Cardinal Newman girls trounce foes in NCS playoff opener

One might look at Heritage High School's girls basketball roster and, noting the 6-foot-2 and 6-foot-3 post players, assume the Patriots would completely dominate in the paint.

Cardinal Newman's defense proved that theory wrong early in the Cardinals' 54-31 first-round North Coast Section Open Division victory Thursday night in Santa Rosa.

The No. 3-seeded Cardinals allowed just six offensive rebounds to the taller No. 6 Patriots, hustling to balls first and boxing out the Patriots' bigs.

Newman won with relentless defense and aggressiveness on the boards, offensively and defensively.

“Our post defense was phenomenal,” Newman coach Monica Mertle said. “We talked about boxing out and we talked about being physical. We did a fantastic job on the boards.”

Anya Choice led the Cardinals with 18 points, despite sitting out some of the action after picking up her second personal foul in the first quarter.

Christina Bacci added 11 points, including three 3-pointers, while Liz Chambers added seven points and Emma Nordby six.

Aysia Dural and Chambers each grabbed eight rebounds for Newman.

The Patriots, 10-0 and five-time consecutive winners of the Bay Valley League, finished 21-6 on the year.

Newman, now 27-2, advances to play No. 2 Salesian at Pinole Valley High School at 6 p.m. Wednesday in the NCS semifinal game. Salesian, of Richmond, is 25-3 and ranked ninth in the state by MaxPreps.

Heritage coach Rob Ocon said his team had become less of an outside shooting team this year, relying on a high-low passing game to take advantage of towering sisters Abigail and Amanda Muse, the 6-footers. Abigail, a senior, surpassed the 1,000-point and 1,000-rebound mark this year for Heritage. Her freshman sister is also a starter.

But Newman neutralized both girls, holding Amanda to just two points and Abigail to a team-high 15 - six of which came in the fourth quarter, when the Cardinals let out a little rope to the Patriots. After a close first quarter -Newman led 11-10 - the Cardinals found their groove.

Mariah Harris hit a three-point shot to begin a 9-2 run by Newman.

The Cardinals held the Patriots to just three points in the second quarter, building a commanding 26-13 lead by halftime.

The Patriots threw too many errant passes and missed too many layups while the Cardinals stifled them from getting any momentum in the period.

When Heritage did manage to score, Newman answered bigger and louder. The Cardinals didn't allow consecutive baskets by Heritage until the beginning of the fourth quarter, when the Patriots scored five unanswered points and held Newman scoreless for just over four minutes.

Choice, a senior guard, is the first Cardinal Newman player to top the 2,000-career-points mark. The four-year varsity player is committed to play for the UC Santa Barbara Gauchos.

Thursday, she scored her team's first six points before being called for her second personal foul late in the first period. Mertle subbed her out.

“Anya was a little disappointed with two early fouls and was probably mad at herself,” Mertle said. “We sat her for a bit. She was begging to go back in. I told her, ‘You need to be smart.' She said ‘I will.'

“Those are times you just have to trust in your senior.”

Mertle's trust was well-placed. Choice didn't pick up another foul, scoring eight points in the second half.

The game marked a milestone for the successful Newman girls basketball program.

In hosting the game, the Cardinals played in the first NCS Open Division game in any sport in Sonoma County, Mertle said.

“I'm extremely proud to bring a game of this caliber to Sonoma County,” she said.

This is the first year the North Coast Section has had an Open Division for girls basketball. Newman was in Division 3 for the NCS tournament last year while Heritage, a large public school in Brentwood, was in D1.

Heritage and Newman both played in the D1 state tournament last year.

“It's really important for this city,” Mertle said. “To have all these future college basketball players in this game is special.”

You can reach Staff Writer Lori A. Carter at 707-521-5470 or lori.carter@pressdemocrat.com.