St. Mary's girls basketball advance to NorCal Regionals and more
After losing the Sac-Joaquin Section championship, St. Mary’s girls' basketball had 24 hours to bury the loss and gear up for the CIF Division I State tournament. The Rams are back to dominating opponents three games into the tournament.
Their latest victim was No. 5 seeded Clovis, which rolled into the Morelli Gym Saturday night for the semifinals. Led by upperclassmen Nyah Lowrey and Jordan Lee, St. Mary’s handled the Cougars to win 55-48 and advance to the regionals on Tuesday.
Here are the key takeaways from the Rams’ victory and a roundup of other 209 teams in the State tournament.
Fast-paced start for St. Mary’s
Controlling the pace to start the match came easy for the Rams. They were getting up and down the court quickly, leading them to an early 10-point lead.
“That’s always our pace. We try to go up and down because we conditioned for four months out of the year to do this,” Alle Moreno, St. Mary’s head coach, said. “ When they keep that pace going, that’s what really benefits us.”
Speedy passes and Clovis’ cold start put St. Mary’s in the driver's seat for nearly the entire game. But once the third quarter came, the Cougars were knocking on the door. Senior Devin Miller and freshman Yazmin Aguilera banged in two three-pointers each, thus shifting momentum in their team's favor.
Momentum wouldn’t stay with Clovis for long, though.
“We had some adversity to fight through, and our season was potentially gonna be over,” Lee said. “We weren’t ready to let it go yet.”
Lee and Lowery will not be denied
Lee has undeniably been the Rams saving grace in sticky situations all season. The Cougars claimed its first lead, 35-34, in the third quarter, and she had to step up again.
The 6-foot guard went on a run draining three-pointers, knocking down jumpers, and snagging steals. She led all scorers with 28 points, just two points shy of her season high.
“My defense kind of started my offense, and that’s how I got the game going,” Lee said. “We just prepared. I watched a lot of films, scouted really well, and just knew without question what we are capable of, and it showed tonight.”
Following Lee’s run to help give the Rams back the lead, Lowery came with a dagger of a three-pointer that sent the home crowd into a frenzy.
“I just felt really glad that I hit that three for my teammates. I didn’t really feel it for myself,” Lowery said. “ I’m just glad I could put my team in a better position. Jordan and I had actually worked on that exact play before the game, so it was just like regular for us.”
Lowery finished with the teams' second-most points, 16. The duo will be back in action for regionals against a familiar foe, No. 2 seed Oakland Tech.
“There’s nothing better than when you lose a section championship, but you can go win a NorCal and state,” Moreno said. “They’ve really adapted to that idea, and they’ve been locked in. Our crowds keep getting bigger and bigger here at home, and hopefully Tuesday, we can get the students and cheerleaders out here.”
Other local teams in the State tournament
No. 3 seed Bret Harte girls' basketball took on No. 7 Valley Chrisitan in the Division V bracket, and they won 62-52. The Bullfrogs will be on the road for the first time in the state tournament traveling to the No. 1 seed Fall River at 7 p.m. on Tuesday.
In the boys' basketball Division V bracket, No. 3 seed Ripon Christian battled back to take down the No. 2 seed University Prep. The Knights won 61-58, and junior forward Jace Biedleman was their go-to, finishing with 18 points. They will be back at home hosting No. 5 Sierra at 7 p.m. on Tuesday.
Also, in the Division V bracket, No. 1 seed Venture Academy hosted Sierra, and uncharacteristically, it struggled to get the ball in the net. The Mustangs ended its 2022-23 season with a 71-55 loss to the Chieftans. They finish the year with an overall record of 26-5 and deep runs in the SJS playoffs and the NorCal tournament. They will be returning seven players next season.
In the Division II boys basketball bracket, No. 7 seed Weston Ranch fell short against the No. 6 San Joaquin Memorial losing 68-59. Senior Elijah Mobley led his team in scoring with 25 points. The Cougars end its 2022-23 season with an overall record of 23-11 and some notable wins against Folsom, Branson, Grant, and Edison.
Record reporter Shannon Belt covers sports. She can be reached at sbelt@recordnet.com or on Twitter @ShannonBelt3. Support local news, subscribe to The Stockton Record at https://www.recordnet.com/subscribenow.
This article originally appeared on The Record: St. Mary's girls basketball advance to NorCal Regionals and more
