Bearcats riding a winning wave

In addition to Mitty being a perfect 14-0 and ranked the No. 1 in the nation, Prospect-San Jose is riding an 11-game winning streak, while Christopher-Gilroy had a 15-game streak snapped last week by Branham, which has won nine in a row.

It’s far cry from Paul Carion’s first open gym this past summer. Carion, who had turned South City into a Central Coast Section champion, had been trying to pull away from coaching until he was coaxed back by San Mateo athletic director Jeff Scheller.

That first open gym? It was Carion and two assistants. That’s it. Not one player showed up.

Hard to blame them. The Bearcats had been one of the worst teams in the Peninsula Athletic League the last several years, compiling a record of 13-88 over the last five years, with no more than four wins since the 2016-17 season when they went 7-5 in PAL South play and 9-14 overall.

But word spread that there was a new coach and a new faith and by the time Carion was ready for tryouts, there were 24 players in the gym.

And they’ve been climbing steadily since.

“The girls are playing some pretty good basketball,” Carion said. “I think it’s been a trust factor. It’s not that they didn’t trust me. It’s they didn’t trust that everything would come together.”

As Carion figured out the team during the summer months, he strategically filled out his non-league schedule, with a very specific intent.

“I scheduled seven games we felt we should win, four that were 50-50 – could go either way — and four we’d probably lose,” Carion said.

The Bearcats won all seven of those “should win” games and are 3-0 in the 50-50 matchups. Where he’s pleasantly surprised is the 1-3 mark against “should lose” teams.

Hillsdale was won of those games Carion thought his team would lose. But San Mateo apparently learned a lot in blowout losses to Half Moon Bay (45-29), Summit Shasta (64-35) and Washington-Fremont (45-15). While the Bearcats got hammered, Carion believed they kept fighting to the end.

“The fight was there,” Carion said. “It was very early (in the season). If we play them now, I definitely believe it would be more competitive. We just weren’t able to make any adjustments early. Now we have a base … and make adjustments off that base.”

Carion said he knew his team was invested following a 43-32 win over Jefferson — an Ocean Division team this season and a 50-50 matchup.

“We fell behind 20-9 and we ended up going on a 34-14 run (to win),” Carion said. “One of the parents said after the game that when we fell behind 10 points last year, it was over. The fact the girls fought back, showed it was definitely a new team.”

The next touchstone moment came in the PAL Lake Division opener when the Bearcats knocked off rival Burlingame, 42-37. It snapped a 51-game losing streak to teams that previously comprised the PAL South Division standings.

But the crowning achievement thus far this season was San Mateo’s 43-36 win over Hillsdale. Again, the Bearcats rallied for the win in a game they trailed 11-3 early.

“To have a Lake team beat a Bay team, it doesn’t happen very often,” Carion said.

The Bearcats had a couple of post players to build around in Olivia Salles and Charlotte MacAvoy, but Carion said the biggest difference has been freshman guard Bella Fong, who is already the Bearcats’ No. 1 offensive option.

It was Fong who starred in the win over the Knights, as she scored 14 of her game-high 27 points in the second quarter.

“Against Hillsdale, she put us on her back,” Carion said. “She jump starts our program by two years. [She makes] us competitive right off the bat. Now we have pieces in place. … It’s recognized she is the most talented player on the team. … We told her, ‘We need you to take more shots,’ and everyone has encouraged that.”

But there are others who have the Bearcats poised for tremendous growth over the next few years. Violet MacAvoy, another freshman and Charlotte’s sister, is starting to come into her own, filling in at center for an injured Salles, who is due back Friday. Violet McAvoy had nine points against Hillsdale, but more importantly, grabbed 11 rebounds.

“She’s really stepped up her game,” Carion said.

Then there was Kaitlyn Schuh, a third freshman who started against the Knights.

And despite having already qualified for the CCS tournament, there is still pressure on the Bearcats to perform. While they have qualified, they are not in yet. Carion, who is the PAL representative to the CCS at the seeding meeting, said a handful of qualified teams don’t make the various CCS brackets every year.

While Carion believes the win over Hillsdale helps build the case for the Bearcats, he’d rather just see them take care of business starting Friday against a much-improved Oceana squad.

“I feel it’s important for the girls to make CCS. … I think it’s a good feeling to strive for for the following years,” Carion said. “We talked about it from Day 1 … we wanted to be great in January. We knew it would be a slow build. Well, now it’s January and everyone has to step up their game.”

Nathan Mollat can be reached by email: nathan@smdailyjournal.com.