Carlmont captures CCS title

"We thought we should’ve been playing that day,” Scots sharpshooter Melissa Ho said.

On Saturday, Carlmont earned a measure of redemption. The Scots never trailed in whipping Milpitas 50-39 for their second Division I title in the last three years. No. 1 seed Carlmont (20-8) exacted some payback against the No. 7 Trojans (13-15), who beat the Scots last year in the tournament semifinals and earlier this season as well. All of that was an afterthought as Carlmont, behind another big-game performance from Ho, ran away with the championship at Santa Clara University’s Leavey Center.

Ho set a CCS championship game record by canning six 3-pointers. The senior guard finished with 21 points on 7-of-14 shooting, including a stellar 6-of-11 effort from 3-point range. Two years ago, Ho was a perfect 3 of 3 from beyond the arc in leading the Scots to a 36-22 win over Wilcox for the team’s first-ever CCS championship. When so many other players melt under the magnifying glass that is title game pressure, how does Ho play her best when it counts the most?

"I try not to let the nerves get to me,” she said. "I try to relax but I’m definitely nervous.”

Nerves never played a factor for Carlmont, which came out with a fury in rolling to a 12-0 lead. Milpitas, which fumbled the ball around all game, didn’t score its first points until there was 55 seconds remaining in the opening quarter. It took 10 shots for the Trojans to score, and once they did, it started a 10-0 run that got them to within two points with 6:50 left in the second quarter. A driving layup by Luisa Musika made it 14-14 with 4:18 to go until halftime.

However, it didn’t take long for the Scots to blow things wide open. Moments later, Ho hit an uncontested layup off a steal from Lauren Kilburg, propelling Carlmont to a 13-2 run heading into the locker room. Kilburg, who provided her usual dose of rock-solid, on the ball defense, provided the highlight of the night when she banked in a 40-footer at the third-quarter buzzer. Carlmont was trying to get a shot off with time winding down, and Alyssa Kato dribbled past halfcourt before having the ball knocked away. It rolled right to Kilburg, who took a couple of dribbles before letting it fly. That gave the Scots a 19-point cushion, and they led by as many as 20 before coasting to the finish.

The Trojans found some success by employing full-court pressure midway through the fourth, sparking a 10-2 run. However, it was too little, too late for a squad that committed 28 turnovers and looked disorganized from the start. Milpitas, which returned a number of key players from last year’s championship team, struggled to a 10-14 regular season record. It finished 4-8 in the Santa Clara Valley De Anza Division, good for sixth-place out of seven teams. Meanwhile, Carlmont started to play its best basketball later in the season and felt no pressure of being the top seed.

"I’m relieved,” Scots coach Irene Oliveira said. "The girls really wanted this, they worked hard and they deserved it. The difference is we had Melissa Ho today. Earlier in the year she was coming off an injury, and I didn’t play her against Milpitas the first time.”

Despite playing only 21 minutes because of foul trouble, center Colleen Garrett had eight points and five rebounds. Teagan Lazzarotti had eight points and Kilburg seven. But it was Ho who stole the show, connecting on deep 3-pointers to bury the Trojans. Once the final horn sounded, the Carlmont players celebrated wildly at halfcourt, realizing a goal they set at the beginning of the season. For the Scots, reality was better than a dream.

"It’s an amazing feeling,” Ho said. "I think the entire team came together and showed unity. Coach said we would be fine and relaxed, and we were. Coach always tells me to shoot more, and when I was open today, I made sure to take the shot. It helped that I was able to shoot in a bigger arena in my sophomore year. I could tell my teammates were a little nervous warming up, and I tried to use my previous experience to my advantage.”

And about last year. Prior to that game, the Scots were honored for winning the CIF/CCS Scholastic Winter Sports Award, given to the team with the best GPA out of all the winter sports teams — girls and boys — in California. Carlmont’s team GPA last year? How about a cool 3.96. So what was better?

"Winning this,” Ho said, holding the CCS championship basketball trophy. "This for sure.”

CCS Girls Division I championship

At Santa Clara University’s Leavey Center

No. 1 Carlmont 50, No. 7 Milpitas 39

Milpitas 4 12 8 15 — 39

Carlmont 12 15 14 9 — 50

Milpitas (fg ft-att total) — Chau 4 0-0 8, Valdez 1 0-0 2, Lopez 1 0-0 2, Athwal 3 0-0 6, Rogers 5 3-7 13, Musika 2 1-2 5, Cawley 1 0-0 2. Totals 17 4-9 39. Carlmont — Kilburg 3 0-2 7, Kato 1 0-0 2, Richard 0 1-2 1, Ho 7 1-2 21, Burrell 2 0-0 4, Lazzarotti 2 3-5 7, Garrett 4 0-0 8. Totals 19 5-11 50. 3-point goals — Ho 6, Kilburg; Cawley. Records — Carlmont 20-8; Milpitas 13-15.