San Domenico heads to NorCals with 1st crown

Holding the North Coast Section championship trophy above their heads, the girls from San Domenico enjoyed their moment in history. Then they took a moment to acknowledge that the heavy lifting is still ahead.

“It would be amazing to get back to where we were two years ago,” said San Domenico senior guard Lily Reeser, a core member of the Panthers' 2022 State

Division V championship team.

For the first time, the Panthers will be heading to the CIF Northern California Tournament as the NCS D-V champions. Second-seeded San Domenico emerged with a 62-39 victory on its home court Friday night. The game looked early on like it might turn into a rout, but No. 4 Cornerstone Cristian nearly turned the tables on the Panthers with a furious 17-6 challenge that almost erased a 16-point gap in the third quarter. “I was just playing like this was my last game. I think all the seniors were,” said senior Averey Conklin, who scored a careerbest 16 points for the Panthers.

After securing the first NCS Championship in program history, the Panthers now wait to find out Sunday where they will be seeded for the NorCal tournament.

“This is starting to feel more comfortable,” Reeser said. “We've been to NorCals before.

But we know how hard to be.”

San Domenico, the top seed in the NorCal D-IV tournament last season, advanced to the State championship against the top seed from the South, Shalhevet, which won 50-46. The thenfourth-seeded Panthers beat No. 4 Shalhevet in the D-V championship the year before.

“It's emotional,” admitted San Domenico head coach Mike Fulton admitted, who is retiring

it's going