Postseason journey over as Cardinal Newman girls lose in NorCal basketball playoffs

STOCKTON - Arie Searcy pulled up from Steph Curry distance, and with Steph Curry swagger buried a long 3-pointer just before the third-quarter buzzer.

As her teammates on the Cardinal Newman girls bench rose to their feet to celebrate, it appeared to be a reaction from a team on the brink of a state title, not one which had suffered a devastating 22-0 run to open the game.

But in a year of loss, pain and resurrection, it was only fitting that these Cardinals found their bliss in basketball in the hardest times.

No. 7-seeded Newman’s superb season came to a close Friday night with a 66-37 loss at second-seeded St. Mary’s in a CIF NorCal Open Division quarterfinal contest in Stockton.

The Rams (27-2) held the Cardinals (27-6) without a point for the first 10 minutes, 46 seconds of the contest and led 34-9 at the half.

Still, Newman played with urgency and confidence.

The Cardinals and Rams split the third quarter at 18 points each, and guard Maiya Flores exploded for 14 of her game-high 17 points in the second half. Flores hit a 3 near the final buzzer, giving a bittersweet high five to Anya Choice before wrapping Avery Cargill in a hug.

“This group has great heart, and they’ve been through a lot,” Newman coach Monica Mertle said. “They’ve stuck together the whole time. They love to play.

“We find our joy through playing, and one another. And they’ve truly done that, from start to finish.”

Cardinal Newman’s campus was ravaged by the Tubbs fire in October, and it took three months of repairs and rebuilding before students could return.

“Everyone’s been affected, and people have been affected to different degrees. It’s been hard, but thankfully, we have one another,” Mertle said. “Thankfully, we have an opportunity to play basketball.”

The Cardinals reflected Mertle’s words throughout the season, even in the opening months when the campus was closed.

Newman was the outright North Bay League champion after a 14-0 run, and the North Coast Section’s Division 3 runner-up to Salesian College Prep of Richmond.

“The whole season has been about proving ourselves,” said Searcy, one of four seniors on the roster. “For us to be here, in the Open Division again… we made our statement.”

Cargill made a pair of one-and-one free throws with 5:14 left in the second quarter for Newman’s first points.

The Cardinals came out on fire after the half, going on a 13-7 run after two 3s from Flores and another from Choice. That 19-point deficit was as close as Newman would come, as St. Mary’s Nicole Young banked in a 3 and the tide turned again.

“We dug ourselves a hole. The score in the second half was 32-28 (St. Mary’s),” Mertle said with a smile. “We lost the second half by four. We would’ve at least had a chance to win the game” if not for the opening run.

“We were just maybe a little (stunned) to start. Maybe some nerves.”

Searcy agreed.

“It was definitely the nerves of the playoffs,” she said.

Searcy, whose younger sister Brin is sophomore on the Cardinals’ bench, grabbed a game-high 16 rebounds. Choice added nine points.

Newman earned a rare road win against St. Mary’s a year ago, when the Rams were without current stars Aquira DeCosta (Baylor signee) and Ariel Johnson (Florida signee), and alumna Naje Murray (San Diego State guard).

With a chance for revenge, and a clean slate of health, the Rams made the Cardinals pay on Friday.

“I watched that film and it made me sick. I was disgusted. And it scared me,” St. Mary’s coach Tom Gonsalves said. “I wasn’t taking (Newman) lightly at all. I was concerned going in.”

St. Mary’s will host No. 6 Pinewood of Los Altos Hills in the Open Division semifinal game on Tuesday in Stockton.

Newman, which returns two starters in Choice and Cargill, can continue to heal with its school and community and be proud of what it’s accomplished.

“It’s been hard,” said Mertle, “but thankfully, we have one another.”