The holidays weren’t completely happy for Gilroy High’s varsity
basketball teams. The boys and girls went a combined 0-6 in games
played after Christmas, with each team losing three games,
respectively.
The holidays weren’t completely happy for Gilroy High’s varsity basketball teams.
The boys and girls went a combined 0-6 in games played after Christmas, with each team losing three games, respectively.
The lady Mustangs had a tough time against some of the area’s best in the Mitty New Year’s Eve Tourney, losing games to Archbishop Mitty (69-20), Davis Senior High (57-42) and St. Francis C. C. Catholic (61-36) in three days.
“For a learning curve we did well,” GHS girls coach James Wilkins said. “This was by far the toughest tournament that we’ve played to date.”
With his team now holding a 4-7 record, though, Wilkins said the coaching staff decided it was time to get back to basics, starting with conditioning.
“We figure we need to be in a little better shape,” he said. “We thought we were (in good shape), but we weren’t. The big girl (for Davis) played four quarters. They took her out for one minute.
“The whole thought process was, ‘If this player can do that, why can’t we?’ ”
As a result, the girls team spent New Year’s Eve training on the GHS track as well as in the gym.
Despite some concerns going forward, Coach Wilkins thinks there is still time for his squad to refocus before Tri-County Athletic League play begins.
“Now is the time for us to step it up,” he said.
The squad will get an opportunity to show progress Friday, when the girls team travels to Salinas for a 7 p.m. start against Notre Dame High School.
Gilroy’s varsity boys team also had its share of struggles in the last week.
Playing in the St. Francis Holiday Tournament in Mountain View, the Mustangs fell to San Ramon Valley (68-27), Montgomery of Santa Rosa (56-43) and San Luis Obispo (71-51) in three straight games.
Almost no one played well in the first game of the tourney against San Ramon Valley, but the team did become more competitive in the second round against Montgomery. Derek Jensen scored 22 points with Tyler Hartman leading the team with 10 rebounds. The Mustangs were leading 24-21 at halftime but struggles on offense in the third and fourth periods put the game out of reach.
The final game of the tournament was decided in the second and third periods as Gilroy was outscored 34-16 during that span. Justin Wheat was the lone standout from that game, recording 15 points and six rebounds.
The boys team will have one more contest before TCAL play begins, traveling to North Monterey County for 3 p.m. game today. The matchup will showcase the finalists from this year’s Bob Hagen Memorial Tournament championship game, in which the Mustangs lost 57-47.
