CONCORD – With only a few seconds left in overtime on Tuesday, Sacred Heart Cathedral’s Kiana Moniz dribbled the ball into the paint and was swarmed by three Carondelet defenders.
The junior guard hooked the ball over several outstretched arms, burying the shot as the buzzer sounded to give the visitors from San Francisco a 58-56 win.
“We were all pumped up,” Moniz said. “We knew we could do it, and during the final seconds, it was all about just getting a shot up. We called a play and we executed it.”
Usually known as a defensive specialist, Moniz made several big buckets down the stretch to give the Fightin’ Irish – the Bay Area News Group’s fifth-ranked team – another victory over a ranked opponent.
SHC (10-1) already had wins over Top 20 teams San Ramon Valley, Acalanes and Palo Alto. Now, it has beaten No. 3 Carondelet.
After trailing 40-31 at the end of the third quarter, Cathedral clawed back into the game behind three Inez Gallegos baskets and a free throw.
“When you’re playing against your friends, you want to got even harder,” said Gallegos, who plays with and against some of the Carondelet players on the Cal Stars AAU team.
Once SHC pulled to within 40-39, the teams traded baskets until Moniz seemingly took over. She grabbed a rebound and went coast to coast for a layup and then followed up a long two pointer by teammate Aniyah Versosa with a bank shot of her own to give Cathedral a 51-48 lead.
But with 13 seconds left in regulation, an SHC defender fouled Carondelet sharpshooter Allie Cummins on a shot from behind the arc.
Cummins, who led all scorers with 22 points and made four three-pointers, nailed all three free throws to send the game to overtime.
“We did a good job of getting back into it, but we were pretty lucky that we even got the game to overtime,” Carondelet coach Kelly Sopak said.
Gallegos, as she had done all game, started overtime by carving out space for a layup. After Carondelet’s Jamie Kent scored two of her 10 points on a short shot that tied the game, Reza Po’s layup gave the Fightin’ Irish a 55-53 lead.
But Carondelet fought back, and made a free throw and layup to put the Cougars up by a point. One more made free throw by Cathedral set the stage for Moniz’s game-winner.
“I was so happy for her, because she works hard in practice, and it’s really nice to see it pay off,” Gallegos said.
Carondelet (13-3), which was coming off a few days of rest after playing in the Nike Tournament of Champions in Arizona last week, will have a chance to rebound against James Logan on Jan. 4.
“The better team won today,” Sopak said.
Even as Sacred Heart Cathedral coach Demetrius Jackson celebrated his team’s latest victory, he said the toughest tests are still ahead. Last season, SHC started 7-3 in non-league play before it limped to a 2-13 finish.
The Fightin’ Irish have one more non-league game, Jan. 6 at Terra Nova, before opening West Catholic Athletic League play on Jan. 7 at St. Francis.
SHC’s second league game is on the road against two-time defending NorCal Open Division champion Archbishop Mitty on Jan. 11.
Tuesday, the Fightin’ Irish beat last season’s NorCal Open Division runner-up.
“We play in the WCAL, so we still have a lot more work to do,” Jackson said. “But this is a great win and a great opportunity for the ladies to reap the rewards and benefits of their hard work.”
Source: www.mercurynews.com