Team Redwood inched closer to the Giants’ first North Coast Section title in girls basketball with a frenzied 47-41 victory against Moreau Catholic that demanded everyone’s full participation.
After leading the entire game in the NCS Division II semifinals on Wednesday night, the Giants suddenly found themselves trailing with five minutes to play. Moreau employed full-court pressure to claw ahead, 39-37, before Redwood’s team mentality took over.
“It just takes one shot to turn it around,” said Redwood senior guard Ru Todd. “And someone’s always going to make it. A bunch of people had plays that changed the momentum tonight.”
The top-seeded Giants (23-8) advance to the NCS final on Friday at 7:30 p.m. at Dominican University against No. 6 Northgate (23-9), which upset Montgomery 41-37.
Todd did her part to spearhead the rally, helping break Moreau’s press and then feeding Maya Saibel with a bounce pass for an easy layup that tied the score at 39-39. The dagger was delivered by Kitty White with 3:02 left when the sophomore drilled a three-pointer to put the Giants back ahead, 42-39.
Saibel, White and Ainsley Gallagher combined to go 5 for 6 from the free-throw line in the closing minutes to seal the win.
“I knew, I knew,” said Todd. “It’s happened before when we’ve had close games getting down near the end. I just have all the confidence in the world in my team.”
White led the Giants with 13 points and 12 rebounds. Saibel had 12 points. Gallagher added nine points and five rebounds, and Todd chipped in eight points. Brooke Denler, a 6-foot-1 center, was a monster on the glass with a career-high 17 rebounds.
“I talk about playing as one unit a lot — staying connected,” said Redwood second-year coach Zach Borello. “And that’s not just the five girls on the court. That’s all 16 of us being on the same page at the same time.”
On a play that signified just how hard the Giants fought to keep their season going, Gallagher dove for a loose ball and was fouled on the play with 11 seconds remaining. As the 5-5 junior guard stepped to the free-throw line, Borello couldn’t contain himself.
“Ainsley Gallagher gets that loose ball that she always gets and we always know she’s going to get it,” said Borello. “She has ice in her veins and her free throws didn’t even touch the rim. Clutch kid. It’s not about stats. It’s about hustle plays.”
Redwood reached the NCS semifinals in 2019 and 2020 but failed to advance to the championship game. Seeded No. 1 for the first time in program history, the Giants are poised to leave it all on the court as a team this time around.
“That was a high-level NCS basketball game no matter which division,” said Borello. “That’s what we want to be a part of and now we’re fully a part of it.”
