A near fourth-quarter meltdown made for the most dramatic finish
of the season for Gilroy High’s girls basketball team.
Leading 54-42 entering the final period of Saturday’s Central
Coast Section quarterfinal contest against the No. 4 Piedmont Hills
Pirates, the fifth-seeded Mustangs nearly handed the game over by
committing 12 turnovers in the quarter to fall behind 61-60 with
just less than two minutes to play.
But in the last 1:18, GHS forward Lindsey Foster hit three
clutch free throws
– which were preceded by a pivotal Foster steal and followed by
an assist to Ashlee Williams – setting up two-game-clinching free
throws by Ashley Lambert to push the Mustangs to a 67-61 victory
and an appearance in the CCS semifinals.
MILPITAS – A near fourth-quarter meltdown made for the most dramatic finish of the season for Gilroy High’s girls basketball team.
Leading 54-42 entering the final period of Saturday’s Central Coast Section quarterfinal contest against the No. 4 Piedmont Hills Pirates, the fifth-seeded Mustangs nearly handed the game over by committing 12 turnovers in the quarter to fall behind 61-60 with just less than two minutes to play.
But in the last 1:18, GHS forward Lindsey Foster hit three clutch free throws – which were preceded by a pivotal Foster steal and followed by an assist to Ashlee Williams – setting up two-game-clinching free throws by Ashley Lambert to push the Mustangs to a 67-61 victory and an appearance in the CCS semifinals.
“We know how to win a game,” Gilroy coach Susan Shapiro said. “You can never count us out because we’ve come back from down 20 before.”
Holding a 34-23 advantage at halftime, the Mustangs were actually ahead by nearly 20 at one point. Outscoring the Pirates 14-8 to start the third period, Gilroy led by as much as 17, 50-33. But Piedmont Hills rallied through a full-court press, going on a 28-11 run to give the Pirates their first lead of the game at 61-60.
In the end, a game that featured 43 fouls came down to free-throw shooting. Gilroy shot 13-of-15 from the free throw line in the final quarter, while Piedmont Hills was 8-of-13 from the line, not counting a missed shot that was nullified by a lane violation.
“I knew we could win if stopped the turnovers,” Lambert said. “And Lindsey Foster’s free throws were huge.”
Foster’s impact on the game was huge in almost every respect. The junior forward came off the bench late in the first quarter to hit a buzzer-beater from the baseline, giving Gilroy a 19-16 lead to end the period. She added the first bucket of the second quarter but was limited to just four points at the half. Foster’s fingerprints were all over the game by the end, as she finished with 17 points, four rebounds, two blocks and two assists.
“It’s nice to have Lindsey Foster back playing well,” Shapiro said. “Coming out tonight, she really stepped up.”
Other strong GHS performances included Chelsea Hill scoring 17 points, grabbing nine rebounds and picking up three steals and three assists, and Sovi Nou adding 15 points to go with eight assists.
Hill was forced to leave the court after picking up her fifth foul with 2:10 remaining, as both teams started losing players late in the game. Gilroy and Piedmont Hills were both in the double bonus at the 3:42 mark.
“I thought [the referees] were really tight (calling the game),” Shapiro said. “At least they were consistently tight.”
Pirates coach Ian Tippetts, whose team has thrived all season on getting up and down the court, thought the refs could have let more go.
“Way too many fouls for a CCS game,” he said, adding that a call shouldn’t be made when “it doesn’t affect the game.”
The careers of eight Piedmont Hills seniors came to an end with the loss, but considering how far the Pirates had to come back to make it close, no one was feeling too bad, their coach said.
“I think they were proud of themselves,” Tippetts said.
Allison Abad had a team-high 17 points and three assist for the Pirates.
Gilroy (18-10) will return to Milpitas High School Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. to face the rival San Benito Lady ‘Balers (22-4) in the semifinals. In two matchups this season, the Mustangs have lost both contests by more than 10 points. A GHS win would deny the Lady ‘Balers a chance to repeat as CCS champions.
