SAN FRANCISCO - The St. Ignatius girls basketball team scored as many points in the fourth quarter as it did in the first three quarters combined, and the Wildcats needed that fourth-quarter outburst Tuesday night to get past their Wildcat counterparts Marin Catholic, 60-48, in the first round of the CIF NorCal Division I playoffs.
After being out-hustled for the majority of the previous three quarters, and yet down only one point, SI found a way to push through. With Marin Catholic struggling to match up with forwards Claire Untalan and Soon-Ja Elzey, SI began to find them in the post again and again. On a rare night where SI’s leading scorer Sabrina Ma was limited to ‘just’ 15 points, the all-WCAL first team duo combined for 22 points and 17 boards, including priceless second-chance points.
“The message was to stick with our disciplined 'D' and really work it inside,” said SI coach Maya Fok. “It was clear that with Soon-Ja and Claire we had big mismatches inside. I think they did an excellent job staying composed in the double teams, finding one another in the high-low, and they did a great job finishing. That was the difference from the first half.”
After a crushing defeat to Pinewood in which only eight Wildcats touched the court, SI decided to go to the other extreme to correct its mistakes, with every single member of the squad making an appearance .The depth paid off; when the starters struggled to keep the scoreboard ticking in the opening two quarters, it was the bench that kept SI going.
“We lost when we didn’t do it, so we had to do it,” said Fok. “Getting tight against Pinewood, 100 percent on me. We took a few days off (after the loss) and then we had two really great practices where we focused on everyone getting touches and everybody looking to score. That made all the difference because everybody was ready tonight.”
No one was more spectacular than junior guard Brigette Mahoney, as she led the way with a game-high 17 points. With the defense struggling to contain the points in the paint, Mahoney found herself open often, knocking down triple after triple to keep SI in the game.
“She was due,” said Fok. “She shoots like that every day in practice. The last couple games I think she got a little bit tight, but it's paying off now. She’s getting her rhythm in games now, and that made a big difference tonight too.”
Coming into McCullough Gymnasium as underdogs, Marin Catholic played some of its best basketball all season. After jumping out to an early first-quarter lead, they continuously countered rallies from SI to remain ahead. Staring at a 19-14 deficit, Marin Catholic scored the final seven points of the half to take a 21-19 haltime lead. Led by Anna Schraeder (13 points, 8 rebounds) and Cecily Hadd (14 points), MC was the better team for the first three quarter, but the inability to capitalize on SI turnovers cost them when St. Ignatius found its form in the fourth.
Marin Catholic's season, but the Wildcats can take confidence into the offseason and look forward to the return of Hadd, a sophomore, and junior guard Gracyn Lovette. Meanwhile, St. Ignatius will host the No. 6 Vanden Vikings on Thursday in the Regional quarterfinals.
