7th Grade Highlanders Triumph with Third Place Win in Martinez Tournament

Highlanders Blast Past Benicia in Game 1 of Tournament, 47 -24
While Benicia was within 4 points at the end of the first quarter at 11-7, Piedmont's defense held Benicia to 4 points in the second quarter to end 24-11 at the half. Piedmont's offense shone in the 2nd and 3rd quarters, featuring Cecilia Soghikian nailing a 3 pointer and leading the team with 9 points, and Kerry Krohn contributing 5 points, 3 of them free throws. The Highlanders slowed down on defense in the 4th quarter due to their numerous fouls which resulted in Benicia scoring 8, but not enough to close the gap, giving Piedmont the victory. Claire O'Connor scored 8, Maddie Baum scored 6, Marley Bratman scored 6, and Sarah Mooney scored 5, 3 from free throws. Madie Eidam led the team in assists (3), steals (3) and blocks (3). Cecilia Soghikian led in defensive rebounds with 5, and Claire O'Connor and Madie Eidam both pulled down 3 offensive rebounds. Nicole Cosares grabbed several rebounds as well.

Lafayette Stanley Steals 2nd Game from Piedmont,

26-40
Piedmont started strong in the first 2 quarters, with a score at the half 18-13. Lindsey Vaughn scored 5 of her 7 points in the first quarter, and Sydney Williams scored 4 of her 6 points in the second quarter. Stanley's defense picked up and their offense gained momentum, scoring 11 to tie it up at the end of the third quarter, 24-24. From there, Stanley dominated Piedmont - Clare Keating scored the only Highlander goal in the 4th quarter- to win the game, 26-40. Keating scored 4 total, had 2 assists, and led in steals (5), and blocks (7). Kerry Krohn scored 3, and had 2 assists. Angel Rael scored 2, and had 4 blocks. Madie Eidam scored 2, made 3 rebounds and forced 2 turnovers. Sarah Mooney also contributed a bucket and strong defense.

Highlanders Conquer King, 32-28 to take 3rd Place
The Highlanders held their ground in a physical game for third place. Berkeley Martin Luther King had two technical fouls and gave Piedmont 21 free throw opportunities in the Highlanders come-from-behind victory. King led at the end of the first quarter, keeping Piedmont to 4 points. Piedmont made 4 freethrows and 2 goals and played strong defense to end ahead at the half 13 -12. The lead went back and forth between Piedmont and King, but Piedmont ended the 3rd quarter 23-20 with Kerry Krohn contributing her 4 points of the game. Piedmont held on in the 4th quarter, scoring 9 and only allowing King 8 to end the game 32-28. Lindsey Vaughn received the All Tournament Team Honors trophy. She scored 8 total, from multiple drives to the basket and free throws from drawing fouls, and led her team in blocks(3). Marley Bratman scored all 3 of her attempts for 6 points, Angel Rael scored 4 free throws and had 2 assists, and led her team in rebounds (10) and steals (5). Maddie Baum had a successful fastbreak from a critical steal in the 4th quarter, scoring 4 total, with 2 assists and 2 fast steals. Madie Eidam scored 4, had an assist, 5 rebounds, and 2 steals. Sydney Williams pulled down 6 rebounds, Claire O'Connor scored 2, and Clare Keating played aggressive defense with 3 forced turnovers and 2 steals.

8th Grade Boys Scots Basketball score their first victory

Piedmont 38 – Orinda 25

The 8th Grade Scots put together a great team effort to defeat Orinda for their first victory of the season. High scorers Preston Tung and Sam Greenwall were solid in the paint for 11 and 10 points, respectively. Grant Gadbois had 8 points, and Russell Jang drove the lane for another two points. Corey Collier, Miles Lee, Kevin Wu and Nick Docter all contributed steals and rebounds on the defensive end of the court.

Piedmont 21 – Foothill 37

Piedmont led Foothill after the first quarter, only to find themselves coming back from an eight point deficit to close out the half down by three. Sam Greenwall scored 8 points and had five rebounds as the Scots struggled to keep up with Foothill's third quarter scoring run. The team's balanced scoring was supported by the Scots performance on the defensive end: Nick Docter had two blocked shots, with rebounding support by Spencer Kim and Michael Tam.

