PIEDMONT — Kool and the Gang’s classic song blared through the speakers in Piedmont High School’s gym. It was indeed a “Celebration” for the Highlanders, who survived a scare Thursday from the visiting San Joaquin Memorial.
Well, a celebration for everybody but Janelle Solis.
The star freshman lifted the glasses off her face and remained “Kool” as she calmly walked to the Piedmont bench, high-fived her teammates and lined up to acknowledge their latest victims.
The ninth-seeded Highlanders narrowly avoided becoming No. 16 San Joaquin Memorial’s latest victims. The Panthers knocked off the No. 1 seed on Tuesday. But the defense of Piedmont ended their Cinderella run, holding San Joaquin Memorial to nine points over the final 6:40 minutes in a 62-60 win. Really six points as the Panthers’ Sienna Evans drilled a halfcourt heave at the buzzer after the game was decided.
Solis finished with 17 points, making 7 of 13 from the field — including two three-pointers. She added six assists as well. Still, after the game, she wasn’t bathing in victory. Solis wasn’t satisfied with the Highlanders’ performance, and she’s too aware of the road left ahead.
Next up: No. 4 St. Mary’s Rams, Saturday at 7 p.m. in Stockton.
“I know I have to stay calm in order for our team to succeed,” Solis said. “So I just keep pushing through any adversity. Job’s not done. We need to keep working.”
Solis’ ability to stay cool, calm and collected is unique in a player at this level. Her scoring, passing and control of the game allowed her teammates to be their best. Her focus, grittiness and outright refusal to lose lifted her squad past the Panthers.
“Janelle is Janelle,” Piedmont coach Bryan Gardere said. “We’re blessed to have her. She’s just so solid with the ball, the decision making, the passing, the finishing.”
Andrea Martin led the Piedmont with 22 points and seven rebounds. Briana Webb added 16 points and eight rebounds as well.
With the Highlanders’ big three taking the bulk of the scoring, a few defensive plays late in the fourth quarter from Martin and Webb made a big difference. The biggest play was Webb’s key block of Panthers captain Sienna Evans — who scored a game high 29 points — at the top of the arc with 1:15 to go in the game. Martin had two steals in the last four minutes to quell San Joaquin Memorial’s momentum.
An early 12-4 run from the 16th-seed put the Highlanders on their heels early. Evans attacked Piedmont’s defense, getting shots from all over the floor. She got to the rim, she got to the line and she led an efficient three-point attack for the Panthers. They outworked the Highlanders, hit contested jumpers and got countless easy shots at the rim.
A timeout with just under six minutes left in the second quarter saw Gardere urging his team, down 26-20 at the time, to raise their level of aggressiveness. Asking them to compete, to close out on San Joaquin Memorial’s shooters.
His team responded to the message, outscoring the Panthers 15-7 over the last five minutes, every point scored by Solis, Webb and Martin. Finally, wrestling the lead away for the first time in the game on a top-of-the-key three from Webb to put the Highlanders up 35-33 as the buzzer sounded for halftime. Piedmont would never trail again.
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For the Highlanders to continue to have a shot at a state championship, they need their star freshman floor general to keep playing at a high level.
“Honestly, I think every coach in America would agree, you’re only as good as your point guard,” Gardere said. “If your point guard is solid and crafty and can handle the ball, then you can run stuff that you want to run and score. And if you have a ball handler like that and a playmaker, those things happen for you.”
If Gardere’s logic is true, Piedmont is in a good spot heading into the last few games of the tournament. Their point guard is not just solid. She is a top-shelf playmaker. She’s a game-changer.
But what she isn’t, at least not yet, is celebrating.
