Gilroy
– When Gilroy was in a zone Tuesday, good things happened. The
problem for the Mustangs was that Mia Musones was in a zone all
game. Salinas rode the hot shooting and all-around generalship of
the junior guard to a 43-36 Tri-County Athletic League win.
Gilroy – When Gilroy was in a zone Tuesday, good things happened.
The problem for the Mustangs was that Mia Musones was in a zone all game. Salinas rode the hot shooting and all-around generalship of the junior guard to a 43-36 Tri-County Athletic League win.
Musones scored the first six points of the game and had 25 for the evening as the Cowboys (15-11 overall, 7-4 TCAL) tied Gilroy (16-6, 7-4) in the league standings. Hannah Larick had 10 rebounds and played a key role in the fourth quarter with three blocked shots to help hold off the Mustangs on Senior Night at Bob Hagen Memorial Gym.
It ruined a spectacular comeback for Gilroy, which wiped out a 14-point first-half deficit to lead by as many as three points in the fourth quarter. But the Mustangs lacked the knockout punch.
“We were playing not to lose instead of to win,” GHS coach James Wilkins said. “We weren’t thinking basketball. When we took the lead, we were supposed to finish, and we haven’t learned how to finish.”
A seven-point run keyed by Musones gave Salinas its biggest lead of the night at 23-9. Vanessa Wilkins’ trey with 10 seconds left made it 23-12 at halftime. And then Gilroy switched its man-to-man to a 2-3 zone, and the Cowboys seemed befuddled.
With Dana Schoeneman leading the charge offensively, the Mustangs used a 16-4 run capped by Russhelle Preeshl’s shot in the lane with 1:30 left in the third period to take its first lead of the game, 28-27. Musones tied it at the end of the quarter with a foul shot, and then tossed in a trey to put the Cowboys ahead 31-28.
Schoeneman answered with a personal six-point run to put GHS ahead 34-31. After Musones hit a basket, Schoeneman answered again with 3:37 left. But that was the last points scored by the Mustangs. Musones hit four straight foul shots and had two assists down the stretch as the Cowboys scored the last 10 points of the game.
“She’s a special player,” Salinas coach Allan Takamura said. “When she plays with confidence, she’s tough. Our team feeds off her confidence.
“What I’m most pleased about was that the girls have a lot of heart and fight in them. The fourth quarter was affirmation of that. They’re a scrappy group. It was a good win for us.”
It was a tough loss for Gilroy, which finishes Thursday at Alisal (Salinas finishes at Notre Dame). It ruined an 18-point, 11-rebound performance by Schoeneman, who hit her first seven shots of the second half when she scored 16 points.
“Dana was on fire in the second half,” coach Wilkins said. “When you have a girl who’s hot, you feed her, and you feed off that. That’s where confidence comes in.”
That’s where confidence came in for the Cowboys, who fed off Musones.
“She’s a smart player,” Wilkins said. “She knows when to drive, when to drive and pass, when to pull up and even how to draw a foul.”
Musones had it all Wednesday, in a zone of her own.
Sub-varsity: The Gilroy junior varsity breezed to a 53-23 win. The GHS freshmen won 35-24, upping their overall record to 16-2.
Salinas (43)-Castro 1, Hemmer 2, Musones 25, LaBrier 1, Land 7, Theus 1, Larick 6, Hayes 0. Totals 16 8-17 43.
Gilroy (36)-Tablias 2, Schoeneman 18, A. Spellman 0, L. Spellman 0, Wilkins 8, Preeshl 4, Silveira 4, Magill 0. Totals 17 0-2 36.
Salinas 12 11 5 15 – 43
Gilroy 7 5 16 8 – 36
3-point goals: SAL, Musones 2, Land. GIL, Wilkins 2.
