In a nail-biter of a game at Sequoia High School, the Carlmont Scots emerged victorious against their rival team, the Sequoia Ravens, 47-35.
Tip-off began with the Ravens gaining the first possession, but after their miss, the Scots set the game’s tone, scoring the first few buckets. Starting with a four-point lead, the Scots remained ahead until the 2nd quarter when the Ravens took the lead, ending the first half with a score of 21-20.
“We were getting good [open] shots and just weren’t hitting them. They [Sequoia] had some fast breaks and some broken plays that they scored on,” said Head Coach Richard Stephens. “We got behind, but I was confident that if we just stuck to our game plan, we’d eventually be able to shut down their offense.”
During the 2nd and 3rd quarters, Sequoia’s power forward, freshman Nohe’alani Stores, helped her team take the lead with a few quick buckets and free throws. Coming into the game, Stephens knew the Ravens had a size advantage, so the Scots played tight defense and applied full-court pressure.
“We knew we had to pressure their guards to keep them from initiating their offense, and we did that. We pressed the whole game; we switched it up. We ran a man press and a zone press against them and tried to keep them guessing,” Stephens said.
After regrouping at half-time, the Scots started the 3rd quarter with an assist from Arianna Delrooz to Kiana George. Picking up the defense and increasing their shot consistency, they cut the lead down by one point with the help of a three-pointer by George and multiple blocks and steals from Olivia Pon and Joslyn Moore.
“I knew my shots weren’t falling in, so I just tried my best to be as aggressive as possible,” Pon said. “Once we started to get that momentum, I started to get more confident, so I was gonna keep shooting and try to get those shots to my teammates.”
Towards the end of the 3rd quarter, the Scots’ defense dropped. After a couple of fastbreaks from the Ravens, they took the lead and ended the 3rd quarter with a score of 31-25.
In the last quarter, the Scots picked up again to cut the gap in the score. With 5 minutes and 25 seconds left on the clock, they took the lead with a score of 34-31 and continued to increase their lead with Alessandra Nelson‘s six points and three free throws and Brynn Toomasson‘s six points and steal with two minutes left.
“I felt like I had a rough start to the game, so to be able to help my team out with a couple steals at the end to help us win the game felt really great and fulfilling. I’m just really happy we pulled through,” Toomasson said.
In this last quarter, players like George began to deliver even more to ensure their team’s win. With three steals in the 4th quarter alone and a total of 17 points throughout the game, she helped seal the Scots’ victory.
“She was MVP of the game,” Delrooz said after the game.
At 22 seconds left of the game, Toomasson ended with the final shot that left the Scots winning the game with a final score of 47-35.
“For us to pull back from that lead, it showed how much potential our team has. If we can play like that throughout the whole game, I know we can come out even stronger,” Toomasson said.
