Knights burst past Carlmont

Hosting Carlmont in the Peninsula Athletic League Bay Division opener, the Knights jumped on the Scots at the beginning of each of the first three quarters as they rolled to a 50-29 win in San Mateo.

“We have struggled at the beginning of games. Sometimes we’ve had to play from behind or we keep teams in the game,” said Hillsdale head coach Dan Mori. “We came out focused and played a good four quarters of basketball (Wednesday night).”

It was an early statement win for Hillsdale (1-0 PAL Bay, 9-2 overall) as the Knights took on a Carlmont team that entered league play with a 9-3 record.

But a lack of scoring at the start of each quarter killed any chances Carlmont (0-1, 9-4) had to stay in the game. The Scots didn’t get on the scoreboard until Tia Helmy layup at the 4:27 mark of the first quarter. Their first point of the second quarter came on a Mia Masukawa free throw with 4:30 left in the opening half.

Their third-period drought was the longest and the most low-scoring as the Scots’ only bucket came on a Sky Yee follow with 3:09 left in the quarter.

Meanwhile, Hillsdale was scoring in bunches. The Knights hit on their first five shots of the first quarter — Daniella Sierra and Kiara Nitao both hit a couple of buckets, with Nitao knocking down a 3-pointer, and Lila Corkish scored on a drive to the basket as they took a quick 11-0 lead less than three minutes into the game.

While not as prolific, it was a similar start to the second quarter. Cadence Lane opened the scoring on a basket off the bounce, followed by an Angelina Misleh pull-up jumper. Sydney Shimada and Sierra then combined to make 3 of 4 free throws as Hillsdale opened the second period on a 7-0 run.

The Knights did not lose the momentum at halftime, as they opened the second half on a 6-0 run as they opened up a 34-17 lead with 3:39 left in the third quarter.

Carlmont head coach Richard Stephens was philosophical about the lack of offense, but it was his team’s defensive performance with which he took issue.

“We didn’t make shots. That happens. But what made me mad was we didn’t play scouting report defense,” Stephens said. “Don’t let their strength beat you.”

While Hillsdale started the first three quarters on fire, the Knights eventually cooled off in each period. After scoring 11 points in less than three minutes of the first quarter, they managed only five more points as they built a 16-6 lead after the first eight minutes.

When Sierra scored off dribble penetration with 4:14 left in the first half, the Knights led 25-7. But the Scots finally found a little bit of a rhythm and Helmy got hot. Carlmont closed the second period on a 11-3 run, with Helmy scoring eight points in the quarter and had 12 of her team’s 17 first-points as the Scots were still within shouting distance at the half, down 28-17.

But Hillsdale outscored Carlmont 12-2 in the third quarter to build a 40-19 lead going into the fourth.

The Knights shot only 34% from the field on just 20-of-58 shooting. But they made up for it with their rebounding prowess. Carlmont did well to keep up on the boards, but Hillsdale eventually wore them down, out-rebounding the Scots 39-29, including 16 on the offensive glass.

“If you don’t rebound the ball, you’re in trouble,” Mori said. “We did a great job of offensive rebounding.”

And it wasn’t just one or two players doing the dirty work. In the first half, seven Knights recorded a rebound. In the second, nine players grabbed a board. At one point in the first quarter, four of the five Hillsdale starters had a rebound and the fifth, Nitao, had a blocked shot.

It was a complete team effort on offense, as well, for the Knights as 11 players got in the scoring column.

And they did it with a varied offense, mixing up frequent drives to the basket with the ability to take and make 3-pointers.

“We got contributions from one to 11,” Mori said. “The key thing for us balance (offensively). We have a goal of ball handling and shooting.”

Sierra showed why she is one of the best players in the PAL. The senior do-everything finished with a double-double, scoring 12 points and grabbing 10 rebounds in just three quarters. She also had three steals. Nitao finished with 10 points, also in about three quarters of work, while Lane added nine points and six rebounds off the bench.

Helmy led Carlmont, scoring all 12 of her points in the first half. Emerson Barajas added nine points and six rebounds for the Scots.

“[Hillsdale] played fast. They played hard,” Stephens said. “We ran into a team that just played harder.”