It was a rough night all around for Gilroy teams. Aside from the Gilroy High boys soccer team, which tied San Benito 1-1, the local teams were on the wrong ends of the results. The CHS girls basketball and soccer teams suffered their first league losses, while the CHS boys basketball team dipped below .500 in the MBL.
The Christopher High Cougars girls varsity basketball team’s first Monterey Bay League loss was of the overtime variety 55-50 against Monte Vista Christian on Thursday night in Watsonville.
“Monte Vista Christian is a good team,” CHS head coach Heather Stewart said. “(We) had to handle our business and we didn’t. I hope this lights a fire under them.”
Three teams, CHS, MVC and Seaside are log-jammed at the top of the league standings with identical 4-1 records, setting the stage for an exciting second half of the season. Monte Vista’s lone loss this far is to Seaside, whose setback came at the hands of the Cougars.
CHS (11-5 overall) wraps up the first half of MBL play Monday at 7 p.m. versus Watsonville in Gilroy.
• First-place Monterey High visited the Christopher High boys basketball team Thursday night and exited still undefeated in Monterey Bay League action. Guards Chris Russo and Brandon Hanson went for 22 and 20 points respectively as Monterey defeated CHS 71-54.
Toreadors’ center Stephan Dorsey posted 18 points and 11 rebounds, contributing to a trio that scored 60 of Monterey’s 71 points in the game.
“They are a good basketball team,” said CHS head coach Kaden Bahner, whose team is now 6-11 overall and 2-3 in the MBL. “I thought our approach was good. But I feel like in order for us to compete against a team like that and staying in it to give ourselves a chance to win, we have to do a better job of executing the things we identified before the game.”
Andrew Foster paced the Cougars with 13 points, both Dillon Babb and Wyatt Rocheleau had nine and Dillon Day chipped in six points.
The second of a back-to-back for the Cougars is tonight at Monte Vista Christian, a team that is also 2-3 in MBL play. Game time is 7 p.m.
“It’s a big game for both of us,” Bahner said.
• Watsonville High knocked the CHS girls soccer team from the ranks of the Monterey Bay League unbeaten in a 5-1 game Thursday night.
The game was tied 1-1 at the half, but the Wildcatz unleashed an offensive barrage in the second, scoring four times. The Cougars (7-5 overall), the Wildcatz (4-5-2) and North Monterey County are all tied for first place with 4-1 league marks.
Jasmine Contreras had her sixth goal of the season for CHS in the first half. Watsonville’s Paola Renteria scored four times – three in the second half. Melissa Naranjo had the other Watsonville goal.
The Cougars close out the first half of league at home Tuesday against Pajaro Valley at 3:30 p.m.
• The Gilroy High girls basketball team slipped to 1-4 in the Tri-County Athletic League after a 58-49 setback to Alisal on Thursday night in Gilroy.
• The Anchorpoint Christian basketball team fell to York 61-46.
