DANVILLE, CA – The California Grizzlies must have tired of hearing their opponent’s three-point attempts sail through the net all night long. San Ramon Valley hit 11 shots from distance and won the first of two meetings between the teams, 75-59, Tuesday night.
Paige Gerhart had a game-high 21 points along with 11 rebounds and five assists, and four other Wolves scored in double figures, to lead Prep2Prep NCS No. 8 San Ramon Valley (14-3, 3-0 EBAL). Audrey Moulton paced No. 9 California (8-7, 1-1 EBAL) with 20 points and eight rebounds. Though the two point guards predictably led the pack, a little more depth on the host team made a difference.
Four other Wolves scored in double digits. Audrey Bayston and Anne Marie Santich scored 13 apiece. Bayston – who has recently returned from an injury that had kept her out all season – also grabbed eight rebounds and was instrumental in a late first half run.
A pair of sophomores had key games as well. Sadie Carter had a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds, while Allison Stern tallied 10 points, six rebounds, and three assists.
“Anytime we can play a team with talent like (California), that’s a really, really good basketball team,” Sa Ramon Valley coach John Cristiano said. “You can’t stop (Moulton and Adams), you can only try to contain them.”
San Ramon Valley led for all but the opening couple of minutes, but the Wolves knew not to take for granted a team they have battled closely for the last two-and-a-half seasons. California made a small comeback twice in the first half, the latter whittling an 11-point lead down to one in the space of few minutes. The Wolves responded by drawing a lot of contact and heading to the free throw line – Bayston in particular – and raised the advantage back to 11 by the halftime buzzer.
In the third San Ramon Valley built up their lead and at one juncture in the fourth had a 69-49 advantage. California tried to chip away late but there was just too much ground to make up.
“Defensively we didn’t play our best, and rebounding we were not quite where we should have been,” California coach Jeff Rodriguez said. “Next time we play them we’ll try to defend the three better.”
Erica Adams registered 14 points and five rebounds for the Grizzlies. Mya Wells added 10 points, four rebounds, and three assists, and Kelly Tumlin also tacked on 10 points.
California finished the game with seven treys – not many less than the Wolves, but enough to account for most of the score differential. The Grizzlies were also hurt by their own turnovers in the first half.
Almost exactly a year before Tuesday’s game, the Grizzlies defeated the Wolves in a high-scoring overtime affair. The two teams meet again on January 31st at California. Both figure once again to be fighting for the league’s top spot.
Cristiano, Gerhart, and Bayston all remarked on the unique chemistry of a Wolves squad which features just three seniors and no juniors.
“We tell them all the time, every girl has a role to play,” Cristiano commented.
“Sometimes you have to be a scorer, sometimes…a defender, sometimes…a role player. They accept it, from one to twelve.”
“That’s a culture of a winning team,” Bayston remarked. “We’re all in here working so much, you want to have good relationships with them so they can teach the younger girls when they grow up, too.”
“We’re all a team and we’re one big family,” Gerhart said.
