The Cupertino Courier

Photograph by Skye Dunlap

Homestead's Vicki Chiang (50) and Taryn Green (31) fight for a rebound in a CCS playoff loss to Soquel.

Mustangs fall in CCS semis

But young Homestead squad will be back

By Dick Sparrer

Homestead had high hopes.

The Mustangs had hopes of knocking off Soquel in the Central Coast Section Division II girls' basketball semifinals and earning a place in the CCS championship game on Saturday night at the San Jose State Event Center.

Soquel, though, had similar hopes.

And the Knights pulled off the 53-57 upset to advance to the section title game and eliminate the Mustangs from postseason play.

It was a disappointing loss for the Homestead girls, who finished the year a notch short of the 20-win mark. But it was an encouraging finish for the Mustangs, who made it all the way to the CCS semifinals behind a talented cast of underclassmen.

Homestead wrapped up a solid 19-9 season without a senior in the lineup. So the sting of the semifinal loss last week can't be too painful, considering the fact that all of the Mustangs will return next season.

Juniors Julie Speckels, Michelle Wald and Shelley Mellberg, sophomores Vicki Chiang and Marie Levey and freshman Taryn Green have been Homestead leaders all season long, and they will all be back on the floor when the Mustangs give it another try.

It was tough to imagine Homestead as a league and CCS contender this season after the blow graduation dealt to the squad last year. Veteran superstars Brie Ahern, Hilary Parker and Yvonne Chen all graduated after carrying the program on their shoulders for the better part of three seasons.

But the Homestead youngsters, led by Speckels and Mellberg, stepped up to take the Mustangs back to the top.

The young Mustangs finished third in the rugged De Anza Division of the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League behind Monta Vista and St. Francis. The Matadors posted an 11-1 mark to win the title, with the Lancers second at 10-2 and Homestead third at 9-3.

They earned a place in the CCS playoffs and made the most of their berth with wins in each of their two games, to advance to the semifinals.

Homestead crushed Salinas 49-32 in the first round, then whipped Leland 43-35 to earn the shot at Soquel.

But that's as far as the Mustangs could get, despite an outstanding performance by Speckels in the semis.

The junior standout poured in 21 points to lead all Homestead scorers against Soquel. Speckels buried five three-pointers among her seven field goals and added two points at the free-throw line.

Mellberg supported with eight points, including a three, and Levey added six points. Chiang and Wald dropped five points apiece and Diana Lee added a bucket.

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