The Piedmont Highlanders Girls Basketball team took the win against the Alameda High School Hornets on Jan. 22, with a final score of 76-55.
Piedmont used guard and forward sophomore Andrea Martin to start the game strong, winning the tipoff. She scored 10 points for Piedmont in the first quarter, giving them the lead of 24-10 by the end of the quarter.
“We started strong, and that part was important,” said girls basketball head coach Bryan Gardere.
In the second quarter, Piedmont kept the lead until the Hornets started to gain traction with 4 minutes left in the half, but were quickly stopped. The quarter ended 43-25 in Piedmont’s favor.
“I think this game went really well. I think we did a good job talking a lot more than we usually do in the game, especially with two players out,” guard Savannah Dennig said.
Alameda finally found their footing in the third quarter. The Hornets outscored Piedmont in the third quarter, scoring 21 points while Piedmont scored 19. Within three minutes, Alameda raised the score to 45-33, and ended the quarter 62-46, Piedmont still in the lead. While they kept putting up points, they simply couldn’t compete with Piedmont.
“We played really well today. We were rebounding for each other, talking to each other, staying together, and caring for each other,” Martin said.
Martin was a leading force throughout the game, scoring a total of 36 points for Piedmont.
“Two of our players were gone, so I had to level up the effort,” Martin said.
Sophomore Jenelle Solis and senior Saniyah Johnson were injured, but Piedmont stayed consistent despite the setback.
Piedmont stayed strong in the fourth quarter, ending the game with a final score of 76-55.
“I’d say that was one of our more competitive games we will play this season,” Dennig said. “We try to play games with nameless and faceless opponents, where we don’t have to worry about who we’re playing.”
Alameda girls basketball players Desiree Shoblo and Jennalyn Apodaca lead Alameda’s offense, utilizing three-pointers. Alameda’s offense scored a total of six three-pointers, while Piedmont only had three.
Junior Taylor White was also a leader on the court, helping Piedmont keep the lead in the third quarter.
“I thought Taylor did a really good job rebounding and setting the tone,” Gardere said.
Freshman Alexa Ba scored 13 points for Piedmont, helping start and end the game strong.
“We’re really young, so we’re trying to grow as a team,” White said.
According to Hudl MaxPreps, Piedmont Girls Basketball has a 12-3 record so far, putting them 1st in the league and 16th in California
“Our team is really connected with each other, we’re all together,” White said.
The Highlander’s next game is at home against Castro Valley on January 27 at 6:30 p.m.
