GIRLS BASKETBALL: SI Downs Tigers in CCS Semis

The Score: SI 89, Terra Nova 70.

The Star: Terra Nova High wing Ivonne CookTaylor delivered a sensational performance against an elite opponent in her team’s defeat in the Central Coast Section Division III semifinals at Aptos High. The junior, who is receiving a slew of recruiting attention from colleges, exploded for a career-high 36 points and 23 rebounds against top-seeded St. Ignatius on Wednesday night.

The Turning Point: Terra Nova (24-5) weathered the Wildcats’ 27-point first quarter to stay within seven points at halftime, impressively beating a trap defense with an effective (if turnover-prone) fast break. But then St. Ignatius (22-6) switched to a zone defense and limited the fourth-seeded Tigers to 10 points in the third period to take a commanding 66-47 lead.

The Quote: “They’re going to be judged on high standards as seniors. And people are going to be looking for more than a (Peninsula Athletic League) championship. These girls should be looking for a CCS championship. … We have to get better. … You could see it in their eyes. ‘We got ourselves here, but how do we get ourselves over the top?’ … It’s going to take another hard schedule. Hopefully, this is a stepping stone.” – Tigers coach Kareem Summerville, on the expectations for his elite junior class next year as seniors and the enormous challenge that is navigating the minefield of West Catholic Athletic League powers to win a CCS title.

What’s Next? Terra Nova’s season is finished.

The Bottom Line: The Tigers are still not quite as good as the best WCAL teams. An excellent argument can be made that Terra Nova, No. 3 in , is the top public school program in the entire section this year. But the Tigers fall in a CCS bracket that always includes multiple WCAL powerhouses, and unless they can find a way to top those teams, they won’t win their first section championship since 1997. … Terra Nova is at a big disadvantage come the postseason because it plays in the PAL. It’s impossible to simulate the speed and execution of program like SI in practice. The Tigers played a very strong non-league schedule, but hadn’t seen an opponent of SI’s caliber in several weeks. … Terra Nova, which has won the PAL tournament the last three years, did take a step forward after suffering a blowout loss to Notre Dame in the CCS Division III quarterfinals last year. … On Wednesday, the Tigers suffered in the post without the services of one of their starters, who was ineligible due to grades. St. Ignatius took advantage, crisply executing its offense until its guards were matched up against Terra Nova’s freshman and sophomore post players. Three Wildcat perimeter players combined for 54 points. … CookTaylor, already being pursued by several prominent Division I colleges, likely kicked her recruitment to a whole different level with her semifinal masterpiece. She made 17 field goals on a variety of jumpers and layups, and matched the season-high 23 rebounds she recorded in a quarterfinal win over Mills on Saturday. CookTaylor’s previous-best point total was 24, set in the PAL tournament championship. On Wednesday, she had her fourth 20-plus rebound game of the season. But she had never before managed a 20-20 game (nevermind 30-20). … Fellow junior star Terilyn Moe, however, was held to a season-low seven points, making just two field goals. Moe, another top recruit and a guard who broke the school’s career scoring record two weeks ago, entered averaging 22.3 points and had scored less than 16 points just once this year (and never less than 13).

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St. Ignatius 89, Terra Nova 70

TN – 19 18 10 23 -- 70

SI – 27 17 22 23 -- 89

TN: CookTaylor 17 2-5 36, Alapati 4 3-4 13, Moe 2 3-4 7, Tauala 4 4-4 12, Smathers 0 1-2 1. Totals: 27 13-19 70.

SI: Wesolek 1 0-0 2, Gong 9 5-9 23, Ward 2 0-0 6, Crawley 7 2-3 16, Legarza 8 8-9 24, Kemiji-McDonald 1 1-2 3, Hom 0 1-2 1, Avila 6 2-5 14. Totals: 34 19-30 89.

3-point goals: TN: Alapati 3. SI: Ward 2.

Records: Terra Nova 24-5. St. Ignatius 22-6.