Lady Mustangs drop third straight league game to Notre Dame
SALINAS – The Lady Mustang hoopsters are learning just how unforgiving the Tri-County Athletic League can be, as they dropped their third straight league game Wednesday to Notre Dame, 67-37.
After two heart-breaking losses to Salinas and Hollister to open league play, Gilroy (0-3 in T-CAL, 8-11 overall) was no match for the private power – quickly falling behind 16-4 at the end of the first quarter.
“We had a fairly rough start,” said second-year head coach Kari Williams, who guided the Lady Mustangs to the CCS Semis last season. “That kinda set the tone after that.”
Gilroy had a stronger second quarter, but was still outscored 24-14 to go down by 22 at halftime.
“We ran our offense a little bit better,” Williams said.
The Lady Mustangs battled hard in the second half, but Notre Dame was one better, outscoring them 16-12 in the third quarter and 11-7 in the fourth quarter.
“We look to play them tougher the next time around,” said Williams, whose squad will host Notre Dame on Feb. 12.
Sophomore Catherine Hussey stepped up to the challenge, scoring a team-high 10 points, while junior Michelle DiFiore added eight points.
“(Hussey) really did a good job on the boards as well as on offense. She had some pretty good individual moves. She was taking the ball to the basket,” Williams said. “(DiFiore) came off the bench and played really well.”
Sophomore point guard Kristen Campos put in six points and junior forward Amanda Link tallied eight points.
“She did a really good job defensively on their big girl, Randy Goodnall,” said Williams of Link, who kept the Lady Spirits center to nine points.
Notre Dame’s Jessica Ross, a Gilroy-native, netted 18 points, including two three-pointers, and Kristen Martin finished with a game-high 19 points.
The Lady Mustangs look for their first T-CAL victory Friday on the road against North Salinas at 7 p.m.
“The things we’re working on in practice are starting to come together,” Williams said. “We’re looking for a win tomorrow.”
