Senior Alli Dioli’s comeback looms large for Half Moon Bay girls’ hoops

Then injury struck. A week prior to the start of the postseason, Dioli suffered a knee injury during Half Moon Bay’s home rivalry game against Terra Nova. The diagnosis she’d receive weeks later was a torn ACL of the left knee. But the second she fell to the court in agony, it was clear the injury was serious.

“I can still here the noise, like her screaming,” Half Moon Bay coach Gabe Glynn said. “You just kind of knew.”

One of the best players in Half Moon Bay history — according to Glynn, she is the absolute best — Dioli found new determination before she ever even received the diagnosis. The ACL tear required reconstructive surgery, which she underwent last March, with the recovery projected to take nine to 12 months.

“It was really, really bad,” Dioli said of the injury. “It just felt like my knee was in a twist. It felt like it was in a knot. … But in my head, I always wanted to try to come back in December.”

Dioli did just that, returning to action Dec. 16 against Santa Cruz. In her 12-game absence between last season and this one, the Cougars posted a 3-9 record, including an 0-4 run through the 2021-22 postseason. Since her return, HMB is riding a 3-2 record into Tuesday’s PAL North Division opener.

“She’s playing regular minutes,” Glynn said. “I think her third game, she played the entire game. Coming back from the ACL injury — and I’ve torn both my ACLs — the time when you return, and when you actually come back from the injury, are vastly different.”

Dioli underwent a grueling rehab, including three or more therapy sessions a week into the new school year.

“I think I’m still working on it but each game I kind of gain more and more confidence,” Dioli said.

Not only is Dioli the star player on a HMB team that is a perennial postseason qualifier — leading the team with 19.2 points per game and 8.3 rebounds per game last season — she is now the young Cougars’ only senior starter.

While HMB has used several different starting lineups through the non-league schedule due to injuries and illnesses, the core starting five includes two juniors in guard Emily Lunasin and junior Sarah Quosig, and two sophomores in point guard Delaney Dorwin and center Paige Haberman. The Cougars also have four freshmen on their varsity roster.

“We are young, we’re kind of getting all our pieces back together” Glynn said. “It’s kind of like: ‘Who’s been able to play tonight?’ so far in the preseason.”

Glynn is also a freshman of sorts, in that he takes over for his first season as HMB’s head coach. He served as the team’s assistant coach last season under Antonio Veloso, who stepped down last July to take over the women’s basketball program at Mission College.

A 1992 graduate of Half Moon Bay, Glynn had never served as a high school head coach prior to this year.

“I look forward to going to the gym every day,” Glynn said. “So, I guess I’m blessed for that.”

Now, Dioli is looking to keep her run of PAL North Division championships going. With the exception of the COVID delayed 2020 season played in the spring of 2021 — when the PAL did not play a complete league season — the Cougars are 2 for 2 in winning league championships in Dioli’s varsity career.

“I think we’ll do pretty good,” Dioli said. “It definitely started out kind of slow because we’re young and inexperienced. But this past winter tournament (Dec. 28-30), I think we really came together … and I think that was a good way to get us ready for league play.”

With the start of the PAL North season, Dioli is starting to hit her stride. It was an odd feeling, for sure, as the senior was announced in the starting five Dec. 16, especially since she had the proverbial butterflies in her stomach. The butterflies were as much due to hoping her knee would hold up as they were due to it being her season debut.

“There was a lot of nerves and kind of uncertainty,” Dioli said. “I just didn’t know how I was going to do out there and how I would kind of get over my mental block.”

Now, the Cougars are hoping their star player reverts to form. If and when she does, they are getting a game-changer.

“I consider her the best team sport athlete ever at Half Moon Bay High School,” Glynn said. “I don’t think anyone has her resume that has played a team sport at Half Moon Bay. … So, she is definitely getting back into form.”