FREMONT – At the start of the season the Ross girls basketball team’s coaching staff implored Olivia Baptista to shoot the ball more. Too often the junior guard looked to pass first and shoot second.
Olivia Baptista
Not anymore. The message has sunk in.
Thursday night Baptista started out hot and never cooled down. The 5-foot-5 junior began the night with a nothing-but-net 3-pointer in the game’s first 10 seconds and she closed it with a program-record seventh bomb from long-distance in the Lady Giants’ 60-44 win over St. Ursula.
“During warm-ups I felt good, like ‘Ooh, this might be (good),’” Baptista said. “Then I just kept going and people kept passing it to me.”
She hit three at halftime then her fourth midway through the third quarter. Given her sister, Brooke, tied the program record with six three-pointers in the Lady Giants’ previous game this season against St. Ursula, the team and coaches began thinking about making a run at the record.
“I didn’t really know until the fourth quarter, really, I don’t pay attention to how many points I have or anything, I just play,” Baptista said. “I think Brooke actually told me, she said, ‘Liv, you only need one or two more,’ and I was, ‘Oh, really?’ It’s cool that she did it last time against them and I did it tonight.”
In two games this season the Baptista sisters have combined for 16 3-pointers against the Arrows. So, what is it exactly about St. Ursula that makes the Baptistas go off?
“I don’t know. It’s crazy. I have no idea,” Brooke Baptista said. “I think as a team we all came together we were there for her, we were pushing her to get that seventh shot.
“It’s pretty exciting to help her get that.”
Entering the fourth quarter, a record was far from certain. She entered the final period with four 3-pointers to her stat line, then hit the fifth early in the quarter. With 5:30 remaining, she tied the record with his her sixth of the night.
Holding a comfortable lead over the Arrows – Ross entered the fourth leading 46-24 – the Lady Giants made getting the ball to Baptista a priority but she missed a couple attempts at the record when coach Juan Vela pulled her from the game.
“We ran a couple plays for her, she didn’t get it and I said, ‘Meh, done,’” Vela said. “Then the whole team looked at me and I think they all would have walked out on me if I didn’t put her back. And I like my girls, so I decided to put her back in.
“Her first possession back out there she said, ‘Coach what do I run?’ and I told her ‘Figure it out and get it done.’ She was running around with her head cut off.”
Back in the game in the final 90 seconds, when Baptista got the ball, her days of passing-first and shooting second were a distant memory. With less than 40 seconds to go, Rachel Gore brought the ball up court, drew two defenders to her and found an open Baptista at the top of the key where she ended the night the way she started it: With a swish.
“The last couple minutes I was scrambling. I was like, no one is getting this,” she said. “Then they set a screen and it went down. It’s crazy. It’s cool to be a part of history.”
She finished the night 7-of-12 from 3-point range and ended with 23 points to go with three steals and an assist.
Brooke Baptista finished with five assists while Jazmin Bulger added 11 points with four assists.
While Olivia Baptista shot the lights out, the Lady Giant defense also had a stellar performance. Ross had nine steals on their way to forcing 18 turnovers.
Instead of standing straight up they’re getting in position to make a play,” Vela said. “Playing early defense, trying to beat the ball before the ball gets to the spot, being in tune to what’s going on in the play.”
The win is Ross’ fourth in a row and improves the Lady Giants’ record to 13-6 overall with a 6-5 mark in the TRAC. The Lady Giants are back in action Monday at Oregon Clay.
Fremont Ross 60, St. Ursula 44
SU| 6—7—11—20 44
FR| 17—10—19—14 60
- URSULA (44)
Almas 1 1-4 3; Beakas 2 0-0 4; M. King 1 0-1 2; R. Shoots 1 0-1 3; Ellett 0 3-4 3; Madison 1 3-4 5; C. Wamecke 1 1-2 3; Warnecke 1 1-2 3; Whitzel 4 3-4 13. Totals, 13 15-25 44.
ROSS (60)
Bulger 4 2-2 11; O. Baptista 8 0-2 23; Simms 2 0-0 4; B. Baptista 3 0-0 7; Sabiers 3 0-0 6; Gore 0 4-7 4; Dodson 1 1-2 3; Mies 2 0-2 2. Totals, 22 7-16 60.
3-pointers: SUA 3(Whitzel 2, Shoots 1). FR, 9 (O. Baptista 7; Bulger 1; B. Baptista 1).