APTOS — The Aptos Mariners, Division III champions of the Central Coast Section, accomplished plenty during their historic season.
But a NorCal title will have to wait.
The No. 5-seeded Mariners lost in the first round of the NorCal D-III state playoffs to the No. 12-seeded Moreau Catholic Mariners of Hayward, 71-63, on Wednesday night in Aptos, bringing their dream-like season to an end.
Aptos (26-5) led only once late in the third quarter but Moreau Catholic (18-10) ripped away the lead in a matter of seconds and held off the home team’s late charge over the final two minutes.
“The whole game we knew we could come back but our shots weren’t falling,” said Aptos senior guard Teal Maixner. “It was a toss up the entire game.”
Aptos entered on a natural high after winning its first CCS title since 1983 but physical and experienced Moreau Catholic knocked the Mariners out of the sky and back down to earth. Figuratively and literally.
Moreau Catholic, which lost in the quarterfinals of the North Coast Section D-III playoffs in late February, hammered away at Aptos with tough fouls and scrappy dives for loose balls.
The physical play, which led to 59 combined free throws, bogged down the pace of the game and knocked Aptos out of its usual fast break, run-and-gun style, which led the Mariners to their most successful season in more than a decade.
It also knocked out two starters, freshman center Natalia Ackerman (head) and freshman guard Gabby Giuffre (knee), with injuries forcing head coach Stefan Hocom to dip deep into his bench in the second half.
Senior center Valeri Jiminez, sophomore forward Ananiah Chavez and sophomore guard Abby Pardue all provided solid minutes, combining for seven points, 11 rebounds and four steals, but it wasn’t enough to prevent the upset.
“It’s a little tough to swallow but I think we definitely put on a show,” said Aptos sophomore guard Hannah Hocom. “We tried so hard. We have to give credit to that team. That team is really good.”
Hocom led the charge with a game-high 27 points, 16 coming in the first half, and gave Aptos its lone lead of the night by sinking a pair of free throws with 3:56 left in the third quarter. But in a matter of moments Moreau Catholic tied it up and then regained the lead with a pair of putbacks.
It was a common sight for the Mariners, who had several second-chance buckets thanks to 6-foot-1 senior center Kaleigh Taylor’s rebounding.
Taylor finished with a team-high 25 points and gave Aptos fits in the post with her plethora of moves around the rim. Junior guard Sydney Mendoza-Beck added 19 points and sophomore guard Ayon Carter chimed in with 10.
“They just pushed us around — they dominated the boards,” coach Hocom said. “We knew we were going to have a tough time with them.”
But even while struggling with Moreau Catholic’s size and effort on the glass, the Mariners managed to keep it close.
After falling down 9-0 to start, Aptos clawed its way back to trail 20-18 heading into the second quarter and 42-36 at the half.
Aptos forced five turnovers during the opening minutes of the third quarter to power a quick 12-0 run, which gave the Mariners the lead, capped by Hocom’s free-throw line makes.
It seemed like Aptos had found its way but Taylor, who sat out extended time in the second half because of foul trouble, went back to work and Moreau Catholic took control of the game once again.
Hocom’s 3-point play with 1:42 left to brought Aptos within two but it was the last time the Mariners scored.
“We knew that we couldn’t take anything for granted against this team,” Hannah Hocom said. “It was a great feeling to know that we were still in competition with this team.”
It’s something that several teams in recent memory at Aptos could not have accomplished.
“Right now, I’m really sad that we lost but going forward and looking back I’m going to be amazed that we’re CCS champs. I can remember way back to freshman year and we couldn’t even make it to SCCAL playoffs… We’ve come so far in four years. It’s incredible what we’ve done. I wish we could’ve gone further but I’m glad we still have one title.”
Maixner, who finished with 12 points, and Jiminez will be the lone players Aptos will lose to graduation. The Mariners will return 10 players, including four starters.
“The future’s bright,” coach Hocom said, “but you can’t take away or overstate what this team accomplished.”
•••
DIVISION V
• International 58, St. Francis 52
The No. 12-seeded St. Francis Sharks lost in the first round of the NorCal D-V state playoffs to No. 5 International of San Francisco on Wednesday night in San Francisco.
St. Francis, runner-up in the CCS D-V bracket, finishes the season with a 14-11 overall record and will graduate seniors Alyssa Soto and Megan Kelly.
