Coming off a tough loss to WCAL powerhouse Bellarmine in the CCS Division I Championship, seventh-seeded Piedmont Hills (27-3) looks to recover in the first round of the CIF NorCal playoffs when it hosts No. 10 Freedom (21-7) Wednesday night (7 pm).
Last weekend, in their championship bout against Bellarmine, the Pirates simply could not get things rolling in their favor. The Pirates were 0-for-9 on three pointers, one of their main keys all season long, and were at a height disadvantage against the Bells. Also, they could not stop turning the ball over off of bad passes, travels, and had trouble rebounding the ball.
In order for the Pirates to push past Freedom and recuperate from their hard loss in the championship, they have to get their rhythm going, the one that has been winning them games. Piedmont has to play a “Piedmont type” game. The Pirates’ main strengths are their abilities to move the ball well, find openings with their quickness, and drain perimeter shots.
The two teams actually met in the preseason, with Piedmont Hills coming away with a 62-61 win. However, Piedmont must repeat this same intense win tomorrow in order to move on in the NorCal playoffs. Freedom, also coming off a devastating championship loss against Deer Valley (27-8), the sixth seed in NorCal, looks to avenge its preseason loss against the Pirates.
“For Freedom, we’re coming back focused and working even harder,” said Piedmont Hills senior guard Alex Aguilar. “We’re shaking off this championship game by getting ready for our first state game ever. Our whole team has never played in one before so we’re excited. For Freedom, we’re going to just be us on defense and defend them very physically with a lot of help side.”
