ORINDA, Calif. – Julia Miller gave a gutsy performance for Miramonte, and the Matadors needed all of it along with a few big plays to squeak past visiting Heritage in a premier non-league contest Saturday night.
In a game where the lead for either rarely exceeded five, the teams often traded basket for basket, trying to outduel each other from three-point territory and putting on a fine show for the dedicated parent fan base in the stands. On a final frantic play Amanda Muse’s flip shot fell short, the rebound was lost amongst a conglomerate of players, and a grateful Miramonte squad emerged with a 66-64 victory to stay undefeated.
“We treated this game as a playoff game,” Miramonte coach Vince Wirthman said. “We were fired up and ready to go. We played six players, it was was an unbelievable effort.”
Miller, a senior 5-6 point guard who has stepped up big this season after limited playing time in the previous two seasons, had a game-high 23 points along with seven rebounds, three assists, three steals, and a block for Miramonte (6-0). Jordan Allred had a relatively-off night from the field, but still finished with 13 points and more importantly added seven rebounds, five assists, and three steals. Daniella Resch also had a fine game, hitting three 3s to bolster a 11-point, five-rebound, three-assist performance.
Heritage trailed 10-6 early, then closed the first quarter on a 9-0 run. The Patriots (4-1) opened the second with a three, but later in the period the Matadors made a run of their own, tying it at 22 with just under three minutes remaining. Seniors Ella Roberts hit a three-pointer off a Milan Tuttle assist to close the half, giving the Patriots a 32-28 advantage, and the duo made the some connection to open the third to jumpstart a 9-2 run to open the second half. But Miramonte rallied once again, tying it at 44 with a couple of minutes to play, and was just a single point short as the fourth quarter began.
A bucket by Allred gave the Matadors a five-point lead with 2:10 to go in the game, but that was answered by a long-distance gem by Julie Ramirez. Allred made a beautiful dish to freshman Karena Eberts that made it 65-61, and two possessions later Ramirez hit from downtown again. A steal by Heritage led to a missed layup on the other end, and after gaining possession on a jump ball, a three-point try was off the mark. Miller made one of two free throws, setting up the final play.
Heritage received double-figure scoring from five players. Ramirez led the pack with 14 points – 12 from beyond the arc – followed by Tuttle (13 points, seven assists), Muse (12 points, 13 rebounds), Roberts (12 points, five boards), and Zeni Purge (10 points). The same players littered the box score with additional rebounds, assists, steals, and blocks.
Going in, both teams expected to rely on the three-pointer, and the guard-heavy lineups did just that, with Miramonte sinking 11 and Heritage 10. The Matadors gained a significant advantage from the charity stripe, sinking 9-of-11 attempts while their opponents converted just 4-of-12.
Heritage resumes league play on Tuesday at Pittsburg; the team faces Salesian on May 26. Miramonte has another key non-league contest at home on Monday, when it welcomes back former coach Kelly Sopak and his new team, Carondelet.
Wirthman, who served as the JV coach the previous three years, began 2021 stepping in some very large shoes. In 2020, Sopak finished a 12-season run with the Mats. Combined with his stint at Northgate, he closed the year just shy of 400 career wins, with multiple titles and awards, and having been the coach of last year’s WNBA #1 draft pick, Sabrina Ionescu.
“Following Kelly - the guy’s a legend - it’s kind of a no-win situation but thankfully he left me some good players this year,” Wirthman commented.
Miller gave credit to the coaching staff for the defensive preparation and reflected on the transitions (new coach, bigger role, COVID) over the last year.
“We always had it in us. Kelly trained me and PK and Jordan and we still do a lot of what he taught us but we still play for each other," he said. "It doesn’t matter who our coach is. We’re very grateful to have a shot.”
