28 points. Jayme Blackard again proved her worth, having 17 points and six rebounds.
“The overall effort was there,” Carondelet coach Mike Morris said. “The problem is we couldn’t stop the post entry because there was no ball pressure…their coach did a good job of having an answer.”
No. 6 Carondelet (16-12) enjoyed as much as an eight-point lead in the first before San Ramon Valley scored the last five of the quarter. The second remained close the entire way but in the third the Wolves gained momentum. A Santich three with 2:31 left in the period necessitated a time out and brought the fans to their feet. Still, a seven-point advantage against a team like Carondelet is all too shaky and the Cougars indeed climbed right back in it.
Santich’s layup gave San Ramon Valley a seven-point cushion again with 3:17 to go in the game, but a couple of Cougar three’s and a minute-and-a-half later, it was tied at 67. Pascoe netted a pair of foul shots with 1:15 remaining, and in the last minute Carondelet misfired on three attempts from downtown and committed a costly turnover. Santich cinched it with seven ticks left, and the celebration began.
“As much as I enjoy coaching (Gerhart, Santich, and Bayston) on the court, they’re even better kids off the court, and that’s why I’m so proud of them,” Cristiano stated. “They’ve worked so hard for this and to have this opportunity to make it to the championship game, I get so emotional. We have a bunch of above-average basketball players that overachieve.”
San Ramon Valley, which prior to Tuesday’s win had no trouble dispatching No. 15 James Logan and No. 7 Clayton Valley Charter, moves on to the championship game against No. 5 San Leandro, which upset No. 1 American 70-62. Carondelet had knocked off No. 11 Freedom and then skimmed past No. 3 California, a team with a memorable recent history versus the Wolves. But San Ramon Valley had its own interesting past with Carondelet in the past few seasons.
Earlier this month, San Ramon Valley topped Carondelet on the road, 54-48. When the senior trio of Gerhart, Bayston, and Santich were freshmen, Cristiano was in his first year, assuming the reins for a team which had finished 6-20 the year before. The Cougars, meanwhile, were the undisputed queen of the EBAL. Carondelet has since modified it’s schedule to where it doesn’t play as many league games, and has been in a transition year following the graduation of a tall, star-driven front line.
“From day one they bought in, and they never made excuses,” Morris remarked. “They worked hard every single day. We left it all out on the court.”
