Los Gatos Weekly-Times Wildcats net a key win over Palo Alto Vikings By Dick Sparrer David Whiteside had something to prove. So did Matt Gingery, Beau Knight and the rest of the Los Gatos boys basketball team. The first time through the schedule in the De Anza Division of the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League, the Wildcats lost a heartbreaking two-point decision to Palo Alto. The Wildcats committed 20 turnovers in the loss, and missed a couple of shots down the stretch that could have lifted them to the victory. So when the Cats met up with the Vikings a second time, they had something to prove. And they were able to prove it with a 61-58 victory that put Gatos right back in the hunt for the championship in the De Anza Division. "We have to beat Milpitas and probably win the rest of our games," admitted Gatos coach Jim Marino, "but at least this gives us a little hope." Hope came in the form of some outstanding performances by Whiteside, Gingery, Knight and a few other Wildcats. "Whiteside did a great job of handling the ball against their pressure," said Marino. "He seemed to be determined to avenge the way he played the first time." And Gingery was simply outstanding. The junior sensation poured in a game-high 25 points and led the Cats on the boards with 11 rebounds. "That's his best game in a long time," said Marino of Gingery. "He played a well-rounded game. That was one of his best games of the season, if not the best." Knight wasn't bad, either. The junior guard supported Gingery's effort with 16 points. Gingery and Knight each dropped a pair of three-pointers in the win. Stephen Pulley came off the bench to toss in nine points, Jonathan Groff and Devan Denton hit four apiece, Whiteside had two, and Ben Winkelman hit one. Denton supported Gingery on the boards with 10 rebounds. Whiteside and Knight shared the assist lead with three apiece, and Groff had two. Palo Alto led by as many as seven points in the second quarter, but it was Los Gatos taking a five-point lead in the third period. "But it was pretty tight all the way," said Marino. "It was a pretty physical game." The Cats were trailing when Knight buried a three-pointer from the top of the key with just under a minute remaining to tie things at 57-57. Whiteside and Gingery double-teamed Paly's inbounds pass. Whiteside came up with the steal and passed to Gingery, who drove to the bucket for two to put the Cats up 59-57 with less than 30 seconds left to play. Los Gatos fouled Paly in the final seconds. The Vikings hit a free throw to cut it to 59-58, but missed the second. Gingery snagged the rebound and was quickly fouled by the Vikes. He hit both of his free throws, and Gatos had its 61-58 lead. Palo Alto got off a 20-footer at the buzzer, but it bounced off the iron and the Cats had locked up the impressive victory. Los Gatos opened the week with an important 53-44 win over Wilcox. "We started off real fast," said Marino, whose club led 21-7 after a period and 36-21 at the half. "We shot the ball real well early." Knight led the Cats with 19 points, Groff pitched in 16 and Gingery buried 15. Knight and Gingery each canned three-pointers. Whiteside finished with four points, Pulley three and Winkelman one. Denton and Gingery led the Cats on the boards with eight rebounds apiece, and Knight ripped down six. Whiteside and Groff had four assists apiece. Marino praised the work of Denton and Pulley defensively in the game. "Denton played great defense on their post player inside," said Marino. "He caused some turn-overs because he was pretty active inside." "This was a game we had to win," said Marino of the Wilcox game. "It was a real good week for us." The Cats, now 5-2 in the division and 16-6 for the year, host Milpitas in a key game on Feb. 2 before visiting Santa Clara on Feb. 4. Both games tip off at 7 p.m. [ Back to Contents Page | Los Gatos Weekly-Times Home Page | Archives ] This article appeared in the Los Gatos Weekly-Times, February 3, 1999. ©1999 Metro Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.