T-Girls win two in Scott tourney

Petaluma’s girls managed to dig deep for enough late game energy to rally past host Drake, 31-28, in the final round of the Anne Scott Tournament on Saturday afternoon.

The T-Girls battled shooting woes for the second consecutive contest by scoring only three points in the third quarter to fall behind, 24-17. Many of their missed efforts came on shots from short distance.

Finally, things began to fall into place when guards Jenna Teagarden and Cassie Baddeley connected on back-to-back 3-point shots in the final period to give Petaluma renewed life, and the T-Girl bench exploded with renewed enthusiasm.

A full court press clearly bothered Drake down the stretch and the T-Girls took a one-point lead at 29-28 on a shot by forward Joelle Krist with less than two minutes to play.

After an exchange of ball possessions, Drake failed to convert on the offensive end, but the Lady Pirates had to foul to force free throw opportunities by the T-Girls. The only trouble was that Drake had only two fouls with less than 30 seconds remaining.

Four quick fouls put the Pirates in position to send Petaluma to the line, but the T-Girls tossed the ball deep into the back court from the baseline to a streaking Krist, who connected on the game-clinching lay-in at the final buzzer.

Krist topped the Petaluma offense with 13 points and pulled down a team high 11 rebounds.

Teagarden had some moments of good floor play to go along with six points as the T-Girls improved to 2-1 for the season. Baddeley again went to the floor to grab a couple of loose balls down the stretch to give her team more offensive opportunities.

Sophomore Laura Keleman rimmed nine points for the Lady Pirates, who lost for the first time in the round robin tournament.

San Dominico completed a perfect three-game run through the tournament with a 48-29 victory over St. Patrick-St. Vincent.

First loss

A combination of a tight San Dominico man-to-man defense and the inability of Petaluma to connect on countless shot opportunities led to a 48-24 loss for the T-Girls on Friday.

It was a night of frustration for Petaluma after Cassie Baddeley gave the team its only lead with the second of two free throws early in the first period. From that point on, it was a major struggle.

The T-Girls scored only two field goals in the first period and none in the second as they went over 13 minutes without connecting on a field goal. By then, the issue had been decided.

San Dominico, a very well drilled Division 5 power, led 23-8 at intermission, with Petaluma relegated to many off balance outside shots. The center was clogged by 6-foot, 3-inch Lady Panther center Amanit Oladinjoye, who blocked three shots in the early going and altered many other attempts.

Senior guards Rachelle Nagler and Elzah Bernstein rimmed 15 points each to pace San Dominico (2-0). Nagler was 9 for 11 from the free throw line.

It will be the final season of coaching for veteran Panther coach Mike Fulton, who will move on to construct a boys program at the San Anselmo school beginning next year. Fulton, who led Branson to a couple of state titles in Division 5 play, will have a strong contender again this season before he moves on. Last season, Oladinjoye was injured during the North Coast Section playoffs.

Scoring was at a premium for Petaluma, with Baddeley leading the way with five points in limited playing time. The T-Girls were saddled with foul problems most of the way, and closed out the game with a full team of reserves.

Krist finally broke the scoring drought for Petaluma with a driving lay-up in the third stanza. In addition to her four points, Krist was a force on the boards with eight rebounds.

Sophomore Amy Ferrick got some late-game minutes for Petaluma, and connected on the only 3-point shot of the night for the T-Girls.

First win

Petaluma opened the regular season in the first round of the tournament with a hard earned 51-49 victory over St. Patrick-St. Vincent of Vallejo. The T-Girls maintained a narrow margin all the way and clinched the proceedings with clutch closing baskets by Allison Scranton and Olivia Baldwin.

St. Vincent-St. Patrick got one last 3-pointer at the buzzer by Alyssa Sanderson, but the game was out of reach.

The winning Petaluma club held a commanding advantage on the boards with Allison Scranton (16), Krist (13), and Baddeley (8) allowing the Lady Bulldogs only one look on each ball possession. Baddeley was particularly effective in the final stanza when she grabbed three loose balls and a pair of rebounds.

Foul problems in the late going help keep the Lady Bulldogs close, and it didn’t surprise coach Janelle Lombardi-Bonella, who received her first win as Petaluma head coach. “We have been working on man defense, and got ourselves into an early hole in our pre-season games,” she said before the game. “The girls did it again in the foundation game with Rancho.

“It’s a concern. We can’t go too deep,” said Lombardi-Bonella.

The persistent Lady Bulldogs went to the foul line 10 times in the fourth quarter and converted seven times to stay in the hunt. Overall St. Patrick-St. Vincent shot 19 times from the charity stripe.

Scranton and Krist opened their senior year by combining for 25 points around the painted area. Baldwin chipped in with 11 points.

Sophomore guard Emily O’Keefe came off the bench to give the T-Girls a shot in the arm with a pair of shots from outside the arc.

The Lady Bulldogs (1-1) opened the campaign with a victory over Berean Christian. St. Patrick-St. Vincent plays in the very highly rated Tri-County Rock League in the East Bay.

Salena Coile, who averaged nine points as a sophomore last season, finished with 15 points to lead all scorers.