STOCKTON — San Ramon Valley left it all on the floor Wednesday night.
But despite coming back from a 16-point first-half deficit, SRV fell just short of completing the comeback as the sixth-seeded Wolves lost at No. 3 St. Mary’s-Stockton 67-61 in the first round of the NorCal Open Division regional. SRV ended the season with a 28-3 record.
Sierra Chambers led the Danville school with 21 points and Sofia Bowes had 19.
Freshman Kori Rogers had a game-high 22 points for St. Mary’s and University of Texas commit Jordan Lee scored 19.
“St. Mary’s has a great coach and is a great basketball team,” SRV coach John Cristiano said. “For us to fight back to within one point and make it a one-possession game is a testament to who these kids are. I told them in the locker room after the game, they don’t have to win to be champions. If I were to define a champion, every one of them would be my champion.”
SRV played St. Mary’s on Dec. 1, losing 53-48. Since then, the Wolves had gone 26-1 until the loss Wednesday.
St. Mary’s looked like it was going to put the rematch away early. The Rams started the first quarter on a 15-2 run, thoroughly pushing around the Wolves at any chance they got. The Rams outrebounded SRV 13-4 and forced five turnovers in the first quarter alone as St. Mary’s held a 17-6 lead after the first eight minutes.
But the tide started to turn in SRV’s favor by the middle of the second quarter. Trailing by 10 with under four minutes left in the first half, SRV caught a break when a St. Mary’s player was called for a technical foul. The Wolves made four free throws to cut the lead to six, putting themselves to within striking distance going into the second half.
The third quarter was defined by Chambers and Bowes’ offensive brilliance. The duo combined for 15 of SRV’s 24 points in that period to make the score 52-49 going into the fourth quarter.
“I knew if we were going to get back in this game, we had to attack the basket,” Chambers said. “Everybody on the team had to just take it to the basket, finish and draw fouls as much as we can.”
SRV continued its momentum into the fourth quarter. At the 2:50 mark, Bowes scored a layup to make the score 60-59 — the closest the Wolves had been since the opening tip.
But after that, St. Mary’s best players made plays to take back control of the game.
Lee had three crucial offensive rebounds in the final minute of the game. One of the second-chance rebounds was followed by a pass to Cassidy Bartolotto, who scored a layup to give St. Mary’s a five-point cushion with under 40 seconds left.
The Wolves couldn’t score fast enough in the final minute and the Rams iced the game at the free-throw line late.
Despite the loss, the mood around SRV after the game was upbeat.
“I think tonight was an accomplishment,” Chambers said. “We all live in the same city and we constantly work hard every day just to play at the highest level. It’s such an honor for all of us and it means a lot to me.”
The Wolves accomplished more than most teams this season. SRV won the East Bay Athletic League title, went to the North Coast Section Open Division championship game and had four players receive all-league honors.
Despite his entire starting five graduating this spring, Cristiano said his seniors have left the program in a good spot for next season.
“The thing I’m proud of from this team has nothing to do with basketball,” Cristiano said. “The thing I’m most proud about is the role models and mentors these players have been to the young players in this program and the kids in this community. It’s their character and integrity that make me the most proud.”
