The magical season continues this week for St. Francis High freshman Liliana Whitmeyer and the girls’ basketball team.
The standout guard finished with a game-best 25 points to help the No. 3 seeded Sharks crush No. 6 Crystal Springs, 58-32, in the Division V quarterfinals Tuesday evening.
“We came out with intensity at the start, we had high energy,” Whitmeyer said. “Everything was starting off great, and once we start off great the rest of the game just comes to us.”
Whitmeyer added four steals, one assist and three rebounds, while teammate sophomore Maya Calfee had 18 points, including 10 in the first half, to go along with seven assists, eight steals, six rebounds and four blocks.
Junior Natalie Stott added five points and two steals, freshman Abby Bedolla contributed two points and three rebounds, and sophomore Sophie Madrigal and senior Maeve Flynn each had four points for St. Francis.
The Pacific Coast Athletic League Cypress Division champion Sharks will play at No. 2 Summit Shasta in Thursday’s semifinals for a chance to advance to the CCS championship game for the first time since winning it all in 2015. Game results were not available prior to this publication’s deadline.
“I’m pretty sure the next round is going to be tougher than this game,” St. Francis head coach Jesse Yniguez said. “It’s not anything different, but it’s just something we’ve been talking about. There’s going to be pressure games, and this one coming up is probably going to be a good test for us.”
After maintaining a comfortable lead during Tuesday night’s game, Whitmeyer and other starting players took a seat on the bench. They continued to cheer loudly for their teammates who kept the pedal to the metal.
“We’re great together, we’re bonding,” Whitmeyer said. “We’re kind of like a family here.”
The Sharks went on an 11-0 run to begin the game, and built a 30-16 lead over the defending D-V champion going into halftime. And the pressure from a full court press defense worked wonders for them as they tallied a total of 17 steals.
“Once we trap, once we get the girls into a corner that they can’t really handle, it’s just good from there, then everything starts to go as planned,” Whitmeyer said.
Yniguez said it had been several years since he’s witnessed a team buckle down with a tenacious defense as the Sharks did Tuesday evening.
“The trap worked really well today,” he said. “It caused a lot of turnovers for us, whether we scored off it or not, the turnovers were a key to winning this game.”
However, a scary moment did occur for Yniguez when Whitmeyer went down in the second quarter after twisting her left ankle. She left the game but a sigh of relief came quickly from the head coach.
Whitmeyer iced and wrapped up her ankle before returning on to the court to the tune of a round of applause from the home crowd and her teammates.
“I was excited,” said Whitmeyer about receiving an ovation. “I didn’t know I was gonna come back in, but I was ready.”
St. Francis had nearly two weeks off since seeing action in the regular season finale against Pacific Collegiate on Feb. 13. Whitmeyer said she wasn’t worried about the rust, though. They spent their vacated days on the basketball court or in the film room, preparing for Crystal Springs and any games beyond.
“Staying active,” Whitmeyer said.
And it’s exactly those types of moments throughout the 2024-25 season that helped lead St. Francis to a perfect 14-0 record in Cypress Division play, and a second consecutive league crown—going 24-0 in league play during the two-year span.
“They just want to play together,” Yniguez said. “You can see they’re happy for each other, they play hard for each other. And that was one of the key things that we talked about, was playing for each other.”
They lost key players in Aaliysah Gomez—the Pajaronian’s reigning Girls Athlete of the Year—Nevaeh Litel and Emily Raich due to graduation.
Yet, they still had a solid cast of returning players in Calfee—the PCAL Cypress Division’s reigning Most Valuable Player—Flynn and the Falcone sisters—Aria and Melody.
The addition of Whitmeyer makes this year’s Sharks group even stronger.
“Coming in here I was kind of intimidated,” Whitmeyer said. “I didn’t really know what to do. But playing since I was three [years old], I was already prepared. Just practice everyday, practicing with my coach that’s been coaching me since I was younger, all of that.”
Yniguez said the players gained tons of confidence during the regular season with huge wins over Monterey and Palma.
“I tell them when you guys are able to play like that and play together, you can go wherever you want,” he said. “It’s fun to watch, especially on the defensive side. I love watching them play defense.”
As she prepared for one of the biggest games in her young career, Whitmeyer said they expected to be here at this point in the season.
The Sharks—a three-time D-V champion from 2013-15—are acquainted with Summit Shasta, which captured the Private School Athletic League championship with a 10-0 record in league play this season.
The Black Bears, who won the D-V title in 2023, eliminated St. Francis from the playoffs in 2021 and most recently in 2024.
Whitmeyer and company will have a shot at redemption in Thursday night’s semifinals. Tip off is slated for 7pm.
“[We need] our energy moving into the next game,” Whitmeyer said. “Playing at a high intensity, that’s definitely what we’re bringing in. And just bring our confidence into the game.”
