Despite 68-51 loss, GHS girls hoops will play again today in
Nor-Cal Playoffs
SAN JOSE – They weren’t supposed to make it this far.
The Gilroy High girls basketball team claimed the Central Coast Section Division runner-up award at the Event Center at San Jose State University on Saturday after a 68-51 loss to league-rival Salinas.
But the season is not over yet for this Cinderella team that will play in the Nor-Cal Playoffs today at Grace Davis (27-4) in Modesto. Game time is 7 p.m.
Salinas, using its trademark strong defense and aggressive style of play, was able to pull away in the second half to defeat Gilroy for the third time this season.
But the Mustangs were happy just being there.
“We had the jitters a little coming in,” said starting Mustang center Antoinette Okere, who had six points. “But we played together as a team. Regardless of if we should have been there, we played and played until we couldn’t play no more.”
The Cowboys (19-9) will host Laguna Creek from Elk Grove in the Nor-Cal Playoffs on Tuesday.
Even though Salinas used its full-court press that wreaked havoc on San Benito last week, the Mustangs passed the ball around and had no trouble breaking it.
Salinas committed 23 fouls in the game, while Gilroy had just 13. But the Mustangs shot 24 percent from the field (15 for 62) and 55 percent (18 for 33) from the free-throw line.
“We had good looks at the basket,” said coach Kari Williams. “We did a lot of good things in the game. We had them in foul trouble, but we couldn’t make our free throws. It would have been a different story otherwise.”
Gilroy was down just 12-11 at the end of the first quarter after Sarah Hoeft, who led the Mustangs with 15 points, had a last-second basket.
“Every time they got a run, Sarah was in the middle of it,” said Salinas coach Alan Takemura. “The other players can play also. Otherwise they wouldn’t be here. Their guards were bigger than ours. They are a solid team and didn’t go away. ”
Rebekah Fales, coming off a career high of 35 points against San Benito, had 20 points for the Cowboys. But she also did a good job of getting her teammates involved with her game-high six assists.
Salinas posted 26 points in the second half, and Gilroy could never get closer than nine points after that. A six-point Salinas run forced Gilroy to call timeout down 20-15 with five minutes left before halftime. And by the half, Salinas was up 38-25.
With five minute left in the game, Gilroy got within 57-48 after a steal by Sarah Miller. Miller was fouled but got the rebound on her second missed free throw to set up a three pointer by Shante Mancera.
But the Cowboys went on a 9-0 run and didn’t allow Gilroy to score until there was less than a minute left.
Gilroy, who was coming into the championship game with a four-game win streak, has struggled both in the preseason schedule and in league. That didn’t stop the team from coming together at the end of the season.
“We showed that we belong here,” said Mancera, who had ten points, including a pair of three pointers. “We should have played the way we’ve been playing recently all season.”
The Mustangs (13-16, 3-7 TCAL) finished in fifth place in league this year. But they still were able to defeat Piedmont Hills and Alisal in the playoffs.
“We are proud of who we are and where we are,” said Hoeft, who plans on attending Dixie State. “No one ever gave up.”
Gilroy 11 14 17 9––51
Salinas 12 26 17 13––68
Gilroy: Hoeft 5 5-9 15, Mancera 3 2-2 10, Hussey 2 1-2 5, Campos 2 1-2 6, Okere 2 2-2 6, Nowakowski 1 2-2 4, Di Fiore 0 2-2 2, Link 0 3-10 3, Miller 0 0-2 0. Totals 15 18-33 51.
Salinas: Fales, R. 8 4-5 20, Harney 6 1-2 2 15, Azevedo 6 0-0 12, Martinez 4 0-1 8, Oxford 2 1-2 5, Morris 2 0-0 4, Kennedy 1 0-0 2, Fales, A. 1 0-0 2. Totals 30 6-10 68.
3-point goals: G-Mancera (2), Campos. S-Harney (2)
