The Panthers trailed the entire first half until the final 5 seconds before the teams headed to the break, but caught fire around junior transfer Carly Amborn as San Domenico scratched out a 43-35 home win over Mt Diablo.
Summer Jenkins (15) of San Domenico dribbles up the court against Mt. Diablo in a North Coast Section Division V semifinal at San Domenico School in San Anselmo, Calif. on Feb. 20, 2024. (Douglas Zimmerman/Special to the Marin Independent Journal)
Carly Amborn (13) of San Domenico attempts a shot while defended by Nya Fano (20) of Mt. Diablo and Carlesia Adams (4) of Mt. Diablo in a North Coast Section Division V semifinal at San Domenico School in San Anselmo, Calif. on Feb. 20, 2024. (Douglas Zimmerman/Special to the Marin Independent Journal)
Carly Amborn (13) of San Domenico goes up for a shot while defended by Makayla Powell (44) of Mt. Diablo, Nya Fano (20) of Mt. Diablo, and Carlesia Adams (4) of Mt. Diablo in a North Coast Section Division V semifinal at San Domenico School in San Anselmo, Calif. on Feb. 20, 2024. (Douglas Zimmerman/Special to the Marin Independent Journal)
San Domenico head coach Mike Fulton talks to his team in a North Coast Section Division V semifinal against Mt. Diablo at San Domenico School in San Anselmo, Calif. on Feb. 20, 2024. (Douglas Zimmerman/Special to the Marin Independent Journal)
Averey Conklin (21) of San Domenico attempts a shot while defended by Carlesia Adams (4) of Mt. Diablo in a North Coast Section Division V semifinal at San Domenico School in San Anselmo, Calif. on Feb. 20, 2024. (Douglas Zimmerman/Special to the Marin Independent Journal)
Averey Conklin (21) of San Domenico looks to shoot while defended by Natalie Dance (1) of Mt. Diablo in a North Coast Section Division V semifinal at San Domenico School in San Anselmo, Calif. on Feb. 20, 2024. (Douglas Zimmerman/Special to the Marin Independent Journal)
Carly Amborn (13) of San Domenico swivels around the defense of Carlesia Adams (4) of Mt. Diablo in a North Coast Section Division V semifinal at San Domenico School in San Anselmo, Calif. on Feb. 20, 2024. (Douglas Zimmerman/Special to the Marin Independent Journal)
Tosia Konczak (20) of San Domenico drives past Makayla Powell (44) of Mt. Diablo in a North Coast Section Division V semifinal at San Domenico School in San Anselmo, Calif. on Feb. 20, 2024. (Douglas Zimmerman/Special to the Marin Independent Journal)
Averey Conklin (21) of San Domenico dribbles while defended by Natalie Dance (1) of Mt. Diablo in a North Coast Section Division V semifinal at San Domenico School in San Anselmo, Calif. on Feb. 20, 2024. (Douglas Zimmerman/Special to the Marin Independent Journal)
Summer Jenkins (15) of San Domenico dribbles up the court against Mt. Diablo in a North Coast Section Division V semifinal at San Domenico School in San Anselmo, Calif. on Feb. 20, 2024. (Douglas Zimmerman/Special to the Marin Independent Journal)
The San Domenico bench celebrates a made three point shot against Mt. Diablo in a North Coast Section Division V semifinal at San Domenico School in San Anselmo, Calif. on Feb. 20, 2024. (Douglas Zimmerman/Special to the Marin Independent Journal)
Carly Amborn (13) of San Domenico takes a shot over the defense of Carlesia Adams (4) of Mt. Diablo and Makayla Powell (44) of Mt. Diablo in a North Coast Section Division V semifinal at San Domenico School in San Anselmo, Calif. on Feb. 20, 2024. (Douglas Zimmerman/Special to the Marin Independent Journal)
Makayla Powell (44) of Mt. Diablo reaches for a loose ball while Carlesia Adams (4) of Mt. Diablo, Mina Swaim (12) of San Domenico and Carly Amborn (13) of San Domenico look on in a North Coast Section Division V semifinal at San Domenico School in San Anselmo, Calif. on Feb. 20, 2024. (Douglas Zimmerman/Special to the Marin Independent Journal)
Mattie Greenstone (33) of San Domenico goes up for a shot against Nya Fano (20) of Mt. Diablo in a North Coast Section Division V semifinal at San Domenico School in San Anselmo, Calif. on Feb. 20, 2024. (Douglas Zimmerman/Special to the Marin Independent Journal)
Carly Amborn (13) of San Domenico takes a three point shot while Natalie Dance (1) of Mt. Diablo attempts to block the shot in a North Coast Section Division V semifinal at San Domenico School in San Anselmo, Calif. on Feb. 20, 2024. (Douglas Zimmerman/Special to the Marin Independent Journal)
Natalie Dance (1) of Mt. Diablo holds off the defense of Averey Conklin (21) of San Domenico in a North Coast Section Division V semifinal at San Domenico School in San Anselmo, Calif. on Feb. 20, 2024. (Douglas Zimmerman/Special to the Marin Independent Journal)
Tosia Konczak (20) of San Domenico and Natalie Dance (1) of Mt. Diablo scramble for a loose ball in a North Coast Section Division V semifinal at San Domenico School in San Anselmo, Calif. on Feb. 20, 2024. (Douglas Zimmerman/Special to the Marin Independent Journal)
Mattie Greenstone (33) of San Domenico and Makayla Powell (44) of Mt. Diablo fight for a loose ball in a North Coast Section Division V semifinal at San Domenico School in San Anselmo, Calif. on Feb. 20, 2024. (Douglas Zimmerman/Special to the Marin Independent Journal)
A few nerves crept into the Panthers’ locker room before Tuesday’s North Coast Section semifinal contest. The San Domenico girls have come this close to a title shot each of the past two seasons, only to find their path blocked by the eventual Division V champions.
