In both semifinal games at St. Mary's College in Moraga, the higher seeded home team had to rally to win. The opening game saw Carondelet defeat visiting St. Francis in the girls semifinal game 77-66. The nightcap had De La Salle winning 47-45 against the Sheldon Huskies.
St. Francis Troubadours 66
Carondelet Cougars 77
Carondelet played at a frenetic pace in the first quarter that gave them a 23-11 lead. Hannah Huffman had 9 points while Erica Payne had 7 points to pace the Cougars. With their two key scorers poised to have big games and a double digit lead, the Cougars looked to be comfortably ahead.
However, the Troubadours were resilient and their defense only allowed Carondelet to score 9 points in the second quarter. In addition, the Troubadours were able to tie up the game at the half at 32-32. Inexplicably, Briana Charles came back into the game with 1:50 left to pick up her fourth personal foul in the half.
St. Francis would hold on to a 44-41 lead into the middle of the third quarter. But then the Cougars made an 11-1 run to end the quarter. Huffman would score 7 points in the quarter to help Carondelet to be up 52-45.
The Troubadours could get no closer than 58-54 in the fourth quarter. Carondelet would go on a run to extend the lead to double digits. The Cougars would win 77-66 to advance to the finals against Berkeley.
How this game was won: Carondelet picked up the pace in the second half. Huffman would have a monster game of 34 points. St. Francis had key players in foul trouble that caused Charles and Ellie Earley to foul out.
St. Francis analysis: St. Francis had a size disadvantage but making 7 three-point shots helped offset that. Earley and Charles had 17 and 14 points respectively. The foul trouble may have caused the team to play more tentatively as they would falter midway into the third quarter.
Carondelet analysis: Huffman came up huge in this game. The size advantage also made it difficult for the Troubadours. The Cougars will get to face Berkeley for a fourth time for the Northern California finals.
Sheldon Huskies 45
De La Salle Spartans 47
In the first quarter, the Spartans showed good ball movement to take a 12-6 lead but Travis Pacos picked up his second foul with 4:14 left. Sheldon would lean on senior Darius Nelson as he would score the next 8 points to cut the deficit to 16-14. In addition, the Huskies would shoot the free throw penalty with 30 seconds left in the quarter.
The second quarter would be the Ramon Eaton show as he accounted for 10 of the 15 Sheldon points. In addition, the Sheldon defense played a more aggressive press and zone to limit De La Salle to 7 points. Sheldon would go into the half with a 29-23 lead.
De La Salle came out in the second half more aggressively as they attacked the Sheldon press and was able to convert more layup chances. In addition, the Spartans were shooting the free throw penalty with 36 seconds left in the third quarter. Regardless, the Spartans were only able to cut the deficit to 41-36.
The fourth quarter was a defensive struggle as the first points were scored by De La Salle with 5:20 left. Sheldon would take a 45-42 lead with 3:30 left in the game but would not score again. Amadi Udenyi would score on a breakaway layup with 20 seconds to give the Spartans their first lead since the first half at 46-45 and subsequently De La Salle would win 47-45 to see Castro Valley next Saturday for a second time in the month.
How this game was won: An emotional Coach Frank Allocco said that his team defended well, played with toughness, and made good plays down the stretch. The bench was able to step up as some starters had foul trouble. Udenyi had a team high 11 points and highlighted the team rebounding and the ability to reverse the ball against the zone defense.
Sheldon analysis: Compared to the earlier season matchup, Sheldon tried to speed up the game this time around. That strategy seemed to work early on but the offense stagnated and was held scoreless for the last 3:30 of the game. Sheldon returns a good core for next season despite losing seniors Nelson and Eaton who had 21 and 14 points respectively.
De La Salle analysis: If De La Salle can slow the tempo and play their style of game that is in the 40s, then they will have a good chance of winning. They were able to limit the Sheldon offense in the second half and rally to win. If the Spartans impose their tempo on Castro Valley in the finals, then the game could be a battle.
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