LAFAYETTE, CA – Led by Haley Van Dyke, Campolindo surged ahead of Acalanes after three close quarters for a 78-62 victory on Tuesday night.
Van Dyke finished with 31 points, 19 rebounds, seven steals, and five assists; in the fourth quarter she went 4-for-4 from the field and 6-for-7 from the line. Ashley Thoms added 17 points and Grace McGuire chipped in 12 on four three-pointers and three steals.
“At halftime I challenged the girls to just be a lot tougher, and they responded very well,” Campolindo coach Art Thoms said.
Despite a 9-0 run and three successive put-backs by the Dons in the second quarter, the Cougars managed to stay close and trailed 36-33 at the half. Van Dyke ended the third with a three-point play to put Campo up 50-48, and it turned out to be the start of an 8-0 run. Acalanes would pull to within four at 57-53 after a couple of minutes, but a relentless attack from all parts of the court allowed Campolindo to pull firmly away for the win.
Brooke Panfili led Acalanes with 22 points, while Roni Marrone added 13 points, nine rebounds, and four assists. But Emma Godfrey and Sabina Patel—their two tallest players and thus prime defenders against Van Dyke—were limited in the second half due to foul trouble and both eventually fouled out.
“They were able to get us into foul trouble, which in a close game cost us at the end,” Acalanes coach Ashley Valenzuela commented.
“We wanted to continue to apply pressure,” Thoms stated. “Once some of the girls started fouling out, especially Godfrey, it opened up the middle for us a lot more.”
Van Dyke started slow, converting one of her first six field goal attempts. But she ended up surpassing her season numbers in every category except for blocks.
“Whenever I miss the shot, I don’t get as confident as I normally am, but then at halftime my coach talked me out of it,” Van Dyke said. “This win was really good for us. After the Miramonte game we kind of felt bad…And we really needed this win to motivate us, so we’re on the right track.”
“I knew she had instincts that really couldn’t be taught,” Thoms recalled about Van Dyke as a freshman. “There are a lot of things she’s improved on, but her anticipation can’t be taught, and that helps her in getting steals and rebounding and even playing defense.”
Valenzuela had glowing comments for her players as well.
“Brooke is our floor leader and brings a type of attitude to the game that not every high school girl basketball player has,” she said. “Her passion is undeniable. Roni is super solid. She does all the little things. Ninety percent of the time that she gets in the paint and goes up, I’d put money on it going in. She puts her head down and gets the work done.”
For Acalanes, it was a similar result to last year’s meeting between the two clubs on this floor. The Cougars won that battle 78-65 and the rematch in Moraga, 58-55. The squads will convene again February 10th at Campolindo.
