The Gilroy girls basketball team overcame a low-scoring first
half riddled with turnovers to beat Hilmar 54-41 in the semifinals
of the Breaker Invitational at Seaside Friday.
The Gilroy girls basketball team overcame a low-scoring first half riddled with turnovers to beat Hilmar 54-41 in the semifinals of the Breaker Invitational at Seaside Friday.
With the win, the Mustangs improved to 6-0 and grabbed a spot in today’s championship game at 3pm. Gilroy, looking for its second tournament title of the year, will face the winner of host Pacific Grove and Alisal.
At halftime, the two teams were tied 20-20 after Gilroy played an out-of-sync half.
“We were trading turnovers. They’d go down and throw the ball away and we’d return the favor,” said Gilroy head coach Kari Williams. “At halftime, I talked about tempo and when to attack and when not to.”
And in the third quarter, the Mustangs responded, outscoring Hilmar 22-7. Fifteen of those points came from forwards Jessica Groppe and Katherine Hussey, who led the team with 19 points apiece.
“We were just working it into the post,” Williams said.
Defensively, Williams credited guard Vanessa Wilkins and forward Russhelle Preeshl with causing Hilmar to turn the ball over in the second half.
Point guard Kristen Campos added 10 points, six of them coming from three-pointers.
Regardless of whether Gilroy faces Alisal or Pacific Grove (who played each other in the late game), Williams expects the same thing.
“Both seemed pretty scrappy and aggressive,” said Williams, who watched part of the game. “Both teams were pressing so that’s something we’ll have to handle.”
