Los Gatos Weekly-Times Los Gatos basketball teams open with losses By Dick Sparrer Jim Marino knew that the Los Gatos basketball team had its hands full. The Wildcats were opening the league season in the De Anza Division of the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League, and they were opening up against the two clubs Marino figured to be the title contenders this winter--Milpitas and Palo Alto. As it turns out, things didn't go so well for the Wildcats. Gatos lost 61-55 to Milpitas, then dropped a heartbreaking 66-62 decision to Palo Alto in a thrilling game that was broadcast live over Bay TV throughout the Bay Area. Los Gatos has nothing to be ashamed of, though, when the Cats battled the Vikings on TV. Gatos fought back from a 12-point halftime deficit to pull within two points in the final seconds. The Wildcats actually had a shot at taking the lead late in the game. Paly led 64-62 in the final seconds, but Los Gatos had control of the basketball and a good shot at the lead. But a three-point attempt by Jonathan Groff drew iron, and the Vikings snagged the rebound. Gatos was forced to foul, and Paly dropped two free throws to sink any hopes of a Los Gatos comeback. Groff was the scoring leader for Los Gatos in the game, pouring in 20 points to lead the Wildcats. He had a three-pointer among his six field goals, and he added seven points at the free-throw line. David Whiteside had a big scoring night for the Cats. The senior guard had 14 points, including a pair of threes. Stephen Pulley joined the two in double digits with 11 points. Matt Gingery hit nine points, Beau Knight seven and Ben Winkelman one. Knight had a three-pointer for the Cats. Los Gatos had given Milpitas a tussle earlier in the week before dropping a six-point decision. The Cats led by five after a period and held a slim one-point lead at intermission, 34-33. But Milpitas outscored Gatos 16-8 in the third to move in front, and the Trojans held on for the win. Groff was the big scorer for the Cats with 20 points, and Knight supported with 12. Each one hit a pair of three-pointers. Whiteside added nine points, Pulley and Devan Denton six apiece and Alex Holcomb two. Los Gatos will go after its first win of the league season this week when the Cats visit Lynbrook on Jan. 13, 7 p.m., and host Santa Clara on Jan. 15, 7:30 p.m. The Los Gatos girls, meanwhile, dropped two games last week, falling 46-25 to Palo Alto and 65-27 to Monta Vista. Gatos opened the week, and the De Anza Division season, with the loss to the Matadors. Monta Vista outscored the Cats in every period on the road to the victory, topping Gatos 20-4 in the first quarter and 22-11 in the second to open up a commanding lead. Katrina Sortino pitched in six points, including a three-pointer, to lead all Los Gatos scorers in the loss. Tara Eichenger, Nancy Shishido and Sara Clark added four points each, Shannon Hart hit three, and Gillian Wadas and Sara Peetz had two apiece. The Wildcats slipped to 0-2 in the division and to 7-7 for the year a game later in the loss to Paly. Trina Mills led the Cats with 11 points, including a three, and Rachelle Townsend added six points. Wadas popped a three-pointer, Julia Pugliese had three points, and Hart had two points. The Wildcats will travel to Mountain View on Jan. 12 to face powerful St. Francis at 7 p.m. The Cats return home to host Santa Clara on Jan. 14, 7 p.m. [ Back to Contents Page | Los Gatos Weekly-Times Home Page | Archives ] This article appeared in the Los Gatos Weekly-Times, January 13, 1999. ©1999 Metro Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.