The bounce of basketballs and the thumps of bodies hitting wrestling mats are the sound track for the winter indoor sports’ season at Miramonte, and with playoffs just around the corner, all four teams are looking to peak in the postseason.
High school sports, though, are always filled with upsets, and injuries, so there are few guarantees for the Matadors as they look to league and North Coast Section playoffs. Still, there’s a sense of quiet confidence in the gyms, and an expectation that steps forward will be made in the month of February.
Boys’ Basketball
“We’re a young group,” said Miramonte boys’ coach Mike Shaughnessy, and though the Matadors have shown a lot of improvement since the season began, consistency has yet to settle in.
That has resulted in some disappointing losses and some surprising wins, but Shaughnessy’s second year in charge has overall been one of improvement.
“We’ve been in close games and closed them out,” he said, “and we were unable to do that last year. We’ve made a lot of strides this year.”
Though Miramonte doesn’t have a “quote-unquote best player,” in Shaughnessy’s words, the Mats have gotten contributions from up and down the lineup. Senior Santi Bossut-Ugarte has delivered some clutch outside shooting, junior Adam Houssami has supplied solid defense and junior transfer Davi Freitas has added offense since becoming eligible.
Shaughnessy is also pleased with the development of two freshmen, both of whom have started games this year. Will Light and Jake Dibiase are players to build around as the Mats work to get back to the top of the Diablo Athletic League standings.
“We’ve gotten so much better since the season started,” Shaughnessy said, and he expects that progress to continue as Miramonte moves into the postseason.
Frieda Vierra is one of four sophomores playing crucial roles for the Miramonte girls’ basketball team, and despite the youthful makeup of the roster, first-year head coach Ace Wright is confident the Mats can make some noise in the North Coast Section playoffs.
Girls’ Basketball
Halfway through Ace Wright’s first year as Miramonte’s head coach, she can point to some big wins and some depressing losses, but that’s to be expected when a new regime takes over.
“This year has been the girls getting to know me, and me getting to know them,” she said, and a young team has responded well to a challenging schedule and a new system.
How young, you might ask? Four sophomores play major minutes for the Mats, and though senior point guard Maegen Eichenberger is the team leader, it’s asking a lot for those young players to jump into the fire of a league that contains NCS powers Acalanes and Clayton Valley Charter.
Still, Miramonte has gone toe-to-toe with top teams like Dublin (fifth in the NCS rankings in early January), thanks in part to the play of those sophomores. At 5-10, Lorelei Keenan is a “big guard and an all-around player,” said Smith. “She can play one through four.”
Frieda Vierra and Ava Noga have both supplied scoring, while Ally Rogin leads the team in rebounding. All of the sophomores, of course, have room to improve, and Wright is excited about their future development.
Junior Annelise Lindberg is a more finished product, a consistent and versatile player who can also adjust to different positions on offense and defense.
The goal, of course, is to reach the North Coast Section (NCS) playoffs, but the Mats must have a .500 record in league or overall to qualify, and given the difficulty of the schedule, it’s not a sure thing. Wright, however, is confident that Miramonte will continue to improve as the season progresses.
“I like where we are now,” she said, “and we should be playing our best basketball by season’s end.”
Brody Suba is in control in this match, and the senior will be primed for the upcoming league and North Coast Section meets. Senior Elliott Orr is looking to improve on last year’s impressive postseason and coach Louis Suba has high hopes for juniors Finn Hura and Jaxon Ziehn as well.
Wrestling
Last year, Elliot Orr finished seventh in the NCS championships, the first Miramonte wrestler to medal at NCS since 2017 – and naturally he’s looking to do even better this year. But things have changed a little, as now there’s another level of competition before wrestlers move on to NCS.
First, of course, comes the DAL meet, on Feb. 7, but NCS has inserted a preliminary round of qualification Feb. 13 and 14, called the Divisional Championships. A top-five finish in those will move wrestlers on to the full championships Feb. 20 and 21.
Orr, who will likely wrestle at 167 pounds in postseason, is expected to get to the NCS finals, as his combination of strength, dedication and technique has made him a very tough out.
Finn Hura, a junior who will weigh in at 146, is also a strong, solid wrestler, but last year he got sick at just the wrong time and didn’t reach his potential in NCS. “If he stays healthy,” said coach Louis Suba, “he’ll do well.”
Junior Jaxon Ziehn (134) and senior Brody Suba (140) are also primed for postseason, and are looking to push their way into the NCS finals.
On the girls’ side, senior Claire Cosado (117) and junior Cayleigh Farrar (147) will also have to get through the divisional round to reach the finals, but Suba feels both are more than capable of advancing.