SAN JOSE, CA – On a chilly and windy day in the South Bay, many fans filed in to a decorated gym to watch some of the top girls basketball talent in the Bay Area face off in the 10th Annual Presentation Shootout.
Archbishop Mitty was on fire in a scorching victory over McClatchy, the lone representative from outside the Bay. Carondelet befuddled Sacred Heart Cathedral, and in perhaps the surprise of the night, Bishop O’Dowd fell short of St. Ignatius. The host school dusted off South San Francisco, and Eastside Prep, Valley Christian, and Leland all walked off the court with victories. In all, seven games were played and WCAL teams went 4-2 in six different games.
Here is a rundown of the action (note that the author was not present for the entirety of the tournament).
Archbishop Mitty rolls past McClatchy
Haley Jones went a perfect 9-for-9 from the field and finished with 23 points, five rebounds, and four assists, and Mitty jumped out to a 27-2 first quarter lead en route to an 80-29 drubbing of McClatchy. Krissy Miyahara sank four three’s as part of a 14-point night, and Ania McNicholas also reached double figures for the Monarchs with 11. By halftime it was 53-14 and for the fourth quarter the squads played with a running clock.
The Monarchs (5-0) shot 56% from the field and 46% from three-point territory, and collected 18 assists, 14 steals, and seven blocks. McClatchy (6-2) simply had no answer, especially in the blistering first quarter. Just to show how dominant Mitty is this season, the Lions came in ranked 10th in the state and 126th nationally according to MaxPreps.
“We genuinely like each other,” Miyahara said when asked about what makes the team tick. “On and off the court we’re always laughing. On the court it’s so smooth. Most of the time, we work together, we know how each other plays, so it’s so easy to mesh.”
Richelle Turney scored 14 points and Nia Lowery tallied 13 points and five rebounds for McClatchy. Karisma Ortiz added nine points and 10 boards for the Monarchs. But the night belonged to Jones more than any other, who knocked down a trio of three’s and for good measure also did not miss a free throw.
Carondelet downs Sacred Heart Cathedral
After a neck-and-neck first half, Carondelet took charge in the third quarter and carried on for a 64-56 defeat of Sacred Heart Cathedral.
Tatyana Modawar had the performance of the night with 16 points and 10 rebounds. More importantly, she stepped up huge in the second half, much of it after Ali Bamberger left the game with an injury. The Cougars held a double-digit lead for much of the half, as only a last-minute flurry by the Fightin’ Irish brought it down to the eight-point final margin.
“We talked about establishing our defensive presence in the third quarter,” Carondelet coach Elgin Leslie said. “We wanted to dominate the first three minutes of the third quarter and set the stage. There wasn’t a whole lot of lanes for them to shoot or drive.”
The teams were tied at the end of both the first and second quarters, but in the third Carondelet (3-1) came out strong and did not allow a field goal until 53 seconds remained on the clock. The tall duo of Bamberger and Modawar was crucial in the 13-3 quarter, combining for 11 points, six rebounds, and four blocks. Bamberger had accumulated 14 points, nine rebounds, and three blocks when near the end of the period she came down on another player’s foot and sprained her ankle.
“I knew I had to step up and make an impact so we could win this game,” Modawar said. “I knew they were going to be aggressive.”
In the fourth, the Cougars padded their lead to nearly 20. Sacred Heart Cathedral (0-3) clawed back in thanks primarily to Rainah Smith and Yaniah Fleming, who used a series of steals and buckets to reduce the lead. But there was simply not enough time to complete a comeback.
Smith finished with a team-high 13 points and eight rebounds, Errayanna Hatfield scored 10, and Fleming tacked on nine with four steals. Talo Li-Uperesa also scored nine to go with six rebounds and three blocks.
“We’ve been struggling with third quarters so far,” Sacred Heart coach LyRyan Russell stated. “We’re still developing our identity. It’s good to always see the fight there, but at the end of the day you have to put the ball in the basket, too.”
For Carondelet, Emily Howie chipped in eight points and Leah Walton tallied seven points and three assists.
St. Ignatius clips Bishop O’Dowd
Alyssa Downs netted five three-pointers and scored 18 points overall, and Rachel Harvey tallied eight points and six rebounds as St. Ignatius built an early lead and withstood a late charge to defeat Bishop O’Dowd, 51-47.
Zakiya Mahoney had 15 points – eight in the fourth quarter – and nine rebounds for the Dragons, who also received 14 points from Jada Holland.
