Milpitas
– Gilroy was trapped from the beginning. And Carlmont eliminated
the Mustangs from the Central Coast Section playoffs in the
quarterfinals for the second straight year with a 53-33 win
Saturday at Milpitas High School.
Milpitas – Gilroy was trapped from the beginning.
And Carlmont eliminated the Mustangs from the Central Coast Section playoffs in the quarterfinals for the second straight year with a 53-33 win Saturday at Milpitas High School.
The Scots advance to a semifinal contest at 5:30pm Wednesday against Salinas, the last remaining Tri-County Athletic team. The Cowboys slipped past Evergreen Valley 50-47. Gilroy finishes 18-7.
It was obvious Carlmont (18-8) had scouted the Mustangs. Coach Irene Silveira was certain that by trapping the ball the Scots could force turnovers. That was the case as Gilroy turned the ball over 40 times and was never in the game.
“We knew our strength was in our guards and that if we doubled the ball we could create turnovers,” Silveira said. “We’re well-rounded this year and work well in rotation. I think Gilroy was stronger last year.”
The circumstances between the two games couldn’t have been more different. The Mustangs were a guard-oriented team a year ago and came in as the No. 2 seed and favorite. This year it was Carlmont as the No. 2 seed and a guard-oriented team. And its scouts saw the difficulty Gilroy had hanging onto the ball in the first round of the playoffs with limited pressure.
With Alyssa Katyo and Melissa Ho running the show, the Scots patiently worked the ball around in the first period to get open shots. They led 14-4 with only Vanessa Wilkins able to score for the Mustangs.
Gilroy’s shooting was well off the mark in the first half when the Mustangs converted just 3 of 21 shots. Angela Silveira’s trey 58 seconds before halftime was the only second-quarter field goal for Gilroy.
“You start slow and you have to fight, fight just to get back in the game,” GHS coach James Wilkins said. “We had our looks. We just didn’t make our shots.”
Trailing 25-8 at halftime, Wilkins decided to gamble defensively, switching from a zone to a man-to-man. Carlmont hit 5 of its first 6 shots in the third quarter and ran off the first 16 points of the half, effectively ending the contest. Kathleen Burrell led the Scots with 16 points.
“We knew about their key people but we couldn’t prepare for their overall team speed,” Wilkins said. “They got us with that trap. It seemed like we weren’t thinking about basketball. The girls were told where to go. We worked on it in practice. But we were out of position when (one of our) girls was getting trapped.”
Angela Silveira, one of seven GHS underclassmen who played, had a team-high 15 points and nine rebounds. Nobody else had more than six points although freshman Sovie Nou did hit five foul shots in the final quarter.
Vanessa Wilkins had a game-high 13 rebounds and four steals. Erin Magill and Dana Schoeneman had nine rebounds apiece for the Mustangs, who had a 50-33 advantage on the boards but finished 11 of 45 from the field.
“It’s something these girls understand now, that they have to come prepared,” Wilkins said. “Next year’s team will have better overall team speed.”
Gilroy (33)-Nou 5, Tabilas 0, Mah 0, Schoeneman 1, A. Spellman 0, L. Spellman 0, Wilkins 6, Foster 0, Preeshl 4, Silveira 15, Magill 2. Totals 11 10-13 33.
Carlmont (53)-Kilburg 1, Cato 4, Richard 3, Ho 10, Burrell 16,
Sau 2, Doyle 2, O’Brien 2, Lazzarotti 5, Garrett 8. Totals 23 3-7 53.
Gilroy 4 4 8 17 – 33
Carlmont 14 11 19 9 – 53
3-point goals: GIL, Wilkins. CARL, Ho 2, Richard, Lazzarotti.
