The host Piedmont Hills Pirates girls basketball team ousted the feisty Evergreen Valley Cougars, 51-48, in the BVAL-Mount Hamilton opener Tuesday night in a game that came down to the final seconds. The Pirates improved to 9-2, while the Cougars fell to 3-8.
In a fast-paced game that involved many turnovers and transition layups, Evergreen junior guard Joelle Carriaga seemingly gave her team all the momentum. With a three-pointer and a fast-break layup in the final minute of the first quarter, she gave the Cougars a 13-9 lead. Carriaga finished with a game high 18 points.
Although Piedmont Hills began the second quarter with two careless turnovers, forward Venus Tran began to shine. The 5-foot-9 freshman was deceptive on both ends of the floor, blowing by her matchup after her pump-fakes, altering shots, and recording two steals. With the Pirates starting their season at home, it was a chance for Venus to shine and give a glimpse of what's to come in the next four years.
“I was nervous all day,” Tran said about her first ever league game, “but I just do what I do.”
Despite her average of 10.9 points per game and 17 points that included a 3-of-8 shooting from downtown, Tran's scoring load could not overcome the transition game of the Cougars, who took a 21-16 lead after Piedmont closed the gap to one point.
When the third quarter began, senior captains Cassie Thai and Tayla Monroe formed a formidable backcourt that would pressure the Evergreen guards on every possession. Half-court traps and a full-court press would result in Thai and Monroe diving for loose balls and sacrificing their bodies.
When asked what motivated her, Thai said, "the fans, the crowd, and the team on the bench just cheering us on. Even if people aren’t on the court physically, they’re still in the game.”
Along with junior forward Unu Leong’s three steals, Piedmont Hills was more aggressive. But smooth coast-to-coast layups by Evergreen’s Annanya Raghavan and Brianna Samatua kept the lead at the end of the third quarter.
Thai would carry on her defensive momentum by beginning the fourth quarter with a steal, but Samatua’s low post scoring pushed the lead to 39-32. After the Pirates called a timeout with 5:49 left in the game, the whole team followed suit behind Thai. A Monroe steal led to a layup by Tran, and a hustle play that saved the ball with Thai, Leong, and Tran diving out of bounds ended up in two made free throws by Jennilyn Sipat.
Piedmont Hills was able to capitalize on nearly every Evergreen turnover. As soon as Evergreen was called for three seconds in the key, Tran came back with a trey on the ensuing possession. Thai would then come up with another steal that led to more free throws by Tran. Leong took a charge at 1:30, and then Thai and Tran would hit two more clutch free throws each to tie the game at 47-47.
The stifling defense came up with a five-second violation, but Tran’s foul on Courtney Lam would give Evergreen a one-point lead. However, Piedmont Hills would compensate after Monroe was fouled with 13 seconds left, thus giving the Pirates a 49-48 lead.
With the final possession, Evergreen looked to tie or take the win, but Thai’s defensive intensity proved to be the turnaround as she stole the ball and sealed the game with a layup.
“To be honest, I don’t even remember what happened," said Thai. "But I know it was the team effort, not even just on my part."
“We weren’t getting the 50-50 balls, we weren’t blocking out, our spacing was horrible – I just thought we rushed," said Piedmont Hills assistant coach Tyrone Monroe. "But the one thing about us is that we don’t quit."
When asked about his first impression of his team’s start to the season, Monroe said, “We’re growing up. There’s definitely a change here in Piedmont. For years, it’s been the boys. We’re now competing.”
