GILROY – Untimely turnovers down the stretched ultimately doomed
the Gilroy High girls varsity basketball team in a 52-48 loss at
the hands of non-league opponent Santa Teresa on Tuesday night in
Gilroy.
GILROY – Untimely turnovers down the stretched ultimately doomed the Gilroy High girls varsity basketball team in a 52-48 loss at the hands of non-league opponent Santa Teresa on Tuesday night in Gilroy.
The Mustangs held a slim one-point advantage heading into the fourth quarter but a handful of miscues and clutch free throw shooting by the Saints kept the home team from victory.
“We turned the ball over too much, not just in the fourth quarter, but pretty much most of the game,” head coach Tim Jones said.
Even still, the Mustangs had a chance to tie the contest with just less than 30 seconds remaining, but three consecutive 3-point shots by Sovi Nou, Ashley Lambert and Chelsea Hill all failed to hit as time wound down.
“All three were good shots,” Jones said. “I didn’t even expect to get one and we ended up getting three, but we couldn’t get one to go.”
Nou was sent to the sideline with a cut above her right eyebrow less than three minutes into the first quarter. She was injured scrapping for a rebound under the hoop and did not return until the second half.
Despite not having the services of one of their top scores, the Mustangs grinned out a 9-9 tie after the first eight minutes.
Both offenses found a groove in the second, and thanks to five straight points by junior Lauren Rhodes, the Mustangs established a 21-16 lead midway through the second. However, a 7-0 run by the Saints, capped by a 3-pointer from Cassidy Sanders-Curry, put the Santa Teresa up two, 23-21.
Free throws by Laura Steele, who earned a foul inside, knotted things up at 23 apiece, and two buckets by Lindsey Foster put the Mustangs up 27-26 approaching the break.
“I think we matched up pretty equally with them,” said Steele, who finished the night with eight points.
A Saints free throw sent the two teams into the locker room tied at 27-27, with the game’s outcome still in the balance.
The back-and-forth action continued throughout the third quarter. Each team held the lead twice. A bucket by Geralyn Moon gave the Mustangs their narrow one-point advantage heading into the fateful fourth quarter.
“When we are that close we have to slow it down a little,” Steele said. “We are getting there. We still need to understand more of the plays but I think we will get there before league.”
Foster posted a team-high nine points in the loss and Rhodes had seven off the bench. Hill also had seven and Nou managed five points, all in the second half after returning to action.
