DANVILLE, Calif. – It may have stopped raining outdoors in the East Bay, but inside the San Ramon Valley gym there were raining threes, slick passing lanes, and a constant drum of cheering in a lively, engaged setting in a matchup between two of the top teams in California. The host Wolves came away with a 76-69 win over Carondelet, in a game that was even closer than the final score indicated.
Jamie Kent of Carondelet and Sofia Bowes of San Ramon Valley had monster games for their respective teams. Kent tallied 25 points, 11 rebounds, five assists, three blocks, and two steals, while Bowes also tallied 25 points paired with seven boards. They were by no means the only fine performances, but each seemed unstoppable for all four quarters.
“Here’s our game plan for Jamie Kent: pray,” San Ramon Valley coach John Cristiano said with a laugh. “She’s a difference maker.”
The first three made shots in the game were three-pointers, setting a tone for the night as San Ramon Valley (16-3) had 11 three-pointers and Carondelet (17-4) had 10. The Cougars nailed six shots from beyond the arc in the first quarter alone, including one by Kent at the buzzer to put Carondelet ahead 23-21. The second saw two ties and three lead changes, with the Wolves finishing it in front, 37-34, with Sierra Chambers this time converting a shot at the period buzzer.
San Ramon Valley built as much as a nine-point lead in the third quarter, but Carondelet stormed back in the last 2:40, pulling to within two until Chambers’ floating layup made it 55-51 Wolves to start the fourth.
Carondelet’s Keshia Vitalicio had a steal and assisted Zoe Gregorios for a fast break layup to break a 59-59 tie with 4:35 to go. The teams were tied again at 66 with 3:12 left, then Kent hit a three-pointer 15 seconds later that would prove to be Carondelet’s last score. In ensuing plays, Chambers fed Avery Knapp for a layup in traffic and had two free throws, Kerner nailed one from beyond the arc sandwiched in between two missed three-point field goal attempts by Carondelet, and Bowes converted three of four free throws. In the last 30-plus seconds, Carondelet opted not to foul, before and after Allie Cummins knocked the ball out of bounds.
When asked about the keys to the game, Cristiano replied: “Three things: energy, connectivity, and passion. I told the girls, ‘If you can’t deliver on all three of those, you have no chance of beating this team, they’re too good and too well-coached.’”
“It was a great high school game between two teams that know each other well,” Carondelet coach Kelly Sopak replied via email. “Down the stretch their kids were able to step up and knock down some huge shots and unfortunately we are not able to answer.”
Besides Bowes, Chambers had a night to remember. The Wolves’ junior point guard netted 15 points and had seven assists, four rebounds and three steals. Kerner ended up with four threes and 16 points on her birthday.
Vitalicio ended with 15 points (nine on treys), five boards, and four assists for Carondelet. Cummins also came up big, contributing 17 points and three assists.
“It all came down to our team energy, playing together as a team, and keeping our composure as a team,” Bowes said. “We all feel comfortable in our shot and it’s games like these when the practice and the self-steps we developed really come in.”
San Ramon Valley also had the upper hand in a matchup with Carondelet on this floor about a year ago, which resulted in a 64-60 Wolves win, though the Cougars responded by defeating them in the contest on their own floor and again in the NCS Open Division playoffs.
For Cristiano, he’s eager to praise his team for elements beyond a specific win.
“The group of the kids we have on the court pales in comparison to the group of girls we have off the court,” Cristiano said. “They are amazing people. Their hard work and energy and things they pursue in their life, they bring that into basketball. We have a theme here, don’t ever settle. I wanted to coach because I wanted to teach kids not to settle. They’ve been on board since the day I showed up. The honor is truly all mine.”
“Chambers and Bowes really stepped up when it mattered for them and we had no way of stopping them either shooting or driving,” Sopak added. “They showed they were the better team and earned a nice win.”