7th Grade Boys Highlanders v. Foothill

Piedmont 29 – Foothill 45

The 7th Grade Boys Highlanders came out strong to remain tied at the end of the first quarter, and within two points at the half. Nathaniel Lowhurst and Graham Low led the charge with 10 and 8 points, respectively. Drew Bonnin fired up the defense with five steals, and Skip Hill had two blocked shots against Foothill’s relentless offense.

7th Grade Boys Highlanders v. Orinda Intermediate School

Piedmont 31 – Orinda 32

The Highlanders struggled to find their rhythm and found themselves down by 15 at the half. Excellent defense and clutch defense by Nathan Kruger, Quinn Burnett, Javier Prospero, Nathaniel Lowhurst, Drew Bonnin and Julian Cortes sparked the team to lead a fourth quarter come back. Kruger kept the Highlanders in it when he hit a free throw to tie it up with .4 seconds left. The Highlanders hopes for a win were crushed when Orinda answered with a free throw to win by one point with .1 seconds left in regulation.

7th Grade Boys Scots v. Stanley Middle School

Piedmont 25 - SMS 48

The 7th grade Scots started out strong against Stanley Middle School on Thursday, and stayed close through much of the first half, before losing 48-25. The final score was not indicative of the effort as Chase Betta (4 rebounds, 5 steals), Paul Kim (5 rebounds, 3 steals), Liam Schindler (6 rebounds, 1 steal), Hunter Abel (3 rebounds, 1 steal), and Joey Moyer (3 rebounds, 1 steal) led an aggressive defense. Ethan Leon added 2 timely rebounds and Andrew Liu and Chris Rexrode contributed with energetic play. On offense, Luke Smith (8 points), Tosh Meyers (4 points, 1 assist), Betta (5 points, 1 assist), and Kim (4 points, 1 assist), with Moyer and Abel also scoring, kept the heat on their opponent while threatening to make a comeback.

7th Grade Boys Scots v. Orinda Intermediate School

Piedmont 35 – OIS 40

The 7th grade Scots experienced a heartbreaking 40-35 overtime loss to Orinda Intermediate School, despite being in control throughout most of the game with a smothering defense and balanced offense. Michael Pacult (9 rebounds, 2 steals, 2 blocks), Paul Kim (8 rebounds, 1 steal), Chase Betta (7 rebounds ,4 steals), Liam Schindler (8 rebounds), Hunter Abel (3 rebounds), Andrew Liu (2 rebounds) and Tosh Meyers (2 rebounds, 8 steals) led the defense, while Meyers (10 points), Joey Moyer (9 points, including a deep 3-pointer) and Luke Smith (5 points) combined for several assists and kept the offense moving. Kim, Betta, Pacult, Schindler and Abel also scored. Ethan Leon and Chris Rexrode added energy and effort at both ends of the court.

7th Grade Girls Scots Finish Strong in Final Game of the Season

7th Grade Girls Scots basketball team topped off a great season with a machine like win over Albany, 19-11. The Scots spread around the highlights. Defensively, the team recorded a remarkable 29 steals with Noelle Lautt (6), Julia Ormond (5), Abby Ramsey (5) and Johanna Rapport (4) leading the way. On the boards Maya Kiruluta and Sofia Lautt led the team with five rebounds each while Johanna Rapport, Sabrynna Yarbrough and Noelle Lautt each brought down four. Point guard duties were equally shared between Remy Afong, Abby Ramsey and Sofia Lautt who was also top scorer with 6 points.

The Scots end the season with 11 wins and 2 losses. Sofia Lautt, speaking for the team, is quick to credit first year coaches Vanessa Robbins and Bryttanni Black with inspiring the team, “They became friends with us quickly, so we all wanted to play our hardest!”

7th Grade Girls Highlanders End Regular Season 5 - 3

Highlanders Lose to Montera 18 - 60

Montera outplayed the Highlanders, both offensively and defensively. Montera led at the half 8 - 35 and continued to drop buckets, steal constantly, and drive to the basket with strength until the end. Sydney Williams played with a hurt shoulder but still achieved 6 rebounds for the Highlanders. Angel Rael, Lindsey Vaughn, Maddie Baum, and Madie Eidam each scored 4. Nicole Cosares scored a basket and forced a Montera turnover. Maddie Baum and Lindsey Vaughn stole and rebounded several times to challenge Montera.