Diary Kim also scored eight, including a critical basket in the final minute, and Madeline Ellis finished with six points, seven rebounds, and three assists.
“We had a really good first half, a really good team defensive effort,” St. Ignatius coach Mike Mulkerrins commented. “Give [O’Dowd] credit [for coming back]. We got some stops at the end.”
St. Ignatius (6-2) got off to a 17-6 advantage, and never relinquished the lead. Bishop O’Dowd (1-3) began the fourth trailing by nine, and whittled it to four with 3:27 left. Holland split a pair of free throws after a steal, making it 48-46. Kim responded with a drive through the middle of the lane and a lay-up. Soon after Emily Jones deflected a Dragons pass, and it went off Bishop O’Dowd with 13.8 seconds remaining. Madden and Mahoney each had a free throw for their respective teams to create the final score.
Eastside Prep outlasts St. Francis
Eastside Prep’s six-point first quarter advantage was enough in a grind out game as the Panthers picked up a 47-43 win versus St. Francis. Kayla Tahaafe scored 14 points, Marley Langi added 12, and Mina Tameilau chipped in 10 for the Panthers (4-2).
Eastside Prep limited St. Francis (7-1) to seven first quarter points. The Lancers gained momentum in the second half but timely plays in the third quarter by Langi seemed to undo the push. The Panthers’ Jillian David stole the ball right after a Paige Uyehara steal and fed Langi who double pumped in traffic and laid it off the glass for two. Soon after, the 6’0” freshman nailed a three-pointer from the top of the key.
Still, St. Francis only trailed by two with 1:32 to go. A Tahaafe drive and a free throw each for Langi and David gave enough cushion to secure the victory.
“We still got a long way to go,” Eastside Prep Donovan Blythe said. “I don’t really see us playing our basketball to the middle of the season. Trying to get the freshmen acclimated how we do things at Eastside.”
Uyehara finished with 14 points, five rebounds, and four steals, but had to leave the game temporarily after an injury scare. Raveena Dhiman added 11 points, which included an 8-for-8 performance from the free throw line. The Lancers were an efficient 18-for-25 from the charity stripe, but against a team like Eastside Prep the margin for error is not the same as it is against many other opponents. More tellingly, St. Francis went just 3-for-23 from three-point territory. The Panthers, who are known as a long distance threat, were not much better at 3-for-17.
Presentation clamps down on South San Francisco
Ava Williams had an all-around fantastic game to lead Presentation past South San Francisco, 58-39. The host Panthers made a statement in the first quarter, rattling off 15 straight after the Warriors netted the opening bucket.
Williams filled the stat sheet with 15 points, 11 rebounds, three steals, two assists, and a block. Fellow seniors Akemi Namba and Julia Heimburger added 12 and 10 points respectively. Presentation (6-0) frustrated South San Francisco (5-1) and its star, Brittney Cedeno, all night. Cedeno finished with eight points, five assists, and five rebounds, but often found herself double-teamed and also sat out a spell after crashing to the floor on a drive.
“Take away her ability to drive and create shots for herself, but make sure we stay on the other people too because she’s a crafty passer,” Williams said about the defensive approach to Cedeno. “We’ve very experienced. We know what to expect and what needs to be done.”
The first half was marked by a slew of fouls – 18 in all – and the second quarter the teams combined for only 15 points. The Warriors’ woes continued in the third quarter as Williams scored nine of her total to put too much distance between the two teams.
Becca Tasi also finished with eight points for South San Francisco, along with six boards and three blocks.
Valley Christian, Leland also come away with victories
In the nightcap, Valley Christian defeated Woodside Priory 60-43. The Warriors (4-5) lead 17-10 after one but the Panthers (2-5) stormed back to take a one-point lead into the locker room. Valley Christian came out strong in the third quarter.
In the first 2:35, Trinity Stark and Fallon Dexheimer combined for 11 points to help spur a 23-7 quarter that gave the Warriors the needed difference. The senior-sophomore duo had several steals during the span; on one such play Dexheimer stole the ball and fed it to Stark, who in turn assisted Dexheimer for a lay-up that resulted in a Panthers time out. Katie Mason also played a key role, sinking a trio of three-pointers in the first quarter and another in the early moments of the third.
In the day’s first game, Leland (4-3) defeated Wilcox (5-3), 66-54. Karli Mukai scored 25 points and Sheridan Payne added 20. Ann Neeley and Elise Corwin paced Wilcox with 22 and 15, respectively.
