John Adams Academy keeps on winning

John Adams Academy is only in its second playoff eligible season, but the varsity girls' basketball team could be a team of destiny. Seeded No. 2 in the Division 5 girls' basketball playoffs, the Patriots have made the final four in the Nor-Cal Tournament and play host to No. 6 seed Woodland Christian on Saturday night for the right to play in the Nor-Cal championship game on Tuesday night. On Thursday, the Patriots defeated Lowell, 56-47. John Adams had a great first quarter in which they worked up a 22-9 lead. Despite being outscored 38-34 the rest of the game, the damage was already done. "I thought we played well," Patriots coach Anthony Schwartz said. "We had a really good first quarter, and then we got sloppy in the fourth quarter. We were down one with five minutes to play, but our team looked very unphased and stuck with what we were doing and grinded it out. "Credit to Liz (assistant coach Liz Gehweiler). Lowell was a faster team than we were, but she made some modifications to our press that helped slow them down and create turnovers. That was a big reason why we had a cushion to survive with Elliott (Schwartz) being out of the game in foul trouble." Elliott Schwartz scored 19 points to lead the Patriots, while Parker Schwartz scored 12, Nadaysia Bowlin chipped in 11 points,and Norah Barmby scored 10. Schwartz knew he had a strong team this season, but wasn't necessarily sure his team would make it this far into the postseason. "At the beginning of the season, I felt like we had a good team if we stayed healthy; we had a good combination of talent and skill," Schwartz said. "This being a newer experience for me, I can't say that I thought we'd get this far. "We've got nothing but hard games the rest of the way. I feel like we have a great opportunity this year because we've got a nice combination of talent, plus a good seeding, which definitely helped things out." The Patriots are led by Schwartz's two daughters, senior Elliott and freshman Parker. Elliott leads the team in scoring averaging just shy of 19 points a game. Parker is averaging just shy of eight points a game and is the team's best three-point shooter. Two other starters include Nadaysia Bowlin and Norah Barmby, who are scoring nine and seven points a game. The team's other starter is Keliah Gregg, who is averaging four points a game. "Elliott is an above average ball handler who can shoot the three, but she likes attacking the inside more," Schwartz said. "She is a pass-first player who plays point guard, but she's our primary scoring threat. Parker is our best outside shooter, so they complement each other well. "Nadaysia is a great interior player and Norah runs the offense well. "The girls have really done a good job of understanding the motion of the offense. They don't have a ton of experience, but they are very astute at being at the right place at the right time." Schwartz credits Gehweiler for making the team much better defensively. "One of the most significant contributions has come defensively from my assistant coach Liz," Schwartz said. "She played two years at Sierra College and two years at Jessup and she's a defensive guru. Her coaching IQ has helped the team take the largest single jump in any area." The Patriots hope their strong play continues on Saturday night.