CCS title game on Saturday at SJSU with a 1:30 p.m. tip-off
SAN JOSE – After back-to-back wins in the Central Coast Section Playoffs, the No. 5 seeded Lady Mustangs will battle it out for the Division I title against league-foe Salinas, the second seed.
Gilroy met up with the Lady Cowboys twice during the regular season, losing 74-64 at home and then 60-49 on the road.
Salinas went on to finish 8-2 for third place in the Tri-County Athletic League, while the Lady Mustangs struggled to a 3-7 league mark.
The Lady Cowboys received an automatic bid into the playoffs, defeating No. 7 Independence 84-55 in the quarterfinals and then No. 33 San Benito 60-54 in the semifinals.
“These two teams we haven’t beat so I l think if our level of intensity is up high enough, then we can do it,” said sophomore Katherine Hussey after Gilroy’s 64-42 semifinal victory over top seed Alisal, but before the Salinas-San Benito game.
Gilroy’s Cinderella playoff run began with a 43-42 quarterfinal victory over No. 4 Piedmont Hills at Leland High School and continued with knocking off Alisal on Wednesday night.
The Lady Mustangs have come into their own since finishing the season with a 11-15 record, including two straight league wins. Coach Kari Williams petitioned her squad into the playoffs.
Senior center Sarah Hoeft and sophomore point guard Kristen Campos have led the charge for the Lady Mustangs, but everyone has chipped in from Hussey to junior forward Amanda Link to sophomore guard Marissa Nowakowski to junior guard Shante Mancera to junior forward Kendall Costa to senior center Antionette Okere.
“Kristen, Marissa and I have played together for three years now. We’re pretty well connected,” Hussey said. “With everyone else, we’re such a close team and we love each other so much that we just click a little easier.”
