By Dick Sparrer
The league season started out just fine for the Los Gatos girls' basketball team.
The Wildcats beat Lynbrook, Milpitas and Gunn to get off to a good start in the De Anza Division of the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League.
But the Wildcats found out last week that all good things must come to an end.
Los Gatos was two-timed by Homestead and St. Francis last week to drop back to 3-2 in division play and to 15-4 for the year.
The Cats suffered their first loss of the league season when they fell 51-24 to Homestead in what could only be described as a strange game.
The Cats trailed 11-6 at the first buzzer, but they blanked the Mustangs 10-0 in the second quarter to lead by five at the half, 16-11.
The Mustangs came on strong in the second half, though, outscoring Gatos 18-4 in the third and 22-4 in the fourth to post the easy win.
Deva Dawson led the LG attack with 13 points. Elizabeth Coughran tossed in six points, Christina Cordes hit three and Nina Vinther had two.
Coughran came back with a big 26-point night, but the Wildcats lost a 63-53 decision to St. Francis. Dawson joined Coughran in double digits with 15 points.
Vinther finished with six points, Tina Cseuz had four and Niki Bumbaca added two.
The Lancers opened up an 18-13 lead in the first period, then bombed the Cats 22-10 in the second quarter to take control of the game.
Gatos was coming off a solid 53-39 win over Gunn. Dawson led the Wildcats with 15 points and Coughran chipped in with 11.
Cseuz helped out with seven points, Cordes had six, Serena Poon hit five, Laura Raffaelli popped four, Vinther hit three, and Samantha Sprogis added two.
The Cats outscored the Titans in every period but the fourth on the road to the victory.
The Wildcats will try to get back to their winning ways on Jan. 23 when they visit powerful Monta Vista at 7 p.m. The Cats will head to Lynbrook on Jan. 25 for a 7 p.m. tipoff.
Leigh girls win
Sophomore standout Katherine Zehrbach buried 18 points and Veronica Inman added 10 to lead the Leigh girls' basketball team to a 50-47 win over Westmont in a key match-up in the Santa Teresa Division of the Blossom Valley Athletic League.
Kelly Griswald supported with nine points, Christina Lombardo had seven, and Sarah Peterson hit six in the win. Inman and Griwald each buried a couple of three-point buckets and Lombardo hit one.
The Longhorns came back with wins over Willow Glen and Del Mar last week to improve to 5-1 in the division and to 8-9 for the
season.
Leigh topped Willow Glen 46-42 to open the week. Zehrback led the Longhorns with 24 points, Griwald and Lombardo had eight apiece, and Cassie Voelcker hit six.
Zehrbach popped 13 points, Lombardo had nine and Peterson added eight to spark the 'Horns to a 52-27 win over Del Mar.
This article appeared in the Los Gatos Weekly-Times, January 24, 1996.
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