St. Mary's-Berkeley on rise after upset over Berkeley

MORAGA, Calif. - Heed the warning of St. Mary's (Berkeley) forward Shannon Mauldin, who scored a game-high 21 points in a 54-49 upset win over the state's 10th-ranked Berkeley Yellowjackets (14-2) on Saturday night.

"Everybody better watch out once we get Gabby (Green) and Taylor (Berry) back," said the 6-foot senior following the premier game of the Campolindo Shootout in Moraga.

Indeed, this was just supposed to be a barometer game for St. Mary's in a match-up of intense city rivals, top programs and defending Northern California champions.

The Panthers (12-6) have steadily improved since learning to play without Green, a 6-foot-1 sophomore point guard who is arguably the best all-around player in the Bay Area.

She broke her ankle in July and hasn't played a minute all season but is expected to be cleared to play next week.

Berry, a 5-11 sophomore starting guard, has missed all but three games with a foot injury. She too should be ready by the postseason.

St. Mary's, which lost by 45 to No. Carondelet-Concord on Dec. 22 and by 33 to St. Mary's-Stockton on Jan. 7, has improved rapidly at all spots and showed that during a nearly flawless first quarter while scoring a season-high 26 points, 12 by Mauldin and six each from 6-foot sophomore Mikayla Cowling and 5-10 junior Elexis Goodwin.

The Panthers struggled managed just 16 points over the next two quarters as Berkeley, which got 11 points from Racheal Howard and 10 from Jasmin Guinn, clamped down defensively.

But St. Mary's never relinquished the lead thanks largely to the interior work of Cowlings (14 points, 10 rebounds) and Goodwin (11 points, 18 rebounds). Berkeley didn't help itself by going 3 of 12 from the foul line. St. Mary's was 20-for-30.

"Everyone has underestimated us because of a couple bad games," Mauldin said. "Everyone's guard is down. But we're coming together at just the right time."

Green, who was in a red St. Mary's warm-up but sporting nearly knee-high Ugg boots, sat intensely behind the Panthers' bench throughout. She's done so throughout the season.

She yelled encouragement throughout.

"It's real hard watching, but tonight it was much easier because everyone came out and played so well," Green said. "This has been the seven longest months of my life and I can't wait to get back."

Berkeley, winners of a Northern California record 10 titles, gallantly tried to get back in after falling behind behind by double-digits in the first quarter. Arizona State-bound senior point guard Elisha Davis made some stellar interior passes and played superb defenses, but she missed four straight free throws and managed just seven points, six below her season average.

Twice, the Yellowjackets closed to within one, 42-41 with 5:00 to play on a jumper by Janee Gooden.

But Mauldin scored on a layup, Cowling eventually recovered a wild scramble before converting a left-hand layup and Goodwin added a putback to give St. Mary's a 48-41 cushion with 2:25 left.

Again Berkeley responded as Guinn, who left for a quarter due to getting scratched in the eye, drilled a 3-pointer leading an 8-2 run. A free throw by Gooden got Berkeley within 50-49 with 28.1 seconds, but Cowling and Elaine Arciaga swished two free throws each to put it out of reach.

"Any win over Berkeley is a good win because they are almost always on top," St. Mary's coach Nathan Fripp, his team's first win over the Yellowjackets since 2005. "Our plan was just to just play hard and together and see where it took us. We're very pleased."

Howard said as disappointing as the loss was, "it's better now than in the playoffs," she said after the game. "We just didn't do a good job rebounding or boxing out. and free throws didn't help any either."

Berkeley lost three Division I players to graduation last season, so a 14-2 record is nothing to be ashamed of.

"Nobody thought we'd be doing this well except us," Howard said. "Everyone thought Berkeley was done. Not us."

Though it was a bitter loss to a fierce rival, Howard said she'll be rooting for the Panthers the rest of the season.

St. Mary's is a Division IV team, while Berkeley will compete in the Division I playoffs.

"It's a Berkeley thing," Howard said. "We have to root for girls from Berkeley."