Santa Rosa girls steal win over Montgomery

Wed. January 18, 2012 at 10:55 p.m. | By Michael Coit

Katie Daly, right, drives against Montgomery in a game from 2011. (Photo by CRISTA JEREMIASON / The Press Democrat file photo, 2011)

By MICHAEL COIT
THE PRESS DEMOCRAT

Two swift steals, two sure shots and one big Santa Rosa girls’ basketball win Wednesday in the waning seconds at Montgomery.
Trailing by eight points, Santa Rosa shut down Montgomery and came back on a clutch deep shot, a pair of free throws, a rebound follow basket, and capped the run with Brittany Boitano’s only make on the night for the 46-45 victory.

Boitano forced a steal leading to Anitra Romelli’s score to pull the Panthers within a point. After fouling the Vikings, point guard Katie Daly snagged a steal on the inbounds pass and found Boitano in the key for the game-winning floater.

“It seemed everybody stepped up this game,” said Daly, who led the Panthers with 14 points. “We played hard all night. We really wanted this.”

For the Vikings, the game marked an improvement on defense, but another missed opportunity at home.

“We kind of slipped and allowed them back in,” said Ashlee Wilson, who topped all players with 15 points. “You have to make the most of every minute in the game.”

Coming off a pair of losses, Santa Rosa practiced hard for the cross-town rivalry game. The Panthers’ determination was apparent in out-rebounding Montgomery by double digits and forcing twice as many steals.

The hustle helped overcome stretches of poor shooting and Montgomery’s success in stifling leading scorer Hannah Sourek, who with Daly are the only returning starters from a year ago.

“We’re beginning to gel. It’s still a work in progress, but we’re getting there,” said Santa Rosa coach Steve Chisholm.
Montgomery, also young in varsity experience, was the sharper squad in the first half.

The trio of Wilson, guard Chantal Evett and center Claire Donnelly led an efficient offense that forged a pair of seven-point leads in the first two periods. Each showed confidence in driving for scores and poise in pulling up for baskets, often after a teammate’s extra pass.

“We really had to come out and trust each other. That’s something we’ve been focusing on,” Wilson said.

Rushed shots and an inability to take advantage of second and third scoring chances off rebounds hurt Santa Rosa. Inside passing and drawing fouls on shots — Santa Rosa was 13 of 14 on free throws — helped the Panthers come back.

“We were definitely moving the ball better. We need to work on penetrating more,” Daly said.

An eight-point run gave Santa Rosa its first lead, early in the second quarter, and the Panthers closed to within four points at the half with Kendra Newton hitting two 3-pointers. She had 11 points for the game.

Both defenses were tighter in denying passing lanes and contesting shots in the second half.

A three-point play from Sourek tied the game at 33. Wilson answered with a deep score following a Vikings free throw to end the third quarter.

Another inside basket on a sure pass to Sourek tied the game at 37. Then the Vikings ran off eight straight, the last on a 3-pointer from Victoria Diab.

While the Vikings wouldn’t score again, the Panthers controlled the boards, forced steals and found their shooting touch when it counted most.