BERKELEY – In a game that often reflected the blustery weather outside, the San Ramon Valley Wolves relied on their superb point guard Paige Gerhart and timely shooting from Anne Marie Santich to stamp out a 62-52 victory versus host St. Mary’s-Berkeley on Saturday night.
Gerhart, who in the Wolves’ season opener passed the 1,000 point mark for her career, scored 15 points to go along with 11 rebounds and six assists. Fellow senior Santich led all scorers with 20 points, netting four three-pointers, and grabbed five boards.
“I never go into a game trying to score as a point guard,” Gerhart said, referencing her milestone. “I just try to find the best looks for my team and get us to move offensively.” Gerhart also noted the honor of joining Audrey Bayston in the 1,000 point club.
San Ramon Valley (2-0), playing without key players Bayston and Natalie Pasco, lit up the scoreboard early, sinking three shots from beyond the arc en route to a 13-0 start. Freshmen Imani Johnson and Jada Johnson (no relation) helped jumpstart the offense for St. Mary’s (0-1), engineering a 10-2 run to close the quarter with a mix of inside drives, furious defense, and tenacious rebounding.
In the second quarter, the Panthers’ Kayla Rosemon – who in addition to averaging a double-double for her career had a monster game against these same Wolves a year prior – put up her first points of the game, scoring seven in the period as part of her team-high 19-point, 12-rebound performance. That included a layup to tie the game at 27 at the halftime buzzer.
San Ramon Valley broke free in the first part of the third quarter. Santich scored eight straight points all by herself, with two three’s off Gerhart assists. A ten-point lead seemed secure as the squads began the fourth, though once again the Wolves cooled while the Panthers got hot. St. Mary’s trailed 49-47 with three minutes to go, but consecutive driving layups by Gerhart and another Santich three off a Gerhart assist gave the Wolves all the cushion they needed to carry out the win.
“We played with some jitters early on,” St. Mary’s coach Chris Toler remarked. “We got the shots we wanted. We just couldn’t convert layups. Third quarter killed us. Again we have those slow starts.”
Rosemon was the only Panther in double figure scoring, though sophomore Anela Thomas impressed with a solid all-around effort. St. Mary’s struggled from distance throughout the whole game, netting only one three-pointer in the contest, with under a minute to go. San Ramon Valley, which relies on the trey, converted seven on an inconsistent night.
“Everyone on this team has the green light, but that being said we also want to attack the basket,” Santich commented. “When they started getting into foul trouble, we started attacking more.”
St. Mary’s, which looks to bounce back from two consecutive losing seasons, next participates in the Jim Soden Tournament at Terra Nova. San Ramon Valley, which won a combined 53 games in the same stretch, has a berth in the Cardinal Newman Tournament.
“We’re just like a family,” Santich added. “We just hang out not even at basketball. It’s just that type of culture here.”