Cardinal Newman girls continue quest for state title

When the Cardinal Newman girls beat St. Mary’s two weeks ago in the North Coast Section Division 4 semifinals, basketball coach Monica Mertle called it the biggest win in the program’s history.

If the Cardinals win tonight, she might repeat that.

The top-seeded Cardinal Newman girls continue their quest for a state basketball championship in tonight’s regional semifinal game against No. 4 Sacred Heart Prep of Atherton.

Tipoff is 7 p.m. at Cardinal Newman.

Last season, the Cardinals advanced to the regional state semifinals before losing 54-50 to Brookside Christian. That was the furthest Newman had gone in its five-year history of girls’ sports.

A victory tonight would continue the upward trajectory Mertle has led the team on since Cardinal Newman welcomed girls into the formerly boys Catholic school from sister school Ursuline, where Mertle played. Not coincidentally, Mertle helped lead her Ursuline team to a section championship in 2002.

In each of Mertle’s five years with the Newman girls, her squads have equaled or improved on the prior year’s performance - which is exactly her plan.

But getting past Sacred Heart is no small task.

The Gators are 21-6 overall and won the Central Coast Section Division 4 championship.

After a bye in the first round of state, the Gators beat Central Valley 72-54 to advance to tonight’s game.

The Cardinals also had a bye in the first round and survived a scare against No. 8 Scotts Valley on Saturday before pulling ahead in the third quarter and winning 61-45.

In that game, Newman fell behind by as many as 16 points, among the worst deficits the Cardinals had faced all year.

It was an unusual feeling for the Cardinals, who have compiled a 28-5 record while rolling through the North Bay League undefeated.

The team is ranked 30th in the state.

Hailey Vice-Neat, whose nickname is Chief, took charge Saturday after Mertle lit a fire under the Cardinals at halftime, when they trailed 34-23.

The 6-foot-3 junior forward scored seven points in a decisive stretch in the third period, when the Cardinals outscored Scotts Valley 16-3 to take a slim 39-37 lead going into the fourth.

Vice-Neat then handed off offensive duties to 6-5 junior center Lauren Walker, who scored 15 of her team-high 21 points in the final quarter en route to the victory.

Sacred Heart will counter Newman’s height with their 6-1 pair of Natalie Zimits, a center, and forward Tatum Angotti, who together snare 14 rebounds a game.

Senior guard Riley Hemm leads the Gators with a 15-point average, followed by forward Ma’ata Makoni, who adds 12 points and eight rebounds a game.

The teams have not played each other this year, so a direct comparison is elusive.

But they have played three common opponents: Menlo School, Eastside College Prep and Scotts Valley.

In what may show an advantage for Newman, the Cardinals won all three games: 62-51 over Menlo, 57-55 over Eastside and the 61-45 win over Scotts Valley on Saturday.

Sacred Heart lost two of three contests: 56-53 to Menlo and 51-43 to Eastside.

The Gators defeated Scotts Valley 52-51 in sectionals.

You can reach Lori A. Carter at 521-5470 or lori.carter@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @loriacarter.