Sports

SAN JOSE —  Gavilan did what it needed to. The Rams stayed strong in the second half and didn’t give up — even when trailing by seven points with just 0.6 seconds left on the clock.

The Gilroy High girls varsity soccer team took the pitch Monday afternoon for a nonleague match against Palo Alto that was originally scheduled for Jan. 3. The Vikings pocketed the game-winner in the in the 77th minute to down the Mustangs, 2-1.

As a teenager, Christopher’s Athletic Director Darren Yafai dreamed of playing lacrosse. He knew the game inside and out, learning all the skills from his father, who had played in Canada. He frequently talked lacrosse with Gary Podesta—the head coach of the Santa Clara University team at the time—during his shift at Nob Hill where he bagged groceries. There was only one thing stopping Yafai from playing—Gilroy didn’t have a team.

GILROY—Gilroy wrapped up its regular season with a bang.

Evan Shapiro continues to stay hot for Christopher. The senior led the Cougars boys basketball team in scoring for the second straight game, putting up 13 points in a 43-34 win over Lincoln in the Consolation Championship game of the Los Gatos Wildcat Shootout Friday. Three players — Josh Wheat, Adam Bravo and Miika Smith — put up eight points in the game while Chad Hartman had six. The win improves the Cougars to 3-1 on the season. Christopher will be back in action at 5 p.m. Thursday to take on Aptos in the Bob Hagen Memorial Tournament at Gilroy High School.  Mustangs fall in home opener If the Gilroy boys basketball team had to name one thing that hurt it Friday, it would be turnovers. The Mustangs had more than 15 turnovers in their 56-35 loss to Monterey in their home opener Friday.  Gilroy only went 2 for 5 from the line and was only able to hit one of its six 3-point attempts.  The Mustangs only trailed by one, 16-15, after the first quarter but were held to single digits for the remaining three while Monterey was able to put up 11, 18 and 11 points in the second, third and fourth, respectively.  Gilroy will look to rebound as it hosts the 34th Annual Bob Hagen Memorial Tournament, which kicks off at 6:30 p.m. Thursday vs. Anzar — a team it beat 64-34  on Dec. 10.  GIRLS BASKETBALL Cougars take third in Watsonville Tourney Cydney Caradonna put up a career-high 30 points for Christopher Saturday. The senior led the team to a 66-41 win over San Benito in the third place game of the Watsonville Tournament. Caradonna was named to the All Tournament Team for her performance through the three days.  Christopher held the Balers to just 15 points in the second half while putting up 40 points of its own. Dejah Raoof and Haley Romero complemented Caradonna with 10 points each. 

The Gilroy High football team was overmatched by Hollister in