Carondelet ends drought, stuns San Ramon Valley for NCS Open crown

DUBLIN – With a North Coast Section Open Division championship at stake, there was certainly no shortage of motivation Saturday night at Dublin High.

Carondelet’s girls’ basketball team, though, rode some extra incentive to a heart-stopping 50-49 victory over rival San Ramon Valley.

The East Bay Athletic League champion Wolves (25-4) had won the previous nine meetings between the teams, dating to January 2023. The final two games in the streak had come this season, 58-48 Jan. 9 at Carondelet and 70-49 in the Feb. 13 EBAL playoff title matchup.

The Cougars (25-5) remembered.

“Definitely beating San Ramon,” Carondelet junior Janel Nevares said when asked which was bigger, claiming the section banner or getting past the Wolves. “We’ve lost to them for so many years. Now that we’ve finally beaten them, it just feels like all that work, everything we’ve done at practice, all those long hours have finally paid off.

“Beating San Ramon has been our top goal this entire season. We’re just glad we could do it for our seniors.”

There might yet be another chapter to write this season. Both teams are expected to be in the Open Division for the upcoming CIF Northern California championships.

“I think we’ll play them again next week,” Wolves coach John Cristiano said. “So, we’ll be at their gym. We’ve won a lot of times there. It will be another great game.”

While elation poured for the Cougars, tears flowed from multiple San Ramon players exiting their post-game locker room.

Despite enduring a 14-0 blitz at the outset of the second quarter that produced a 12-point Carondelet advantage, the Wolves persevered to gain a one-point lead early in the third quarter. A 13-5 spurt put the Cougars back on top, but San Ramon forged a 45-45 tie on an Ella Gunderson 3-point field goal with 4:18 left.

Back-to-back driving layups by freshman Maleika Brown gave Carondelet the lead for good, though the Wolves had two opportunities to steal a victory in the waning seconds. SRV just missed draining a 3-point shot from the left corner with six seconds left, and couldn’t bury an off-balance shot under the basket after stealing an inbounds pass just before time expired.

“To have the last shot in the corner, one of our best shooters, and just have it kind of rim out – we usually make those,” Cristiano said. “We always talk about we want the last shot in the game. We got exactly what we wished for. This time it didn’t go. That’s OK. I’m super proud of the girls. They will respond very well.

“And that’s just a testament to Alyssa. She works her (tail) off. She never gives up. Not many teams would have been able to even get that ball, even have a shot at it, but she’s a hard worker. She tried her best.”

Gunderson, San Ramon’s standout junior, led all scorers with 22 points. Niylah Christopher topped a balanced Carondelet attack with 15. Brown added 13 and Layla Dixon 10.

“I said this when we lost to them how many other times,” Cougars coach Kelly Sopak said. “When you can beat a great team – and they are that, an elite high school basketball team nationally – it is very rewarding.”