Highlanders are third-best in NCS. They host Antelope in the CIF Division 1 playoffs on March 3 at 7 p.m.
There are 172 schools in the North Coast Section. The Piedmont High School girls basketball team is officially the third-best after beating Clayton Valley on February 27 in Binks Gymnasium, 58-53 in the NCS Open Division third place game.
“It feels good,” Taylor White said. “It’s farther than last year. We got fifth place. This is an improvement.”
Said Highlanders coach Bryan Gardere, “The two teams ahead of us (Carondelet and San Ramon Valley) are really, really good. I love the fact that we stay competitive. We’re not the best or whatever, we’ve got smaller numbers. We don’t care. Whoever they put us in front of, we’ll play them. We’ll just try to compete.”
Piedmont (21-4) now advances to the California Interscholastic Federation championships for the fourth consecutive season. Brackets will be announced on March 1 with the first games on March 3.
Andrea Martin scored 25 points with nine rebounds to lead Piedmont against the Eagles. Solis scored 13 points including the go-ahead basket in the fourth quarter. She also had five assists.
The winning shot came off of a Clayton Valley turnover.
“We’re really good in transition, I knew if I kept pushing the ball and I saw that there was open gaps, so I just decided to take it,” Solis said. “I was feeling good the entire game and I knew I needed to redeem myself, especially with the Carondelet game. I was just trusting in myself today. I just shot it and it went in.”
Gardere said he had almost called a timeout on the play.
Saniyah Johnson (32) challenges Deoujenea Clay’s (3) shot during an NCS playoff game. 
Taylor White (2) runs away from Clayton Valley’s Deoujenea Clay (3) after White stole the ball. 
Jenelle Solis (22) drives past Clayton Valley’s Mariah Hurtado (4). Solis scored the go-ahead basket in the fourth quarter to put the Highlanders up for good. Piedmont received the third seed and will host Antelope in the CIF Division 1 playoffs on March 3 at 7 p.m.
Taylor White seemed to grab every rebound in the fourth quarter. She finished with 21 boards to go along with nine points, four assists and four steals.
She also guarded Deoujenea Clay all night. Clay scored 24 points but when the game was on the line, White stayed all over Clay.
“She’s quick,” White said of Clay. “You can’t jump at everything she does because she’ll just blow right by you. Definitely play her straight up, don’t play her at an angle. Try to keep her in front away from the basket.”
Said Solis, “Taylor is a really, really good defender. And I love playing with her because of her energy. Whenever I get down on myself, she’s always there telling me to keep pushing. And we’re just always there for each other. Even off the court, I would say she’s probably one of my best friends here at Piedmont.”
Clayton Valley led 53-49 with two minutes, 45 seconds left but the Highlanders scored the final nine points of the game. The Eagles made 11 3-pointers on the night but missed all of their shots in the late going.
The game was close all night. The Eagles used a 9-2 run early in the fourth quarter to take a 48-41 lead. Piedmont tightened up the defense and fought back. A key was rebounding, which had killed the Highlanders in a 52-39 loss at Carondelet in the second round on February 25.
This time, Piedmont held a 36-21 advantage on the boards.
Alexa Ba (30) guards Clayton Valley’s Lucy Guitron (1). 
Clayton Valley’s Ella Scott (32) lies on the court after taking a charge from Piedmont’s Andrea Martin. 
Saniyah Johnson (32) and Jenelle Solis (22) keep an eye on Clayton Valley’s Deoujenea Clay (3) in the NCS Open Division third place game at Binks Gymnasium. 
Andrea Martin (1) drives on Clayton Valley’s Gina Marcantonio (13) during the NCS Open Division third place game.
“The first half, we gave up seven offensive rebounds and that was too many,” Gardere said. “I told the girls, ‘I hate to say this, if you don’t start rebounding, it’s going to end your season. Because the rebounding and the free throws and some of the empty possessions. It’s just too hard. Our margin of error is smaller. You don’t get to go play defense for another 20 seconds on top of the 20 that you already played, you did a good job and then you don’t want to rebound and they kick it out for the dagger three.
“I thought the second half was much better. Taylor stepped up, Drea stepped up, Saniyah (Johnson) grabbed a couple of big ones.”