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Mustangs, Matadors advance to CCS semi's
By DICK SPARRER
Wade Nakamura knew it before the season ever began.
The Homestead girls basketball coach knew that his Mustangs were capable of winning the league and Central Coast Section championships.
And so far, he's half right.
Nakamura, who shares the coaching role at Homestead with Bob Hayamizu, predicted that the Mustangs would win the title in the tough De Anza Division of the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League--and they did.
And they still have a shot at winning the CCS Division II crown.
But to get to the section championship game, the Mustangs face a formidable obstacle--namely, the St. Francis Lancers.
Homestead, now 26-3, will collide with St. Francis (23-5) on March 3, 6 p.m., at Mt. Pleasant in the CCS semifinals. It will mark the third time the two clubs have met this winter.
St. Francis won the first time around, but Homestead gained some revenge with a win in the second meeting. In between, the Lancers were also beaten by Monta Vista, so Homestead won the De Anza Division championship.
A win Wednesday would push the Mustangs into the CCS Division II championship game on March 6, 6 p.m., at the San Jose State University Events Center against the winner of the Santa Cruz (23-6)-Leland (24-2) game.
Homestead moved into the CCS semis with a convincing 66-48 win over South San Francisco in the quarterfinals.
Michelle Wald bombed 22 points to lead all scorers for the Mustangs. The senior guard had just four field goals, but buried 14 free throws in the win.
Julia Randall joined Wald in twin figures in the game. The sophomore center fired in 11 points for the Mustangs.
Julie Speckels chipped in with nine points, Marie Levey and Shelly Mellberg had six points apiece, Diana Lee and Chris Strombel hit four each and Vickie Chiang and Tanya Green had two each.
Homestead actually trailed 7-3 after a period, but the Mustangs came on strong to take a 20-17 lead by the intermission, and outscored South San Francisco 24-8 in the third to put the game away.
The Mustangs had pounded Leigh 60-36 to open the playoffs.
Speckels led a balanced Homestead scoring attack with 13 points, including a three-pointer. Wald supported with 11 points, Green buried 10, Randall nine, Mellberg, Chiang and Levey four each, Lee three and Nadja Fabian and Stephanie Malcomb one each.
Matadors win
Monta Vista, the team that made it possible for Homestead to win the De Anza Division championship by knocking off the Lancers, is also very much alive in the postseason.
The Matadors pounded Milpitas 51-38 last week to advance to the CCS Division I semifinals. Monta Vista, now 19-6 for the year, will face St. Ignatius (20-4) on March 2, 6 p.m., at Piedmont Hills, with the winner moving on to the CCS championship game against the Oak Grove (19-6)-Mitty (25-0) winner. The CCS final is set for March 5, 6:30 p.m., at the San Jose State Events Center.
Kim Stocklmeir tossed in a team-high 16 points to lead the Matadors to the win over Milpitas last week. Anna Abatzoglou supported with 12 points and Janey Garrison hit 11, including a three-pointer.
Heather Janssen added six points, Tyann Taylor hit a three, Kristin Greene had two and Vicki Wang had one.
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