MILLBRAE, CA - The Gunderson girls basketball team made four baskets in rapid succession and Hillsdale coach Mike Ciardella was not pleased.
Ciardella called time out and let his girls have it, giving them a tongue-lashing they won't soon forget en route to an eventual 41-32 Hillsdale win.
"He said 'Are you guys awake yet? Can you come play?" Hillsdale guard Emily Nepomuceno said of her team's early 8-0 deficit.
"I just told them we were playing like crap," Ciardella said. "That's the bottom line -- we were ugly. But we win ugly."
Whatever works. Hillsdale's victory has catapulted it into the CCS Division III title game against Branham at 6 p.m. Saturday at Independence High. It is the farthest the Knight girls have ever made it, with the 2000 team making the semifinals before losing.
"It feels pretty amazing," Nepomuceno said. "This is what I've been dreaming about."
Hillsdale, after trailing 8-0, went on a 27-7 run to end the first half leading 27-15. Point guard Caelyn Hwang scored nine points in the first 16 minutes and Nepomuceno and Adesia Cotton had six points apiece.
Hillsdale (20-8) still led 31-21 with 2:28 left in the third quarter when Gunderson started to claw its way back into contention. The Grizzlies (18-9) scored eight consecutive points to trail Hillsdale 31-29 with 3:26 left in the game.
The big shot for Hillsdale came with 1:15 left and the Knights clinging to a 33-29 lead. Nepomuceno got the ball in the left corner and buried a 3-pointer to put Hillsdale up seven, and it was all over.
Asked what she thought when she set her feet for that pivotal shot, Nepomuceno said: "It's my shot and I've got this game. It felt amazing. It was one of the best shots I've ever shot."
"Clutch," Ciardella said in reference to Nepomuceno. "She's made more big shots for us."
Moments later the Knight coach showed his tender side, cradling Nepomuceno's head in his hands and congratulating after she came out of the game.
It was an impressive performance for what may be the most perfect example of a team. Hillsdale's leading scorer, Raichel Tjan, is ill and did not play. But players like Hwang (11 points), Nepomuceno (11) and Cotton (eight) picked up the slack.
During Hillsdale's first-half run it rebounded well, made quick outlet passes on the fast break and finished at the other end.
The Knights' excellence had Gunderson coach John Drake shaking his head.
"I don't know what happened," Drake said. "They made a couple of shots and we started getting down. They went on a little roll -- they were hot."
Essence Johnson led Gunderson with 13 points and Lira Ndifon added nine.
