GILROY – After two relatively easy victories in its previous two
outings
– both 40-plus point thumpings – the Gilroy High girls varsity
basketball team ran into more of a challenge in the way of Aptos
High School on Day 2 of the Mustang Classic.
GILROY – After two relatively easy victories in its previous two outings – both 40-plus point thumpings – the Gilroy High girls varsity basketball team ran into more of a challenge in the way of Aptos High School on Day 2 of the Mustang Classic.
The Mariners controlled the boards and took a 20-14 lead into the locker room. But an all-around team effort sparked a monster third quarter and propelled the Lady Mustangs to a 56-46 victory on Friday, sending them to the tournament’s championship game tonight against St. Francis C.C.C
Both teams had trouble finding their range in a low scoring first quarter, with the Mustangs shooting a meager 22 percent from the floor and the Mariners not much better at 30 percent.
The shooting woes continued for the Mustangs, who were lucky to be only down six at the half.
“We shot really poorly in the second quarter,” head coach Tim Jones said. “I told them at halftime, ‘you should’ve been down by 20 points, but you weren’t.’ Their defensive presence kept them in the game. They began to loosen up and that’s when they play at their best.”
Something clicked for the Mustangs in the third quarter as Sovi Nou drained a 3-pointer on their opening possession of the second half, which set the tone in a 16-point quarter for GHS and a 36-30 advantage.
Chipping away at the Aptos lead, senior center Laura Steele scored four straight points to bring the Mustangs to within four at 25-21. And after a Lindsey Foster steal leading to an Ashley Lambert breakaway layup, GHS was suddenly down by just a bucket. After a Mariners’ free throw, Lambert followed with a clutch 3-pointer to tie things up at 28-28 as the Mustangs proceeded to go on an 8-2 run to close out the quarter.
The Mustangs began to pull away midway through the fourth, extending their lead to 42-32 after a Lauren Rhodes layup, and didn’t look back after that.
Nou posted a team-high 14 points and Lambert finished with 10. Rhodes contributed eight points, and foster and Chelsea Hill had six apiece.
Tonight’s championship game is scheduled for a 6 p.m. start in Gilroy.
Boys Basketball
A defensive gem in which the Gilroy Hiogh boys basketball team held Aptos to single-digit scoring in each quarter gave the Mustangs a 64-24 victory Friday night and a spot in the championship game of the 27th annual Aptos Seascape Tournament.
Led by a Delapo Opere double-double (12 points, 14 rebounds) and 12 points each from seniors Greg Hamik and Michael Hartman, the Mustangs bolted out to a 33-11 halftime lead and a 57-19 advantage by the end of the third quarter.
GHS plays St. Francis C.C.C in the championship game at 6 p.m. in Aptos.
