Gilroy
– Angela Silveira didn’t start Tuesday but she finished,
particularly in the first half when lethargic Gilroy was looking
for a spark.
Gilroy – Angela Silveira didn’t start Tuesday but she finished, particularly in the first half when lethargic Gilroy was looking for a spark.
And then the Mustangs found themselves toward the end of the third quarter and were able to pull away from Alisal for a 47-32 Tri-County Athletic League win at Bob Hagen Memorial Gym.
Silveira came off the bench to score 15 points and grab 11 rebounds for Gilroy (12-5 overall, 4-2 TCAL), which didn’t shake the gritty Trojans until a 12-point run to end the third quarter that extended into the fourth. Vanessa Wilkins also re-discovered her offense, scoring 14 points while coming away with seven rebounds, seven steals and handing out four assists.
“It’s very important to have different girls step forward,” Wilkins said. “It shows we have team leaders who will step up when they can. It gives us the confidence to feed off each other.”
Wilkins hit a jumper to key an early eight-point run that put the Mustangs ahead 10-5. While they never trailed again, Alisal (7-10, 1-5) hung around well into the second half. When Alma Boracio scored on a fastbreak with 1:33 left in the third quarter, the Trojans were within 29-23.
But Dana Schoeneman, who had a double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds, scored four points in the final minute. Wilkins hit two foul shots and Silveira scored inside in the first minute of the fourth quarter as part of a 12-point run that put GHS comfortably in front, 41-23.
Wilkins had four points and two assists in the run, and Amanda Spellman had the first of her three fourth-quarter assists to keep it going. The 12 points were scored in a 2:22 span.
As instrumental as the new-found offense was the defense the Mustangs did on Kristal Gutierrez. While the 5-7 senior did score a team-high 11 points, she had to work for them. Normally high-scoring Ashleigh Valdes was scoreless as she batted through illness.
“I felt we were a little leg tired,” GHS coach James Wilkins said. “That can happen. We just have to bounce back. Also, I felt the girls were a little down because of the last game against Salinas (46-40 loss). We told them to put that aside and move forward. They didn’t at the beginning. But Angela came through again for us.”
“We knew that if we let them establish what they wanted to do, we drop to their level,” Vanessa Wilkins said. “The idea is to get ahead early and then we’re good to run what we need to at the end of the game.”
It took a while for the Mustangs to establish themselves, although they never let Alisal take a lead after the first quarter that would have bolstered the visitors’ confidence.
Gilroy starts second-half action Thursday in the TCAL when it visits Notre Dame.
Sub varsity: Jennifer Rose’s 16 points lifted Gilroy to a 52-43 win in the junior varsity game. The Mustangs’ freshmen moved to 10-1 on the season by whipping the Trojans 37-25.
Alisal (32)-Gapol 4, Ruvalcaba 0, Martinez 5, Valdes 0, Salvador 2, Zavala 2, Roland 4, Boracio 4, Gutierrez 11. Totals 12 7-13 32.
Gilroy (47)-Nou 0, Tabilas 0, Schoeneman 10, A. Spellman 2, L. Spellman 2, Wilkins 14, Preeshl 4, Silveira 15, Magill 0. Totals 21 4-6 47.
Alisal 8 11 4 9 – 32
Gilroy 12 13 8 14 – 47
3-point goals: Alisal, Gapol. Gilroy, Silveira.
