Lady Scots in striking distance in PAL South

Sure, both can muscle around the paint with the best of them. That they can handle the ball, and do so with a tempo, is just darn fun to watch.

“Fortunately, most of our post players are pretty fast and they can run — get down the floor,” Carlmont head coach Dan Mori said. “Although we’re not the quickest team out there, if we can get down the floor and get into good offensive positions, because of our size, we can take advantage before the opponent really has a chance to set up their ‘D.’”

The Lady Scots (7-1 PAL south, 17-3 overall) certainly took advantage on their home court Wednesday against Hillsdale for a 50-28 win. Dahlberg had five rebounds inside the opening three minutes and went on to record a double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds. Trierweiler fell one point shy of a double-double herself with nine points and 10 rebounds.

Then there’s 5-10 senior center Victoria Mataele, whose minutes were more limited than her peers in the post, but still scored a team-high 13 points.

Undersized Hillsdale (3-5, 11-7) ran out a new starting five and was effective at breaking Carlmont’s full-court press. The Knights showed some chops moving the ball in the half-court set as well. Finishing, however, was a different matter. Hillsdale shot just 22.7 percent from the floor.

“Hillsdale, they’re not a very strong inside team,” Trierweiler said. “So we felt like our inside players could dominate. And they did.”

The Scots were all about big runs. They opened the game on an 11-2 spree, then went on a 9-0 run early in the second quarter. To open the second half, they put in 12 straight points. From the midway point of the second quarter, the Carlmont maintained a double-digit lead throughout.

Still, the secret to the Carlmont’s success has been defense. The most points the Scots have surrendered in a single game this season is 44 — something they have done three times — while opponents have averaged just 35.9 points against through 20 games.

“I thought our defense was pretty good,” Mori said. “They were solid on the perimeter. When they did get by us on drives, we do have some long, tall defenders. They can disrupt shots, block shots, or make the offensive player alter shots. So, that enables us to play a little tougher around the perimeter as well.”

Dahlberg has rebounded in more ways than one this season. A standout players on Carlmont volleyball’s Central Coast Section Division I championship team this season, Dahlberg didn’t get to take part in any of the Scots’ postseason merriment after her season ended with an ankle injury late in the year.

The sophomore was ready to go for Carlmont basketball’s Nov. 28 opener. But getting into basketball shape, considering all the running drills, was a grind.

“Overall, it took time, but it’s gotten better,” Dahlberg said. “I’m pretty much healthier with it.”

Dahlberg’s mobility was in fine form Wednesday. Amid Carlmont’s nine-point run in the second quarter, she produced a crafty steal, then pushed the action for a quick pass down court to sophomore Erica Mendiola for a bucket. In the third quarter, she capped the Scots’ 12-point run with a savvy cut across the paint to knock down a running hook shot.

Dahlberg recorded three blocked shots as well. But what the 5-11 sophomore takes the most pride in is her consistency at pulling down boards.

“That’s what I try to do a lot of games because it provides a lot of opportunities for second-chance points and then also it helps your team, for defense, push up the court faster for early breaks,” Dahlberg said.

Hillsdale only score three field goals in the second half, and didn’t score its first points after the break until senior Lauren Izumi knocked down a pair of free throws midway through the third quarter.

“Sometimes we struggle to score on offense,” Izumi said. “But we tend to figure it out sometimes. Sometimes on our offense we don’t spread out enough. A lot of the times no one can get an open shot, so it’s just trying to get a shot up.”

Hillsdale sophomore Kora Strickland came off the bench to score a game-high 14 points. That was half the tally for the Knights, who have been scuffling to finish shots through a current three-game losing streak.

“We’re missing some gimmes down low,” Hillsdale head coach Arteivia Lilomaiava said. “So we’ve got to work on those in practice, for sure.”

With the win, Carlmont is deadlocked for second place with Aragon in the PAL South, one game back of first-place Menlo-Atherton. The Scots rematch Menlo-Atherton Friday night at M-A after falling to the Bears 44-27 earlier this season. The silver lining is they were able to hold M-A’s two top scoring weapons — 3-point marksman Carly McLanahan and two-time reigning PAL South MVP Greer Hoyem — to a combined 20 points.

“What killed us was we let everyone else get on a roll,” Trierweiler said. “So when we play them on Friday, we just have to focus on playing solid defense on everyone. Not just those two key players.”