GILROY—Just a few weeks ago Christopher was winless. Now, the Cougars are eyeing a postseason berth.
With its 57-37 win over the Mustangs at Gilroy High Tuesday, Christopher now sits at 6-5 in league play. A team only needs a .500 record to be considered for the Central Coast Section Tournament.
The Cougars surged out of the gate against Gilroy, fueled by the rivalry and the knowledge that the longevity of their season hinged on this game. They scored 12 unanswered points to start—thanks to two 3-pointers from Trinity Stark and baskets from Jordan Evanger and Teresa Guerra—and didn’t allow the Mustangs to score for the first five minutes of play.
Buckets from Gilroy’s Jackie Morales, Adina Valencia and a 3-pointer from Maddy Cox, cut the Cougars’ lead to 14-7 at the end of the first.
Christopher’s press defense limited Gilroy’s ability to make quality shots and the Mustangs were held to just five points in the second quarter. The Cougars stole the ball three times in that frame, helping them to a 28-12 lead at halftime.
“Our intensity in the beginning was strong,” junior Christa Arroyo said. “We came out stronger than other games. This one our energy was up and we were ready to play.”
But the Mustangs weren’t about to roll over.
Gilroy fought back in the third, scoring 11 points to Christopher’s 12. Morales opened the third with a steal and a basket for the Mustangs and the defense held Christopher scoreless for the first two and a half minutes.
The Cougars were taking shots from the outside, trying to force 3-pointers and eased off the pressure defense. The Mustangs, on the hand, planted themselves under the basket and nabbed any ball they could.
“The third quarter showed how much we really wanted to win,” Gilroy senior Concetta Fredricks said. “Defensive-wise, we tried to get every rebound that touched the basket and tried to get our hands on every ball—on the ground and everything.”
Arroyo shut the door on a Gilroy comeback by scoring six unanswered points early in the fourth. But the Mustangs continued to fight.
Nia Pollard scored back-to-back baskets for Gilroy and Morales added another to score six unanswered points for the home team. Christopher’s Angel Harper quickly snuffed out the Mustangs’ momentum with a 3-pointer and a field goal, giving her team a 52-31 lead late.
Stark, who Gilroy effectively shut down in the third, and Arroyo closed out scoring with back-to-back baskets.
“We kind of came in thinking ‘we’re going to beat Gilroy’, but they surprised us when we kind of slowed down in the third quarter,” Stark said. “I kind of had that thought like ‘hey, Gilroy is going to beat us’ since we’re kind of rivals. It was very exciting.”
Arroyo led the team with 17 points, five rebounds and a steal. Stark added 11 points, three rebounds, an assist, a steal and a block. Guerra posted 10 points for the Cougars. Harper scored nine points in addition to five steals.
Pollard led Gilroy with 15 points and seven rebounds. Senior Andrea Gracia was a force on defense with 10 rebounds and also scored two points. Cox scored eight and had six rebounds.
It was the final game for the Mustangs who have struggled in the upper Gabilan Division this season and finished winless in league play.
Gracia said the game was bittersweet as she was glad to put the tough season behind her, but in disbelief that she’d never wear her Mustangs uniform again.
“I always tell the girls that if you play with your heart, you never lose,” Gracia said. “I think that we played with heart and that showed in the game.”
The Cougars sit in fourth place in the Monterey Bay League’s Gabilian Division. They are a game behind Monte Vista Christian, which they will face in the regular season finale at 7 p.m. Thursday at CHS.
“Communication is very important in the game,” Stark said. “Also, we need to move the ball more and look for easy shots instead of taking the ones that are pressured.”
Arroyo added: “We have to stay together strong as a team and play as a team. Mainly it’s just having the confidence in each other and in all of us.”
