GVBB fall 37-35 to La Sierra

The Cate girls varsity basketball team returned to the CIF-SS playoffs for the first time since 2023, hosting La Sierra High School in a hard-fought home matchup.

We played our hearts out.

From the opening tip, this was a battle between two evenly matched, determined teams. La Sierra jumped out early behind two quick buckets from sophomore Kyla Matthews, one from outside and one on a layup, as we adjusted from our full-court pressure into half-court zone defense.

Our ball movement in the first half was phenomenal. Skips, rotations, inside-out action. We were in sync. Senior Emerson Evans scored four of her eight total points while being fouled repeatedly in the first quarter, and sophomore Maree Hawkins had ten of her team’s high fourteen in the first half. Yet after eight minutes, the score was tied, foreshadowing how tightly contested the rest of the game would be.

Early in the second quarter, La Sierra went on a run. Matthews scored eight straight to give them a 20 to 14 lead, but this is where our growth shined. We did not fold. We did not lose our fight. Instead, we responded with seven unanswered points, reclaiming a 21 to 20 lead going into halftime.

Both teams came out of the break defensively fierce, holding each other scoreless for the first four minutes of the third quarter. Then came two of our best assist-to-bucket sequences of the season. Senior Jasper Shelmerdine drove and kicked to senior Maia Holmes at the elbow for a beautiful midrange jumper, and later Holmes hit Evans on a cross-key cut with a perfectly timed bounce pass. Those plays helped build a 27 to 22 Rams lead.

Shelmerdine was huge on the offensive glass all night, grabbing six rebounds and creating crucial second chances. Late in the third, she added a baseline bucket to give Cate its largest lead at 29 to 22 with 90 seconds left in the quarter.

Our defense was relentless. La Sierra did not score their first field goal of the second half until 1:10 left in the third, which gave the Rams a 29 to 24 lead going into the final quarter.

Unfortunately, foul trouble became a major storyline. Holmes picked up her fifth foul with 3:45 left in the fourth, and the quarter’s foul count tilted sharply. Despite that, the Rams kept competing.

La Sierra tied the game at 29 early in the fourth, but sophomore Chelsea Newlove answered immediately with a transition outside shot to put Cate back up 32 to 29. Hawkins continued attacking downhill, drawing contact and converting at the line to regain a one-point edge. The lead changed hands again, and with 1:28 remaining, La Sierra went up two on free throws, the final points of the game.

Down the stretch, we generated quality looks. Hawkins drove for a strong finish attempt, Evans had a clean jumper, and sophomore Sloan Harwell made a sharp cut to the rim off a great pass from Hawkins. The shots simply did not fall. La Sierra secured multiple offensive rebounds in the fourth, and in a game where every possession mattered, those second chances proved decisive in the final few minutes.

It is hard not to feel the weight of a game decided by a handful of possessions and a significant foul disparity.

What was clear, however, was that our players showed resilience, composure, and growth. We managed pressure for all 32 minutes. We defended fiercely. We moved the ball beautifully. We battled back every time we were tested. And we did not look like a team that had played ten fewer games than our opponent, or like a team for which nine of our 14 players are ninth and tenth graders.

I could not be prouder of this group. We competed fiercely (our word of the night), fought together, and finished the season playing our most unselfish and tough basketball of the year. Sometimes the scoreboard does not tell the whole story.

Thank you to our incredible seniors Emerson Evans, Maia Holmes, and Jasper Shelmerdine. When we needed leadership most, these three women rose to the moment with courage, grit, and heart. It has been such a gift to witness their growth, not just as athletes and basketball players, but as people. I am always sad when a season ends, knowing our time together as a team has come to a close. But these three have left a lasting legacy of courage, toughness, and team spirit that will carry forward long after last night’s final buzzer.

Thank you as well for the outstanding community support last night and throughout the season. The atmosphere was inspiring and created such a meaningful experience for every athlete and coach involved. We truly appreciate the support more than you know.