Sports

Winners of its last three Tri-County Athletic League games - including back-to-back victories over San Benito and North Salinas - the Gilroy High girls basketball team came into Thursday night's contest against first-place Notre Dame with upset in mind.

Both the Gilroy High and San Benito boys soccer teams entered Wednesday's must-win match with the feeling that there was more to be done after a 1-1 draw in the teams' first encounter left each unsatisfied and with business unfinished.

Like she has done over and over again in practice this season, Merrett Brown received a pass at the left elbow, squared herself to the hoop and let loose. Though it was a bit different Wednesday night. This time, a boisterous, raucous crowd flooded the Christopher High gym with chants and cheers, there were 40 seconds left in the fourth quarter and the program’s first league title hung in the balance.

San Benito girls soccer head coach Ben Alvarez didn't want to put pressure on his young team before Tuesday's match against Gilroy, but he knew the team was well aware the Balers needed a win to keep its slim playoff hopes alive.

The Christopher High girls soccer team kept pace with first-place Watsonville and upped its Monterey Bay League record to 7-1-1 with a 3-1 road triumph over Monterey High on Tuesday.

The Gavilan College baseball team took the diamond for its season debut with a three-game set against visiting College of the Siskiyous on Friday and Saturday and took two out of the three tilts.

Check one. The first-place Christopher High girls varsity basketball team set aside Monterey High 67-31 in Monterey Bay league action Monday night, setting the stage for arguably the biggest game in program history Wednesday night, as it chases down a league title.

Many beginners are inclined to use the 10-finger “baseball grip.” Unfortunately, if you want to improve as you play, the baseball grip will not allow you to do this as rapidly. The baseball grip puts equal pressure on the hand from the left and right (lower) hands. With most of us being right-handed the lower hand will take over. This will in effect shorten your club by six to eight inches, and essentially add brakes to your swing.

Five medalists, including one champion, helped lift the Christopher High wrestling team to a third-place showing out of 44 teams at the El Camino Colt Invitational on Saturday in South San Francisco. The team bronze is the Cougars', who are ranked No. 7 in the Central Coast Section, second-best placing at a tournament this season.