Carondelet channels anger into dominance as Cougars advance to NCS Open semifinals

PIEDMONT — Coming off an emotional loss to San Ramon Valley in the East Bay Athletic League tournament championship just five days before, Carondelet felt it had something to prove heading into Thursday’s North Coast Section Open quarterfinal against Piedmont.

“We just took that anger from Saturday and we put it into this game,” said Carondelet sophomore Sophia Ross. “Coach said right out the gates, don’t even give (Piedmont) an inch. We were gonna get up and pressure them, and just get out on them early.”

Carondelet made a statement by beating Piedmont 83-53 to advance to the NCS Open semifinals. The Cougars put the game out of reach early and maintained that lead by forcing 29 turnovers..

Sophomore Layla Dixon led the Cougars with 19 points and Ross added 17.

Piedmont guard Natalia Martinez scored a game-high 38 points in the loss.

The big storyline coming into Thursday’s game was how Carondelet was going to keep Martinez at bay.

Though Carondelet coach Kelly Sopak said he didn’t focus solely on Martinez when creating his defensive game plan, Ross and her teammates were excited to take on the challenge of guarding the WACC Player of the Year.

“I was actually pretty excited about the matchup,” Ross said about being the primary defender on Martinez. “I knew she was a good player. She averaged 39 over the last three games. Natalia is a great shooter and I knew it was going to be a fun matchup.”

Piedmont’s Natalia Martinez (10) is triple teamed by Carondelet in the second quarter of their game at Piedmont High School in Piedmont, Calif., on Thursday, Feb. 15, 2024. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group) 

After winning a share of the West Alameda County Foothill League, Piedmont was awarded a home game despite being the No. 6 seed in the NCS Open playoffs.

But homecourt advantage didn’t help the Highlanders, especially in the first half.

The Cougars started the contest on a 13-2 run, forcing Piedmont coach Bryan Gardere to call a timeout just three minutes into the start of the game. Carondelet forced 15 turnovers in the first quarter, trapping Martinez 94 feet from the basket and forcing her to give up the ball early in the shot clock.

Carondelet’s lead ballooned to 34 in the second quarter after making a barrage of open 3-pointers.

Carondelet kept Martinez in check with 13 first-half points, which forced Piedmont to find offense from other players on the floor.

Piedmont’s second-leading scorer had only eight points, and the team went into halftime down 47-15.

Carondelet’s Kamil Reid (13) steals the ball from Piedmont’s Shakila Zuberi (30) in the first quarter of their game at Piedmont High School in Piedmont, Calif., on Thursday, Feb. 15, 2024. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group) 

Martinez found her groove in the third quarter. She scored 12 points and dished to open teammates near the basket, but Piedmont didn’t have an answer on the other end of the floor, where Dixon and Ross lit up the scoreboard with an efficient inside-out game.

The duo combined for 18 points in the second half as Carondelet cruised.

For Piedmont, the second half was simply about pride.

Even though the Highlanders lost by a big margin, they did put on a better showing in the second half. Piedmont outscored Carondelet by two in the third quarter and continued to compete in the fourth quarter.

“We just didn’t want to get blown out,” Martinez said about the team’s performance in the second half. “We knew we were better than this. I think we played the way we should have played from the beginning in the second half.”

Piedmont’s season isn’t over. As an Open team, it is guaranteed a spot in NorCal competition. In the meantime, the Highlanders will play at Acalanes on Wednesday in the fifth-place game.

Carondelet (26-4) will have six days before its semifinal game against No. 2 Cardinal Newman. The Santa Rosa powerhouse hasn’t lost since Dec. 2 and recently won the North Bay Oak after going 8-0 in league play and 26-2 overall.

“It’s going to take all six days to even remotely get a game plan together to stop them,” Sopak said.

Carondelet’s Keshia Vitalicio (11) leaps to steal a pass intended for Piedmont’s Natalia Martinez (10) in the second quarter of their game at Piedmont High School in Piedmont, Calif., on Thursday, Feb. 15, 2024. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group) 
Carondelet’s Keshia Vitalicio (11) drives against Piedmont’s Natalia Martinez (10) in the second quarter of their game at Piedmont High School in Piedmont, Calif., on Thursday, Feb. 15, 2024. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group) 
Piedmont’s Shakila Zuberi (30) battles Carondelet’s Olivia Smith (30) for a rebound in the first quarter of their game at Piedmont High School in Piedmont, Calif., on Thursday, Feb. 15, 2024. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group) 
Carondelet’s Keshia Vitalicio (11) lets out a roar from the bench as her team plays Piedmont in the second quarter of their game at Piedmont High School in Piedmont, Calif., on Thursday, Feb. 15, 2024. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group) 
Piedmont’s Lindsey Wirgler (15) attempts to shoot while being guarded by Carondelet’s Celeste Alvarez (20) in the first quarter of their game at Piedmont High School in Piedmont, Calif., on Thursday, Feb. 15, 2024. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group) 
Carondelet head coach Kelly Sopak talks to his players during a timeout against Piedmont in the first quarter of their game at Piedmont High School in Piedmont, Calif., on Thursday, Feb. 15, 2024. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group) 
Piedmont head coach Bryan Gardere glances up at the scoreboard while playing Carondelet in the second quarter of their game at Piedmont High School in Piedmont, Calif., on Thursday, Feb. 15, 2024. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)