Marin Catholic makes key shots down the stretch, has trio of double-digit scorers lead them past Justin-Siena in Northern California Regional final
By Kyle Foster, photo courtesy of Eric Thompson (Shamboozled.com)
Twitter/X: @NapaKyle @NapaSportsNews
Kentfield-When you get a pair of evenly-matched teams, the game is going to come down to little things and making key shots.
In Tuesday night’s CIF Division 3 Northern California Regional final, this is what No. 3 seed Marin Catholic did as they beat No. 4 Justin-Siena, 65-54, in a game played at The Freitas Memorial Gymnasium.
The Wildcats (25-11) put the game away thanks to a massive fourth quarter in which they outscored Justin-Siena 21-9. They also made key shots when the game seemed to be on the verge of changing momentum. They also made 10 shots from the three-point line in the game.
“Quite frankly, they made more shots,” Justin-Siena head coach Andy Bettencourt said of the keys in the game. “I don’t know many three they hit. It had to be more than 10. When they have a night like that, it’s just hard. Our kids made plays too, but they just made a few more.”
Marin Catholic also went on a 7-0 run in the final minutes, which gave them a 64-54 lead and all but put the game away.
It also helped that the Wildcats had a trio of scorers in double figures that made their offense hard to stop. Leading them all was Izzy McFadden. The senior once again finished with a team-high 16 points. McFadden scored 10 points in the first half and made a pair of shots from beyond the arc.
Also adding 16 points in the game was Brooke Spagnulo. She scored 8 points in each half as well.
But the difference maker in the game for the Wildcats was Sienna Frazier. She finished with 14 points and made key shot after key shot when it mattered. She also made 4 three-pointers in the game.
“She was awesome,” Bettencourt pointed out. “It felt like every time she was open, she didn’t even hit the rim. When you’re trying to guard other players because they’ve been their leading scorers, and they have a player do what she did tonight, it makes a difference, and you have to give her credit, she shot it with confidence. She didn’t hesitate, and she sent them to a state championship game.”
Others scoring for Marin Catholic in the game were Cecelia Biernat (8 points), Simone Claxton (6 points), and Jocelyn Gigounas (5 points).
The Braves (30-4) were led by Jordan Washington. In her final high school game, she ended with a game-high 19 points, 8 rebounds, and 4 blocked shots. Washington did more of her damage in the second half where she scored 11 points. She was perfect at the free throw line going 5 of 5 there.
“Our goal tonight was to try to pass the ball a little bit more we felt like last time we got too stagnant against them, and it helped their defense, and I thought we did that,” Bettencourt said of getting Washington going out of the break. “I thought we moved the ball better. I thought we were able to reverse it and get Jordan some opportunities, and also she went and made plays. And when you get Jordan the ball, she can go make plays, and that’s why she’s gonna go down as one of the best players in school history.”
Washington leaves Justin-Siena as one of the top players in program history. She holds numerous records and is a two-time VVAL Player of the Year in her four years as a varsity starter.
“I think with Jordan, I think the number one thing I think about is how Greg Popovich felt about Tim Duncan and how Steve Kerr feels about Steph Curry. She wants to be coached,” Bettencourt explained of Washington and her mark on the team. “She is the most humble player of her stature that I’ve ever met. She wants her teammates’ success more than she wants hers. But yet, she’s so competitive and so driven. She worked so hard on her game, but she wanted to be coached. She didn’t shy away from me calling her out in front of the team. She wanted that. She wanted to lead. She got better every single year.”
Lauren Keller added 18 points and 3 rebounds. She scored 11 points in the first half, with 7 of those coming in the first quarter. The junior also made 2 of 5 free throws in the game.
Others scoring for Justin-Siena in the game were Naveena Jackson (6 points, 5 rebounds), Caiden Grimmer (5 points, 2 rebounds), Dylan Zapolski (4 points, 3 rebounds), and Mady Carson (2 points).
With this game, a magical season comes to an end for Justin-Siena. They will graduate 9 seniors from this group. Those returning next year will be Zapolski, Keller, Grimmer, Kayden Coloma, and Caroline Jonas next winter.
“I think obviously people are going to look at the record and championships and all that. It’s not what I’m going to remember,” Bettencourt explained. “I’m going to remember how tight of a group they were. I’m going to remember how connected they were. I’m going to remember what amazing kids they are. This was just such a special group.”
This senior group also changed the look of the program from floundering around .500 to winning and being in big-time games.
“We just talked about it the two years before these seniors showed up we were a combined 14-26,” Bettencourt added. “In their junior and senior years, we were a combined 55-11. That’s a change, and they did that through their change of culture. They did that through their effort. They put everything they had into this team and up and down the roster, and those nine seniors forever hold a special place in this school’s history, not just because of the accomplishments, because of who they are.”
Meanwhile, Marin Catholic advances to the CIF Division 3 final on Friday at 4 pm at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento where they will face Mater Dei Catholic of San Diego.
