English
Español
Sacrifice comes with the jersey at St. Mary’s.
Two players went from starting on last year’s CIF State regional final runner-up to coming off the bench. Others would start anywhere else in the section. And everyone — everyone — gives up shots.
The motto from day one said it best: “Sometimes you, sometimes me, always us.”
It’s the very reason coach Alle Moreno gets choked up talking about this team.
And it’s the reason St. Mary’s girls basketball claimed CIF Sac-Joaquin Section title No. 23.
In the first CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Division I final between two women head coaches, No. 1 St. Mary’s overwhelmed defending champion No. 6 McClatchy with relentless pressure, forcing 27 turnovers in a 65-47 rout Friday, Feb. 28, at Golden 1 Center.
“I thought we were just being a little handsy and undisciplined,” Moreno said. “It takes us a while to adjust to refs who don’t necessarily love all that pressure, and we fought it a little too long tonight — bright lights, wanting it bad. But I thought we came out really disciplined in the second half and did what we needed to do. It’s who we are. We pressure.
“Kudos to the girls for rotating, believing and doing what they’ve done all season.”
Two St. Mary's freshmen set the tone. Aynya Hardy finished with 21 points, four assists, no turnovers and eight steals, while Dylan Horton followed with 18.
"They're phenomenal," Moreno said. "They they work really hard. They're great kids. They support their teammates. I can't say enough. I'm sure the stat sheet probably shows it. They have also learned from really good leaders."
Hardy added, “I take pride in my defense, and it’s a big part of my game. Picking up three fouls did hold me back a little because I had to play smart. But in the third quarter, I realized I just had to stay on my feet, slide, time the ball and get the steal.”
Those leaders showed up, too. Kori Rogers finished with 12 points, six rebounds and three steals. Oregon State commit Evelini Smith added seven points and five rebounds, while Mia Jamias chipped in six points with two threes.
Junior Giada Coldani also contributed seven rebounds in 14 minutes to lead St. Mary’s.
“We go through hardships every day,” Rogers said. “Our practices are intense, and we really compete. But this is what we wanted. I’ve told everyone to keep the main thing the main thing. This is what we came here for — to compete. And that’s what we did.”
McClatchy, which knocked St. Mary’s out in the semifinals a year ago, was led by Daisy Throckmorton with 19 points. London Lee also scored 19.
“I’m surrounded by greatness with our coaches,” Smith said. “They put so much preparation into the scout, and having mentors like that really helps. Playing with talented teammates means if I’m not able to step up, someone else fills that role. I think that showed tonight. It feels good to be back here."
'A little handsy and undisciplined'
It wasn’t going to be pretty early. Not in the first quarter, maybe not even in the second.
But it was coming.
From the opening tip, St. Mary’s applied full-court pressure.
Horton picked off a pass. Hardy grabbed her first. Rogers turned another takeaway into a midrange jumper, pushing the lead to 9-3.
Even with the whistles and seven fouls, Horton dropped 10 points, and six forced turnovers — two from Hardy — helped St. Mary’s take a 21-14 lead into the second.
“We’re all so close, and we’re all best friends,” Horton said. “We hang out at school every day. We’ve really learned each other, and we know how to bring out the best in one another.”
The physical play only intensified.
Smith stretched it to nine, but Hardy — after swiping two more passes — picked up her third foul in the closing seconds. She and McClatchy freshman London Lee had been locked in a back-and-forth all half, trading words and physical play.
“We did talk a little bit, but it’s all love,” Hardy said. “She’s a good player. We’re friends off the court. It’s just that competitiveness.”
By halftime, the lead was trimmed to 33-30.
“We were in a good spot,” Rogers said. “We just had to adjust — move better offensively, adjust to the officials and pressure in a smarter way. It was about discipline. Taking pride, not backing down, but being smart about it.”
'Running our defense correctly'
Steals aren’t the goal. Executing the defense is.
McClatchy didn’t score for the first three minutes of the third, and St. Mary’s seized control.
Up 35-33, the run began.
Hardy knocked down an elbow jumper. Horton crossed over right to left, dropping her defender. Hardy swatted a 3-pointer into the third row, then came up with her fifth steal.
The momentum shifted for good.
St. Mary’s closed the quarter on a 14-2 run, allowing just five points in the period, and forced 18 turnovers in the second half.
“We just contained better,” Moreno said. “We didn’t worry about getting the actual steal. We focused on running our defense correctly, and our back row did a spectacular job of taking away the next passes. We had our hands up. It was what we practice — not just riding someone down the court.”
'Stay on my feet, slide, time the ball and get the steal'
Five steals weren’t enough. Eleven points weren’t either.
With three fouls forcing her to play cautiously in the third, Hardy decided it was time to get back to herself.
A true disruptor.
“That’s my little sis,” Rogers said. “She’s great defensively and great offensively. It kind of reminds me of my freshman year when Jordan Lee was here — me stepping up and taking a freshman under my wing. It’s great. We’re really close. Seeing her succeed reminds me of myself a little.”
Horton opened the scoring in the fourth quarter with a 3-pointer from the right wing.
After that, it was Hardy’s show.
A drive and double-clutch finish. Another layup. An offensive rebound turned into two more points. Another steal.
Still not enough.
Another steal near the Kings logo, taken coast to coast. Then another takeaway — her eighth steal — and a slick pass to Horton.
With 24 seconds left, Hardy finished it with one more layup.
A fitting finish that reflected both her game and St. Mary’s identity.
“This is what we wanted,” Rogers said. “To see our progress — it’s great. We’ll enjoy this for 24 hours, but this was just one step. The bigger goal is state. It’s about taking it one game and one practice at a time. We’ll get there.”
This article originally appeared on The Record: St. Mary's girls basketball claims 23rd section title over McClatchy