SANTA ROSA, Calif. – The way things started for host and CIF North Coast Section Open
Division No. 4 seed Cardinal Newman, it appeared the Cardinals just didn't have it in their
match-up with fifth-seeded Piedmont and were poised to go down to defeat in the first
round.

However, after trailing 24-17 at the half and missing its first 12 three-point attempts and
nine in the first half, Cardinal Newman (25-3) cranked up its defense in the second half and
turned their game up a notch overall to post a 51-45 victory over fifth-seeded Piedmont.
"It's the playoffs, and nothing comes easy in the playoffs where you're getting everyone's
best effort," remarked Cardinal Newman head coach Monica Mertle. "Both teams have a lot
of young players on the court, there's pressure, there's the newness of playoffs so this type
of game didn't surprise me."

With the win the Cardinals now move on to face top-seeded Acalanes in Lafayette next
Wednesday after the Dons had a bye to advance to the semifinals.

Santa Clara-bound senior sharpshooter Kate Schat didn't connect on any three-pointers, but

she was still the leading scorer in a defensive grinder with 15 points plus three rebounds,
three assists, two steals and a block. Her ball handling in the second half was key in
countering a Piedmont defense that had the Newman offense out of sorts early on with the
Cardinals committing six turnovers in the game's first four minutes. Plus, with Newman
having some difficulty on the free-throw line, including missing all four first quarter
attempts, she was 7-for-8 from the charity stripe, including 4-for-4 in the late third and
fourth quarter when it was key. It must have been infectious since after only going 5-for-10
as a team in the first half, the Cardinals were 8-for-9 after halftime.

Freshman center Saundra Jordan had a rough first half, but she found her groove in the
second half and had 12 of her 14 points and eight of her 12 rebounds in the final two
periods, and eight points and five rebounds in the crucial fourth quarter when the Cardinals
took charge. Jordan also had one of two Newman three-pointers and two blocked shots.

"We challenged her (Jordan) at halftime because we need her inside presence and we have
a lot of confidence in her," said Mertle. "She's a great young player, and I'm going to see her
progress over the next three years and get even better, but right now we're going to enjoy
this win and finish the season strong."

Cardinal Newman led 2-0 but didn't lead again until a 12-4 run culminating in a basket by
sophomore Avery Vinson midway through the third quarter gave Newman a 29-28 lead.
With the score tied 31-31 after a three-pointer by Piedmont senior Brianna Webb, an
unlikely source, freshman reserve Deanna Rock-Salas, connected on a three-pointer, the
first for Newman in the game, and it came with 45 seconds left in the third quarter and
gave the hosts a 34-31 lead they never relinquished.

Two free-throws by Schat gave Newman a 6-0 run to take a 37-31 lead after three quarters.
When Jordan nailed her three-pointer, only her second one of the season, the run was
extended to 13-0 and the Cardinals had a 44-31 lead in the early fourth quarter.
 

At that point, Cardinal Newman had all the momentum, but the young Piedmont quad still
had a little left in the tank. After two free-throws by Schat got the lead to 49-35, Piedmont
went on a 10-0 run to cut it to 49-45 on a basket by freshman Andrea Martin, but that
would be the final tally for the Highlanders as Cardinals sophomore Macie Flores (seven
points, 5-of-6 on free-throws) closed out the scoring with 11.2 seconds left with two free-
throws.

"In the first half I thought they were very physical with us, pushed us off our line and
played great defense, walling us up, and we weren't strong enough with the ball," Mertle
said. "That was part of the reason we weren't scoring," Mertle said.
"So, our big adjustment going into the second half was to get lower with our dribble, attack
through contact and not get pushed off our line by contact, and I thought the girls did a
great job at that," Mertle continued.

The senior leadership of Schat, who no longer is wearing a mask to protect her from a
broken nose she suffered in mid-December, was key in the second half.

"We came out in the second half swinging," Schat remarked. "We were down and obviously
we had to make up that deficit. "Coming out of league I think it's really important that we
wake up and know we're playing some intense basketball now, and I think we'll be ready to
go for the rest of the playoffs."

Both teams have a lot of underclass players, but Piedmont is led by theirs. The top two
players for the Highlanders are freshmen and they were the leading scorers against
Newman. Flashy point guard Jenelle Solis led the way with 12 points, including two three-
pointers, and Martin had 10 points and a game-high 10 rebounds and six steals, but she
was only 2-for-7 on free-throws.

Because the CIFNCS Open format calls for each to get at least a second game if they lose in
the first round, and a guarantee of a third-place game if they win their win in the
quarterfinals, Piedmont (22-5) will now meet sixth-seeded Salesian-Richmond next
Wednesday in the fifth-place game, Salesian was on the short end of an 83-55 final at 
Carondelet-Concord.