Chadwick, from Palos Verdes, came into this contest with a 29-5 record and started the following five:

Diane Webber, 5’8 Sr G
Veronica Herrera, 5’3 Sr G
Rebecca Smith, 5’8 Sr G
Erin Gilliland, 5’11 Jr. F
Kristin Ceglar, 5’10 So. F

Pinewood, in Los Altos Hills, countered with the following five:

Sarah Feely, 5’8 Fr. G
Katie Collins, 6’ So C
Smith-Hams, 5’7 Sr. G
Sebnum Kimyacioglu, 5’10 So. F
Antoinette McLean, 5’6 Sr. G

Both teams stuck with their respective lineups for most of the game, and neither substituted at all in the first quarter. Chadwick opened the scoring in the first minute with Ceglar scoring. Both teams liked to run, and neither squad appeared tight after the first couple of minutes. The first foul in the game came against Chadwick’s Herrera with 4:47 to go and Chadwick up 4-2. Smith-Hams hit one free throw and, from that point on, Pinewood starting bombing threes. Feely hit one at the halfway point to put Pinewood up 6-4, and Smith-Hams added another three.

Ceglar scored for Chadwick on a nice assist from Erin Wilson. Kimyacioglu hit another three and Smith scored for Chadwick. Kimyacioglu hit a couple of free throws and Pinewood was up 14-8. Smith found Herrera and Gilliland for a couple of scores, but Smith-Hams delivered it to Feely to give Pinewood a 16-12 lead after one.

In the second, Gilliland and Webber scored for Chadwick to tie it at 16 with 5:58 to go. Smith-Hams hit a three, and Kimyacioglu blocked a couple of shots on the other end. Chizu Morihara hit a three for Chadwick to tie, but Feely made a steal and layed it in to keep Pinewood ahead. The teams traded free throws and ended the half with Pinewood up 23-21.

The third quarter featured Smith-Hams firing without conscience, and with limited success at least in the beginning of the quarter. She missed four three attempts while Gilliland scored twice and Webber added a basket to put Chadwick up 27-23. Pinewood got a timeout and straightened things out, but this was Gilliland’s time. Feely hit a three, Smith-Hams found McLean, and Smith-Hams drilled a three to put Pinewood up 31-27 with 3:50 left. Gilliland came back and scored twice to tie it. Smith-Hams got a layup. Gilliland answered, then Ceglar, and Gilliland scored again to put Chadwick up four. Smith-Hams came up with another three to end the quarter with Chadwick up 37-36. Gilliland had 10 for the quarter and Smith-Hams 8.

If the third was Gilliland, the fourth was all Smith-Hams. She opened with a three and hit another bucket from the free throw line. Ceglar scored for Chadwick, followed by Feely. Kimyacioglu hit a free throw and Smith-Hams nailed two threes on consecutive trips to put Pinewood up 50-41. Pinewood hit their free throws down the stretch and cruised out to a 61-45 victory. Smith-Hams was unbelievable, scoring 18 in the fourth and putting a very close game away.