The Panthers trailed the entire first half until the final 5 seconds, but caught fire around junior transfer Carly Amborn as San Domenico scratched out a 43-35 home win over Mt Diablo.
“I get nervous before every game, it’s just natural,” Amborn said. “But then it goes away.”
The victory sends the No. 2 Panthers to the program’s first appearance in the NCS D-V finals, with No. 4 Cornerstone Christian. The Cougars (25-6) saved the Panthers (22-9) from a long road trip to Eureka with an upset of top-seeded St. Bernard’s in Tuesday’s other semifinal. A time and site for the final –which could be held on Friday or Saturday — have yet to be announced.
Tuesday’s win ends a string of frustration for the Panthers veterans, who hope to give head coach Mike Fulton an NCS title before he retires at the end of the season. San Domenico, then the third seed, lost to No. 2 University, 48-27, in last season’s NCS semis. The Panthers lost to Branson in the NCS semifinals, 51-29, in 2022. Branson went on to win the CIF State D-IV crown that year.
“We’ve never been past this round, so there were a few nerves,” said senior Summer Jenkins, who came up with six points and five rebounds for the Panthers. “We won the BCL West title, which we’ve never done before. Now we want to win NCS, and then we’ll see about State.”
The Red Devils showed up Tuesday ready to play a hard-nosed, aggressive style against a Panthers team that beat them 57-42 in a Dec. 18 meeting.
“They played a lot better than last time,” Fulton said. “Mt. Diablo is a tough team, we knew that going in.”
Mt. Diablo didn’t see Amborn last time around, though, and once she got going, the Red Devils couldn’t contain her. Amborn finished with 24 points and 10 rebounds, while senior Mattie Greenstone turned in a strong effort in the paint with seven points and eight rebounds. The Panthers also got five points from Tosia Konczak.
“Carly sparked us when we needed it most,” Fulton said.
Greenstone accounted for all of the Panthers’ scoring in the first quarter, as the Red Devils took a 12-4 lead behind sharp shooting and aggressive rebounding.
Moments after Mt. Diablo’s Stephanie Zuniga opened the second quarter with a 3-pointer, Amborn responded with a pair of long-range shots of her own to cut the gap to five. Another big shot, this time from Jenkins, sliced Mt. Diablo’s lead to 17-13.
Amborn scored 14 points in the second quarter to tie the score. Just before the break Averey Conklin went to the line to give the Panthers their first lead of the game, 22-21.
Mt. Diablo retook the lead for about 3 minutes in the third quarter, but by then the Panthers had found their mojo. Amborn bracketed two more 3-pointers around one from Jenkins as San Domenico seized the lead for good, 32-28, with 2 minutes left in the third quarter.
“Everyone was lifting each other up during the game,” Greenstone said. “We were feeding off each other.”
Greenstone, Amborn and the Panthers tightened up their defense in the second quarter, and limited the Red Devils’ second-chance shots.
Even in the final minute of the game, the Panthers could not let up, until Konczak wrapped things up with a pair of free throws with 24 seconds on the clock.
“Mt. Diablo fought us for every possession,” Fulton said. “We missed a few opportunities, and Mt. Diablo was right there to rebound the ball. … But I like the way we responded. We played a great team and we played hard. Carly did a phenomenal job on defense.”
Zuniga led the Red Devils with 14 points and Natalie Dance added 12 points.
Around the county
San Domenico fell to top-seeded Head-Royce, 52-39, in Tuesday’s NCS D-V boys semifinals, the second year in a row the Panthers (17-11) were eliminated in the NCS semifinals by the Jayhawks. Head-Royce defeated San Domenico, 55-45, in the NCS playoffs last season.
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