Prep girls’ basketball: Rodriguez adds twist to history with win over Granite Bay
It had been nearly two years to the date, but the Rodriguez High School girls’ basketball team still remembers the sour taste of playoff defeat.
As a 13-seed in the 2020 Sac-Joaquin Section playoffs – the last time the section held a postseason – the Mustangs made the long trip from Fairfield to fourth-seeded Lincoln and nearly escaped with an upset victory.
“We still feel that pain,” said Rodriguez coach Marcell Palmer. “We gained a lot of experience from that game that we’ll take into this (postseason).”
Palmer has led Rodriguez to playoff berths in every season he’s been on the Mustangs’ bench, each fizzling out after first-round exits. Until now.
Thursday night, the ninth-seeded Mustangs made a return trip to Placer County with seven players from that 2020 squad to take on eighth-seeded Granite Bay in a Division II opener. Rodriguez flipped a six-point halftime deficit to a seven-point first-round victory with a 57-50 win, its first playoff victory since 2007.
“It means a lot, it’s our first playoff win,” said fourth-year varsity guard Camryn Washington, who will play at CSU East Bay next season. “We came such a long way from freshman year to now, and it just feels really good. Indescribable.”
Washington is the leader of the “Rod Squad.” She recently eclipsed the 1,000-point plateau for her varsity career, and she once went off for 40 points on 10 3-pointers in a game as a sophomore.
Thursday night, Washington slithered her way in and out of the lane, often finding fellow senior Rose Jamison, who hit three triples, including the dagger, a 3-pointer with just over a minute in the fourth that put Rodriguez up by 12. The two All-Monticello Empire League First-Teamers shared the team lead with 13 points apiece. Brooklyn Giles and Roniya Vaughn provided the inside presence with rebounding, post-up moves, second-chance points and rim protection.
Palmer was left after the game without a voice but full of pride.
“I told them from day one, they were the most special group I’ve had,” said a hoarse Palmer. “This is their redemption year. They got to come out and show it because it’s their last time. They did a great job, and I’m very proud of them.”
The Mustangs’ season was not without adversity. A three-week stretch from mid-December to the beginning of MEL play in January left the team unable to practice or even see each other due to COVID-19 complications. Rodriguez rebounded, however, to finish second in league at 8-2.
“Once league happened, we started picking up momentum again,” Palmer said. “We’ve been playing our best basketball lately. We see Vanden twice in our league, and they’re the No. 1 seed in D3, so playing them twice a year always gets us ready for the playoffs. I feel good going into where we are right now.”
Rodriguez (17-7) moves on to Monday’s D2 quarterfinals to face top-seeded Vista del Lago, which beat Bear Creek Thursday.
Granite Bay, meanwhile, ends its season at 15-13 overall. The Grizzlies started 13-4 before running the gamut that is the Sierra Foothill League. Granite Bay finished just 2-8 in the SFL but became battle-tested in the process.
“(We feel like) we’ve been playing in the playoffs for the last seven weeks,” said fourth-year Granite Bay coach Paul Shafto. “Every game you show up in the SFL, you better have your hard hat on. You better have your shoes tied. You’re gonna lose if you don’t.”
Four-year varsity senior Julia Riley ended her Granite Bay career with a team-high 15 points. Riley, who entered Thursday averaging 16 points and 11 rebounds per game, will play at CSU Bakersfield next season. Junior Riley Robertson added 13 for the Grizzlies.
This story was originally published February 18, 2022 at 12:46 AM.