Girls basketball: San Domenico rallies late to beat Archie Williams

SONOMA >> Midway in the second quarter with his star player on the bench due to ankle injury, San Domenico first-year girls basketball head coach Dave Levine patted Carly Amborn on the shoulder twice and said “We’re good, we’re good.”

Levine must be a prophet or something because even though his 6-foot-1 Stanford-bound senior guard didn’t score a single point, San Domenico erased a late six-point deficit to stun its San Anselmo neighbor Archie Williams 23-21 on Friday night in the semifinals of the 28th annual Dragon Classic at Sonoma Valley High.

Amborn missed much of the first half after tweaking her left ankle on her first trip down the court. She finally returned with 6:41 remaining in the game and the Panthers trailing 21-15.

Using Amborn as an offensive decoy, San Domenico’s Tosia Konczak was suddenly free to drive inside where she was fouled or converted a layup. The 5-9 senior guard from Poland scored the game’s final six points to seal the Panthers’ win.

Konczak finished with a game-high 15 points, going 7 for 8 from the free-throw line. Junior forward Lila Peterson led Archie with 12 points on four 3-pointers.

“I knew that with Carly out I had to step up and make some shots,” said Konczak. “It wasn’t easy because Carly scores most of the points. I knew I had to do it.”

A night earlier in the quarterfinals, Amborn scored a career-high 40 points in a 58-38 win over Granada. Amborn played for Archie her freshman and sophomore seasons before transferring to San Domenico.

The Panthers (2-3) advance to the tournament final where they will meet the winner of the late game between host Sonoma Valley and Montgomery. The final is set for 4:30 p.m. on Saturday.

Archie Williams (2-2) was on fire to start the second half, nailing four consecutive 3-pointers to key a 14-0 run. The Peregrine Falcons seemed firmly in control, building a 19-9 cushion midway in the third period, and still led 19-15 with a quarter to play.

After Archie’s Delphina Dong pushed the ball up court for an easy layup, the Falcons enjoyed a brief 21-15 advantage before Amborn returned.

“I felt a little tug on my shirt — I thought it was breeze — and I looked back and she said ‘I can go,'” said Levine of his star. “I told Carly I didn’t want her to play if she was hurting. I trust her — she’s very smart about her body. ”

Now instead of doubling Konczak, the Peregrine Falcons went back to their original game plan of double-teaming Amborn. Then came the free throws.

Another key player during the Panthers’ fourth-quarter comeback was senior Amahji Cook. The 5-8 forward came up with a defensive gem with 3 seconds remaining when she blocked a potential game-winning 3-pointer by Peterson. Cook also had a key steal on Archie’s previous possession.

“This was her chance to step up,” Levine said of Cook. “She made massive plays down the stretch — she made a steal and that that huge block to win the game. I was really really proud of her. We all had rough offensive games but she made plays down the stretch.”

Archie Williams coach Zach Wahle called the game ugly despite solid defense by both teams.

“I thought our defensive effort and game plan was solid,” said Wahle. “I was super happy with how we played defensively. (Konczak) gave us some problems. We bailed her out with some fouls.”