Trailing 40-36 with 1:13 to play in the fourth quarter, the
third-seeded Titans broke off a 7-0 run down the stretch to earn a
43-40 victory over the second-seeded Mustangs and a berth into
Saturday night’s final against No. 1-seed Palo Alto.
The Gilroy High girls basketball team felt a section championship was its destiny. And by the looks of it, the Mustangs had been right on track throughout the season – an undefeated run to the Tri-County Athletic League championship, a 19-game winning streak and the No. 2-seed in the playoffs – all significant markers along the way.
You never visualize the end, especially when you feel like you have the ability to determine when it might be. As cruel as it is, all good things come to an end. And the Mustangs had that destiny altered Wednesday night.
“It’s tough. We thought we were going to win. We though we were going all the way,” junior forward Michelle Sosa said, holding back the next batch of tears welling up in her eyes. “Sometimes it doesn’t go your way.”
A seesaw battle from the start made for quite a finish.
In a game where neither team led by more than six points, Gilroy and Gunn defined playoff basketball in a gritty, make-it-or-break-it Central Coast Section Division I semifinal at Christopher High in Gilroy.
Trailing 40-36 with 1:13 to play in the fourth quarter, the third-seeded Titans broke off a 7-0 run down the stretch to earn a 43-40 victory over the second-seeded Mustangs and a berth into Saturday night’s final against No. 1-seed Palo Alto.
“We gave it our all, they gave it their all to the end,” GHS head coach Tim Jones said. “I obviously tip my hat to them. We’ve had a great year. It’s been a great, great season no matter how it ended.”
Gilroy’s Ashley Lambert hit all net from beyond the arc to snap a 35-35 tie with two minutes to go. Dani Hemeon lifted the Mustangs to the four-point lead with a put back bucket.
However, on the Titans ensuing possession, Nora Shevick planted her feet and drained a 3-pointer to inch the Titans to within one.
“That was good poise. We were able to find her on the weak side and get a kick-out,” Gunn head coach Sarah Stapp said.
After the Mustangs were unable to produce points on their end, Julia Maggioncalda penetrated baseline, drawing a foul and connecting on both free throws for a 41-40 Gunn lead.
“I think we got a little excited and a little ahead of ourselves. There’s lots of time left. To give up a three there, you just can’t do that. We didn’t even guard it, so that’s a little upsetting,” Jones said. “But mistakes happen and when you play good teams they happen more often than they should.”
Following a GHS turnover, Maggioncalda again made good on two free throws to extend the margin to three.
“We hit them when it counted,” Stapp said.
Kaylana Mah had an open look at the game-tying trey, but her shot banged off the rim, the backboard and into the waiting arms of Gunn’s Emily Redfield.
The loss was Gilroy’s first in 20 games.
“It was a very intense game,” said senior Chelsea Hill, who after posting five first-quarter points was forced to the bench one minute into the second period with three fouls. “They did a good job defensively. We found some holes we just couldn’t capitalize on those holes throughout the whole game.”
Buckets were hard to come by on both teams’ offensive ends. The effectiveness of Gilroy’s zone and vise versa made for a scrappy, get-them-while-you-can contest.
The Mustangs, who made a habit out of creating turnovers with regularity during the season, also diligently disrupted Gunn’s offense, which managed just 31-percent shooting from the floor in the first half. The Mustangs weren’t much better at a 34-percent clip. And despite Hill sitting out, the Mustangs kept pace with that defense and four points each from Sosa and Emily Costa.
“When they are playing a zone like that it’s tough,” Stapp said. “They were much more physical than I thought going in.”
GHS motored out to a 6-0 advantage to open the contest which was quickly erased via consecutive 3-pointers from Maggioncalda and Claire Klausner. The give-a-little, take-it-back tempo continued in the second quarter and left the game tied 21-21 at the half.
“It’s a zone trap,” Hill said of the Titans’ defensive tactics. “It’s a hard defense to do and a very hard defense to score against.”
A pair of Sosa free throws to kick off the third quarter became the only points for the Mustangs over the next five-plus minutes as the Titans proceeded to embark on an 8-0 spurt highlighted by back-to-back close-range makes from Redfield to get it to 29-23.
Lambert ended the drought with a high arcing 3-pointer that hit high off the glass and in to cut the deficit in half. Lambert raised her hand skyward almost in relief after the shot fell. A transition lay-up from Mah made matters 29-28 heading into the tense fourth quarter.
“This year, we were just so close as a team. Everyone was super close as friends and that really showed on the court,” Hemeon said. “We played like a team all the way through. We had no superstars. It was a team effort.”
Lambert’s 11 points led the way for the Mustangs while Hill posted seven points and Sosa finished with 10. Catherine Perez registered a game-high 14 points and Maggioncalda ended the evening with 13.
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