Lady Mustangs Earn First-Ever TCAL Victory Over Notre Dame
Gilroy – They clinked, they clanked, they clunked.
In the second quarter against Notre Dame Wednesday, Gilroy’s shots were doing everything but going in.
After taking an 11-6 lead after the first quarter, the Mustangs went cold, making just one of 24 shots in the second quarter. But no one was feeling the frustration more than Gilroy senior guard Marissa Nowakowski. Time after time Nowakowski had open shots, but drew iron instead of net.
It wasn’t funny at the time. But after Gilroy emerged with a 41-31 win, the senior could joke about her shooting woes.
“Nobody was guarding me and they still weren’t falling,” Nowakowski said after the game, shaking her head and smiling. “One eventually had to fall.”
During halftime, at which point Gilroy led 13-11, Gilroy head coach Kari Williams challenged her team.
“All we have to do is make one 15-footer and it will change everything,” the coach said.
Nowakowski took the message to heart, hitting the first open jumper she had in the second half. The senior continued to shoot and scored eight of the Mustangs’ 13 third-quarter points, helping lift Gilroy to victory.
“I finally got some confidence after making the first shot,” said Nowakowski, who finished with 11 points. Senior forward Jessica Groppe led Gilroy with 12 points.
Williams was happy to see Nowakowski step up in the shooting role, especially since defense is the scrappy three-year starter’s specialty.
“She’s on the court for her defense,” Williams said. “When you’re not making shots, it’s hard to shoot. But she’s a determined player.”
Gilroy (13-4, 3-0) remains undefeated in the Tri-County Athletic League along with North Salinas (4-0). Notre Dame fell to 6-10 and 1-2 in TCAL. Gilroy hosts North Salinas Friday at 7pm.
The Mustangs opened the game with an 8-0 lead behind three baskets from junior forward Dana Schoeneman (9 points) and one from Groppe.
Nowakowski made the second of two free throws with 13 seconds to go in the first quarter to put Gilroy up 11-4. The Mustangs didn’t score again until senior forward Katherine Hussey (6 points) had a putback on a Nowakowski miss with 18 seconds left in the half.
But Gilroy bounced back in the second half, scoring 13 in the third quarter and 15 in the fourth. The Mustangs had a 26-23 lead going into the fourth quarter and only expanded the lead from there
Wednesday’s win over the Spirits marked a significant milestone. It was the Mustangs’ first victory over Notre Dame since the Tri-County Athletic League was formed four years ago.
“It feels really good,” Nowakowski said. “It’s kind of been like a secret goal of ours.”
GHS JV Boys Still Perfect in TCAL
The Gilroy JV boys basketball team improved to 3-0 in Tri-County Athletic League play with a 50-46 win over Palma Tuesday.
Marshad Johnson’s double-double of 15 points and 12 rebounds led the Mustangs. Jacob Dexter scored a team-high 16 points and Derek Jensen added 10 points.
Gilroy is 17-2 overall.
Mustang Freshman Girls Dim Spirits
The Gilroy freshman girls team downed Notre Dame 43-21 at home Wednesday night behind Laura Spellman’s 10 points and pressure defense. Deanna Martinez and Jasmine Ross, who had a strong offensive presence on the block for the Mustangs, each chipped in eight points. The freshman are 12-2 overall and 3-0 in TCAL play. The Mustangs face North Salinas at GHS Friday at 4pm.
