Girls: how jumping rope set Evergreen Valley on fire
With only seven players on its roster and its third coach in as many seasons, how did Evergreen Valley manage to outsmart opponents on their way to a spot in the CCS Division I Finals?
It started off-season, not with a ball and hoop, but with a skipping rope. The team’s star player said coach Drew Fenstermaker used the simple activity to build the team’s stamina.
“Honestly, the jump ropes, we hated them so much,” security guard Ryka Aprameyan said. “Now, even when we feel tired, our adrenaline keeps us going.”
Despite the small roster, Evergreen Valley (19-7) was the much faster and more athletic team in a 73-56 semifinal victory over Carlmont on Thursday at Piedmont Hills High. Most of the possessions started and ended in less than 15 seconds as the team ran up and down the field.
Evergreen Valley, who lost in the semifinals last season, benefited from the fast pace. It led 22-8 after a quarter and never looked back.
Constantly moving, Aprameyan led all scorers with 34 points. Her favorite move was a crossover that provided a drive for a layup, but the prolific goalscorer also passed as teammates flashed open.
“She’s been able to adapt to any game plan I give her,” Fenstermaker said.
Lealah Rowden scored 15 points on putbacks and relentless work on the offensive boards. And when plays broke down, she and her teammates had the freedom to freelance.
“He calls plays, but a lot of the time he wants us to play in the flow of the game,” Rowden said.
Evergreen Valley isn’t just fastbreaks and shooting.
Forward Xuanmai Nguyen could be the team’s key player in the championship game against Los Altos, which will conclude at Mission College on Saturday at 11 a.m. She bounces and defends.
“In some ways, having a smaller squad is kind of a blessing because we all know we have to do our part and support each other all the time,” Nguyen said.
Girls: The Los Altos defense looks like a championship
If Evergreen Valley represents the free-running, uptempo side of basketball, then its opponent in the championship is the other side of the hoops coin.
Los Altos plays lockdown defense.
The fifth-seeded Eagles shocked No. 1 seed Menlo-Atherton 46-40 in the other CCS Division I semifinal, using a stifling 1-3-1 trap to confuse the Bears and make hasty shots. to make.
“Honestly, it doesn’t feel real yet,” striker Macy Watson said after her team triumphed. “I think it will settle down a bit.”
Los Altos coach Erik Stuart did not implement the season-changing defense until mid-January, as his team pulled off a four-game losing streak.
“We had a week off after that and I said, ‘You know what, a week is just enough time to install this defense,'” Stuart said. “It was something no one else in our league had seen us do before.”
A month after the switch, the players are completely familiar with the schedule. Los Altos led 24-22 at halftime and 42-35 with two minutes remaining.
Also, as Menlo-Atherton went on a 5-0 run to cut the deficit to 42-40 with 29 seconds left to play, Los Altos don’t panic.
Mira Sundar broke away for a layup on a long inbound pass to cut the lead to four, then defenders Tara Davari and Watson failed to allow Menlo-Atherton to get a clear view of their next possession.
Two more free throws from Los Altos (18-10) sealed Menlo-Atherton’s (23-3) first loss to a Bay Area school all season.
Davari led Los Altos by 10 points and Sundar scored all of her seven points in the fourth quarter. Eve Emram led Menlo-Atherton with 15 points on five 3-pointers.
Now in its second CCS Division I championship in three seasons, Los Altos is preparing to face an opponent it scrimped against in November.
Stuart said Evergreen Valley was the superior team that day, but his players think they are a very different and better squad than they were in the fall.
“If I screw up and they get past us, I have my teammate back there to block them,” said Davari.
Closing shots
Four schools have both their boys’ and girls’ teams in Saturday championship games: St. Francis and Christopher in Division II, Half Moon Bay in Division IV, and Priory in Division V. … The St. Francis boys, who entered the playoffs on a six-game losing streak, beating Monta Vista 78-55 on Tuesday and Valley Christian 59-45 on Thursday to reach the final. St. Francis (13-12) is 3-0 to Valley (8-18) this season. … The Christopher boys are in their third sectional final in four seasons, but are still in the hunt for the program’s first title. … Priory is aiming for back-to-back championships in both the Division V boys and girls finals. The boys beat Stevenson 53-42 and the girls beat Crystal Springs Uplands 55-45 in the title games last season. … There are 12 public and 12 private schools in the final. Seven of the 12 private schools that have reached the title are in the boys’ playoffs. … Karen Xin finished with 18 points, four assists and six rebounds and Ruiqi Liu had 10 points and four rebounds to lead Menlo School past The King’s Academy 57-36 in a Division IV semifinal. Menlo will play Half Moon Bay at Mission College on Saturday at 1 p.m. for the title.