Highlanders Advance Over Albany 36-2

In a game with numerous fouls called in the first half on both teams, Highlanders easily took the game. Piedmont led 20-0 at the half and kept Albany to only one field goal. Albany's defense picked up in the 4th quarter, only allowing Piedmont 2 points. Lindsey Vaughn led the offense with 8, Clare Keating, Madie Eidam, and Sarah Mooney each scored 6, Kerry Krohn and Maddie Baum scored 4, and Marley Bratman scored a basket. Cecilia Soghikian, Clare Keating, and Madie Eidam each had 2 assists. Madie Eidam led the team with 4 rebounds, Sarah Mooney played aggressive defense with 3 forced turnovers and 4 steals, and Lindsey Vaughn had an astounding 10 steals and 2 blocks.

Highlanders Defeat Redwood Day, 49 -23

Piedmont came out strong with 18 points in the first quarter and another 8 in the second and kept Redwood Day to 2 points up to the half. (26-2) After the half, Redwood Day scored 6 points in the first minute and a total of 16 in the 3rd quarter. Piedmont responded with 10 points of their own and kept Redwood Day to 5 points in the fourth quarter to take the victory. Angel Rael led with 14 points, Clare Keating and Lindsey Vaughn each scored 8, Marley Bratman scored 5, Claire O'Connor, Maddie Baum, and Madie Eidam each scored 4, and Cecilia Soghikian scored a basket. Lindsey Vaughn led in assists with 4 and pulled off 3 steals. Angel Rael had yet another strong game, leading with 3 rebounds, 5 steals, and 3 blocks. Clare Keating played aggressive defense with 3 forced turnovers, 3 steals and contributed 2 assists. Marley Bratman played well with 2 assists, 2 steals, and a block.

7th Grade Boys Basketball Highlanders v. Edna Brewer

The 7th Grade Boys Highlanders put up a valiant effort against Edna Brewer MS last Tuesday, before going down 25 to 48. Piedmont was led by the hot shooting of Cole Gruendl and Dylan McBirney, who had eight and six points, respectfully. Feeding them the ball was Skip Hill who led the team with four assists, while Julian Cortez pulled down eight rebounds. Graham Low, Drew Bonnin and Sam Hunt contributed strong play on both sides of the court.

7th Grade Girls Highlanders Stymie Stanley

The 7th Grade Girls Highlanders started with a strong lead and finished with resolve to beat Lafayette Stanley. The Highlanders showed off their teamwork in the first quarter, pulling ahead 14-2. Stanley woke up in the 2nd quarter, pulling within 4 at the half and even led by 1 in the 3rd quarter. Piedmont responded in the 4th quarter with two critical fastbreaks by Marley Bratman, several successful offensive plays, and strong defense to win by 4.

This game highlighted the all around team contributions. Offensive successes included Angel Rael scoring 10 points, Claire O'Connor, Lindsey Vaughn, and Marley Bratman each scoring 4, and Cecilia Soghikian, Kerry Krohn, Madie Eidam, Nicole Cosares, and Sarah Mooney each contributing a basket. Maddie Baum had four assists, and Clare Keating and Sydney Williams had three.

Overall the team played very aggressive defense. Angel Rael had a stunning series of defensive blocks. Maddie Baum led the team with steals, and Madie Eidam led with rebounds.

Final score: PMS 32 - SMS 28

Rematch: 7th Grade Boys Highlanders v. Lincoln Middle School

In a rematch of their overtime loss to Lincoln Middle School back on December 17th, the 7th grade Highlanders came up just short again, losing 42 to 37 in what was another exciting game at Buzz Gym. Piedmont was paced by the strong inside play of Julian Cortez, who led the team with 15 points and 10 rebounds. Other top scorers were Nathan Kruger with six points, Drew Bonnin with five points and Javier Prospero with four points. Dylan McBirney pulled down seven rebounds and Graham Low led the team with four steals and four assists.