Turnovers plague Terra Nova girls’ basketball in loss to Washington-SF

Then, everything went south. Washington (4-4) turned up its pressure full-court press and went on a 21-0 run, holding Terra Nova scoreless for over nine minutes, as the Eagles soared to a 59-31 win. The Tigers committed 33 turnovers throughout.

“A little bit rusty,” Terra Nova head coach Kawann Summerville said. “Missing a couple of the kids in practice here and there (over the past two weeks). So, I think that’s what it is. Trying to get back in the groove.”

After opening the season with four straight wins, Terra Nova has now lost three of its last four. And the remainder of its non-league schedule is an uphill climb from here, traveling to Notre Dame-Belmont (8-1) Thursday, and a home game next Friday against Sacred Heart Cathedral (10-1).

“I believe we can do a lot better,” Summerville said. “We have the size. We’re arguably bigger than everybody in league play. We just have to do a better job of just getting the ball out of our hands quicker, kind of controlling the game.”

Edwards — a returning All-Peninsula Athletic League North Division center — scored a team-high seven points, with five of them coming in the opening minutes of the first quarter. From there, Washington countered with All-Academic Athletic Association forward Jolene Lally-Stephens, who recorded a double-double with 12 points and 12 rebounds, both game-highs.

But it was Washington’s defense that won the day. Lally-Stephens added four steals and three blocked shots, while the Eagles totaled 10 steals as a team. Full-court pressure is a staple of head coach Sharon Cheng’s teams.

“When we can go eight or nine (players) deep, our goal is to pressure up the court,” said Cheng, in her seventh season coaching at the Outer Richmond-based school.

The Eagles showcased plenty of depth, with four players scoring in double figures. Keira Fong and Jessie Chau each scored 11 points, and Jordyn Owyoung netted 10.

Terra Nova outrebounded Washington 36-26, but the Eagles didn’t need worry about the boards shooting at a 52% clip in the second half. At the other end, they simply denied Terra Nova chances to shoot the ball. The Tigers managed just 37 shots throughout, including just six shots in the second quarter, with their only bucket coming in the closing minute of the first half on a 3-pointer by freshman Gabby Dyogi.

Washington took a 28-11 lead into halftime.

“They were just swarming us, and we weren’t making our fast passes like we should have been,” Terra Nova point guard Jalyn Dominquez said.

Edwards opened the second half with a quick layup on an assist pass from Dominquez. But the senior was held scoreless from there.

“If we can get the ball to [Edwards] early — because she’s going to attract a lot of double-teams this year, just like she did last year — but if we can get the ball to early enough, she can get going and she can facilitate and get our shooters involved,” Summerville said.

The Tigers were 4 for 8 from beyond the arc, with sophomore Leila Hauser banking in a 3 late in the third quarter, and Dyogi hitting a perimeter 3 late in the fourth.

But Washington ran away on the scoreboard, doubling up Terra Nova late in the third quarter on a Fong layup off a sideline inbound to make it 44-22.

The Eagles totaled four blocks in the fourth quarter, while Terra Nova was 2 of 13 from the field. The only reason Washington didn’t finish with a double-up was the Tigers finally broke the press on the last play of the game, with sophomore guard Mariyah Mahasin scoring a quick layup in the closing seconds.

“I just think that we just dribbled too much,” Summerville said. “Holding on to the ball, not passing the ball early enough. Kind of just holding on. Just not really pushing the tempo, not making the quicker passes. And, of course, when you hold on to the ball and dribble too much, a lot of turnovers happen.”

Summerville said he expects Terra Nova to compete in the PAL North this season, a league that has been ruled by Half Moon Bay since 2019-20. The Tigers still seem like something of a wild card, though, with just four returning varsity players.

“We’re like a brand-new team,” Dominquez said. “So, we have to rebuild that chemistry.”