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From a D- to a B+ in one day. That’s pretty impressive. 

One day after drawing the ire of their coach for lackadasical play, the Berkeley girls’ basketball team picked up their intensity and defeated a tough opponent in Sacred Heart Prep (Atherton), 62-45, earning a B+ from head coach Gene Nakamura. 

“We started strong and established a good tempo,” said Nakamura, who gave his starters that D- for their effort in Thursday’s win over Bonita Vista. “We know we have to be super-intense to play well.” 

The ’Jackets also picked up their shooting a bit following a dreadful 20-for-71 performance from the field on Thursday. Berkeley made 24 of 59 shots against Sacred Heart. Senior Robin Roberson continued to struggle, however, following up her 2-for-13 Thursday with a 6-for-21 Friday. Roberson scored a game-high 17 points, in addition to nabbing seven steals, but her shooting form is clearly suffering from a long break due to illness. 

“It didn’t seem like she missed that many shots,” Nakamura said. “She got quality looks, and she’ll keep taking them. She’s a shooter.” 

Junior off-guard Angelita Hutton had another well-rounded performance, scoring 13 points while tallying three rebounds and two steals. 

“We expect Angelita to do that every game,” Nakamura said. “She’s a lot more patient this year, not so out of control.” 

Once again, Berkeley’s full-court press forced their opponent into a lot of mistakes, although nothing compared to Thursday’s turnover-fest. Sacred Heart point guard Melissa Bayol handled the pressure calmly for the most part, and she managed to score 16 points, including four three-pointers. But other than forward Catherine Holman, who scored 12 points, Bayol didn’t have much help, and the constant harrassment forced her into several turnovers. 

“(Bayol) is a pretty good guard, but we flustered her at times,” Nakamura said. “We really hawked the ball today.” 

The ’Jackets will face Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas) in the championship game Saturday at 7 p.m. in Donahue Gymnasium.  

Berkeley’s press could have its hands full, as the Bishop Gorman backcourt duo of Shanae Green and Breona Gray have combined to score 78 points in their two games so far. Bishop Gorman defeated Piedmont 55-41 in the other semi-final Friday afternoon.