BERKELEY, CA - State top-ranked St. Mary’s-Stockton surprisingly didn’t come out in its vaunted full court press, but its combination of speed, attacking style on offense and defense, and long-range shooting, was firing on all cylinders.
In what was the best game in the three girls' match-ups since the inception of the Open Division in 2013, a young St. Mary’s team was just too much for Mater Dei-Santa Ana in the late going and overcame a 10-point third quarter deficit to post an impressive 76-69 victory.
With the victory St. Mary’s (34-1) won its eighth state championship, got coach Tom Gonsalves a record seventh girls' title - but his’ and the team’s was the first in the Open Division and first state championship since capturing the 2011 Division II crown.
“This was the biggest game in our school history,” Gonsalves said. “We were playing Mater Dei and they are always so good – and this was for the Open championship.”
Baseball legend Yogi Berra had what were coined Yogisms for his sometimes corny rhetorical sayings, but Mater Dei coach Kevin Kiernan had his own phrase to describe St. Mary’s and it was pretty right on in assessing how they play.
“Our effort was tremendous, the will to win was there, we gave it our best shot, and we scored enough points to win,” Mater Dei coach Kevin Kiernan said. “They’re just a relentlessly good team, relentlessly relentless.”
St. Mary’s may have scrapped its all-out press but did go to a variation of it several times during the game.
“We lost to Mater Dei last season at the West Coast Jamboree and I made up my minds we wouldn’t lose the game the same way by giving up easy baskets,” Gonsalves said. “We did press but it was different.”
Mater Dei (31-3) led 47-37 with five minutes left in the third quarter but Connecticut-bound Katie Lou Samuelson was playing with three fouls, and that factor combined with St. Mary’s heating up from the outside began a downslide for the Orange County girls.
Rams sharpshooter Kat Tudor hit back-to-back three-pointers that ignited a 17-7 run and the score was tied 54-54 with time running out in the third quarter. Samuelson made a 3-pointer to make it 57-54, but with less than a second remaining in the third Samuelson picked up her fourth foul.
The game went back and forth in the early fourth quarter but Mater Dei took its last lead at 65-63 before Tudor and Carlissa Shipp hit key treys and the inside game of St. Mary’s keyed by freshman Aquira DeCosta and junior floor leader Mi’Cole Cayton cashed in on easy baskets to clinch the game.
Cayton, who has several Division I offers including George Mason, Nebraska, Arizona and Arizona State, plus more, finished with a game-high 21 points, with seven rebounds and six assists. The Rams floor general’s penetration was devastating to Mater Dei, particularly late when Samuelson watched helplessly as Cayton flew past her to the basket with "Lou" unable to risk a fifth foul.
“It’s such an honor to have such a young team like this; words can’t explain how proud I am of them and what we have accomplished,” Cayton told Cal-Hi Sports. “I absolutely love this team and I wouldn’t trade this moment for anything.”
DeCosta, who got loose inside and was the recipient of several passes from Cayton and two fourth-quarter assists by the driving and dishing sophomore Sierra Smith (five assists, six rebounds), finished with 15 points.
“We couldn’t guard their guards or stop their penetration,” Kiernan said.
Tudor was 4-of-7 from the field, all 3-pointers, and finished with 13 points. She ends her junior season with 105 3-pointers and 299 in her three-year Rams career. Shipp added 10 points and had two 3-pointers including one with 2:25 remaining that gave St. Mary’s the lead for good at 68-65.
Samuelson, who in spite of the loss is still the leading candidate for Ms. Basketball State Player of the Year, finished with a double-double of 19 points and 11 rebounds with four assists, all despite being saddled with fouls.
“I got in foul trouble and I couldn’t help my team. I’m disappointed in my play but we wanted it. Everyone gave a hundred percent,” Samuelson said. “I’ve had a great career but I wish I had another year to come back and win it.”
Monarchs guard Andee Velasco played a superb game. The Loyola Marymount senior had a team-high 20 points and five assists. Like the Rams Tudor she connected on four 3-pointers.
“Andee kept us in it and picked up the slack when Lou was in foul trouble,” Kiernan said.
UCLA-bound junior post Ally Rosenblum registered a double-double of 20 points and 11 rebounds, but of the other six players that saw action for Mater Dei only two scored for a combined 10 points.
Asked about where he ranks this team and if it was his best ever, Gonsalves paused before answering.
“Before now I would say they’re young and they haven’t accomplished enough, but now they’re in the conversation.”
“I know Mater Dei is a great team but we are too,” Smith said.
Prior to getting career state title No. 7 there was a momentary logjam at six for the most CIF girls coaching state championships between 2004 State Coach of the Year Gonsalves, 2003 State Coach of the Year Kiernan, 2014 State Coach of the Year and Los Altos Hills Pinewood head coach Doc Scheppler, and 1999 State Coach of the Year Sue Phillips of Mitty. Phillips got No. 6 in the Monarchs’ Division II state title game victory over Mark Keppel-Alhambra about two hours prior to the Open game tip-off.
With the entire starting line-up returning next season, look for St. Mary’s to be at or near the top of every state and national pre-season rankings this fall.
