Highlanders await CIF seeding
Piedmont High School’s girls basketball team pulled away in the second half for a 70-48 win over visiting Salesian on February 26 in the fifth place game of the North Coast Section Open tournament.
The Highlanders (22-5) have qualified for the California Interscholastic Federation playoffs. Seedings for that will be announced on March 2.
Freshman Savannah Dennig had a huge game off the bench, scoring seven points in the first quarter and finishing with 18 to go along with four rebounds and two assists. Dennig had started the season as a starter but moved to the bench after Piedmont gained two players around the first of the year.
“I don’t think coming off the bench is as bad as some people make it,” Dennig said. “It’s a game, you all get to play. Since we have such a small team, we all know that we all have to put in a lot whether you start or whether you don’t.
“When I start the game, I go hard. I play as hard as I can.”
Said fellow freshman Andrea Martin of Dennig, “Oh my gosh, she was a dog today. I love her game. She finished really well, she was everywhere on the court. Defense, getting rebounds, putting it back up. She kept us in the game. Her energy, all of it.”
For the second consecutive game, the Highlanders had to play a large part of the second half without Martin due to foul trouble. Against Cardinal Newman on February 20, Piedmont surrendered a 16-0 run after being up seven at halftime. This time, the Highlanders were able to maintain the lead. Martin came back in the fourth quarter and scored 13 of her game-high 23 points as Piedmont pulled away.
Piedmont’s Andrea Martin (1), Cleo Afsar (4) and Taylor White (10) converge on Salesian’s Vanessa Parilla (1) during an NCS playoff game at Binks Gymnasium. 
Piedmont’s Jenelle Solis sets up the offense during the Highlanders NCS Open Division playoff victory over visiting Salesian. The Highlanders will advance to the CIF playoffs. 
Piedmont’s Briana Webb (25) is pressured by Angelina Pantoja (23) during the Highlanders 80-48 NCS Open Division playoff win on February 26.
“I thought I wasn’t get back in,” Martin said with a sigh. “Then I started thinking if I just don’t foul, I’ll be in the whole game. When I was sitting down, I was saying calm down, keep my composure and I’ll get in and start dominating and that’s what I did.”
When asked about how her teammates picked her up when she was on the bench, Martin said, “I love my teammates for that. When I got back in they told me to keep my head up.”
Salesian coach Stephen Pezzola noted that, “Martin’s a really good player but without Martin, they’re still bigger than we are.”
That was reflected in the rebounding statistics. Piedmont grabbed 50 to just 27 for the Pride. Taylor White had 14 rebounds for the Highlanders. Briana Webb had 12. Janiaya Sawyer led Salesian with eight.
“Yeah, it was pretty bad,” Pezzola said. “I don’t think that our post players are ready to rebound as well as they should. I think that really, really hurt us. Almost every other part of the game we were equal to. We had some good momentum going but rebounding just really killed us.
Webb also had 14 points, three assists and five steals. Jenelle Solis had 10 points and six assists.
Sawyer had 18 for Salesian. Vanessa Parilla had 14.
Next up for the Highlanders is the CIF playoffs. They will likely be in Division 1 and open on March 5. “We’re very excited,” Dennig said. “Especially as freshmen, we haven’t gone to a state tournament before. It’s going to be a good experience and we’re hoping to win.”
She didn’t have anything to say about what division her team would be in.
“I have no idea,” Dennig said. “I ask when’s the next game, just tell me when it is, I’ll show up, I’ll play.”
Martin said, “I look every now and then. I ask sometimes because my dad is a big basketball fan. Our schedule comes out on Sunday and we’ll just see where we’re placed.”