Photograph by Dai Sugano

Los Gatos coach Lori Cox rallies the girls team during the third quarter of last Thursday's CCS opener against Alvarez.

Gatos girls, boys win at home

But the Wildcats both lose in CCS quarter-finals

By Dick Sparrer

Los Gatos couldn't have asked for a better night. It was the second round of the Central Coast Section Division III basketball playoffs, and the Gatos girls and boys were playing a double-header at home.

The girls, who had drawn a first-round bye and were seeded No. 4, opened at home with a rousing 48-32 victory over Alvarez. The boys, who had also drawn a first-round bye and were seeded No. 6, started the post-season at home with a lopsided 61-41 victory over Prospect.

"It was fantastic," said Gatos boys coach Jim Marino. "We had a great crowd."

Life was good for the Wildcats.

At least, it was through the second round of the playoffs. In the quarterfinals, it was a different story all together.

The Los Gatos girls were on the road for the quarters and lost a tough 51-42 decision to Presentation at the College of San Mateo.

The Los Gatos boys hit the road to face San Lorenzo Valley at Piedmont Hills. And they, too, fell out of the playoffs with a 41-30 loss to the Warriors.

So, after a sensational start, the basketball season came to an end all in one day at Los Gatos High School. But what a season it was.

The Los Gatos girls were champions in the El Camino Division of the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League and finished the year 22-8 after the split in the playoffs.

The Los Gatos boys didn't win a title, but they did pull off a miraculous comeback after a slow start in the preseason. Injuries slowed the Cats early in the year, and they were 4-10 heading into league play. But the Wildcats put together a 9-3 record in the tough De Anza Division of the SCVAL to nail third place, and they finished the year 14-14, winning 10 of their last 14 games.

Both teams wrapped up the home season with impressive victories, the girls crushing Alvarez and the boys whipping Prospect.

Los Gatos senior Nancy Shishido drives to the hoop for points in CCS playoff action at home. Shishido had nine points to help the girls to a 48-32 win over Alvarez.

Photograph by Dai Sugano







Pugliese hits 10

Sophomore Julia Pugliese tossed in 10 points, and Nancy Shishido and Kristin Ozawa added nine points apiece to lead the Wildcats to the win over Alvarez.

Pugliese hit a couple of buckets, one a three-pointer, and added five points at the free-throw line to lead the club with 10 points in the win.

Ozawa popped a pair of threes on her way to nine points, and Shishido tossed in four shots and a free throw.

Michelle Beritzhoff, Brett Sickler and Cristen McClenathan supported with six points each in the win and Stephanie Anderson hit two.

The Wildcats jumped out to a quick 15-7 lead in the first period and were up 23-19 at the half despite an Alvarez comeback in the second quarter. But the Cats topped Alvarez 12-5 in the third and 10-6 in the fourth to clinch the victory.

Gatos got off to a quick start against Presentation later in the week, but ended up losting 51-42 to the Panthers.

The Wildcats were up 8-2 at the first buzzer and 17-14 at intermission. But the Panthers topped the Cats 20-12 in the third to take the lead and 17-13 in the fourth to clinch the win.

Shishido, a senior playing her final game for the Cats, tossed in 14 points, including a pair of three-pointers. Beritzhoff, a sophomore, joined her in double digits with 11 points.

McClenathan tossed in six points for the Cats, Ozawa had five, Sickler three and Pugliese one. Ozawa and Sickler both dropped threes.

Los Gatos senior Matt Gingery drives to the hoop for points in CCS playoff action at home. Gingery buried 32 points in his final home game to lead the Gatos boys to a 61-41 win over Prospect.

Photograph by Dai Sugano







Gingery stars

Senior Matt Gingery starred on his final night before the home crowd, pouring in 32 points in the 61-41 CCS win over Prospect.

The 6-foot-6 senior tossed in 13 field goals and added six points at the charity stripe to lead all scorers in the game with his 32. He also topped the club with 12 rebounds.

Senior Beau Knight, battling his way back onto the floor after suffering a knee injury late in the season, left his mark on the home hoops with 17 points for Gatos in the win.

Senior Ben Kane and sophomore Trent Edwards chipped with six points apiece, and the Wildcats found themselves on the way to the CCS quarterfinals.

Junior Matt Swanson supported on the boards with eight rebounds, and Kane led the Cats with five assists, including an Alley Oop to Gingery for a slam.

Los Gatos truly dominated the game against Prospect. The Cats bombed the Panthers 14-2 in the first period and led 25-10 at the half. Prospect outscored the Cats 17-9 in the third to cut the lead to 34-27, but Los Gatos turned it on in the fourth to top the Panthers 27-14 to win by 20.

The Wildcats almost pulled off an instant replay two nights later against San Lorenzo Valley. The Cats led 9-2 after a period and 18-12 at intermission. But it was SLV dominating the third period 16-5 and the fourth 13-7 to claim the victory.

Gingery finished with nine points to lead the Cats, and junior center Matt Swanson added seven. Edwards had a three among his five points, Knight hit four, Kane tossed in a three, and Alex Holcomb added two.

"We had a tough time scoring," said Marino. "We had some open looks, but the shots just weren't falling."

Gingery topped the club with 10 boards and Swanson ripped down nine, eight on the offensive end of the floor. Kane and Edwards each had three assists.


Photograph by Dai Sugano

The players leap off the bench to celebrate second-quarter points in last week's boys win over Prospect.




Leigh still going

The Leigh Longhorns are still going strong in the CCS Division II playoffs after two wins to open the postseason.

The 'Horns opened with a 55-34 win over Sequoia, then whipped Piedmont Hills 66-41 to advance to the semifinals. Leigh, now 21-7 for the year, will face Woodside (26-5) on March 1 at Independence. The time has yet to be determined.

Antwon Guidry fired in 20 points, including five three-pointers, to lead the Longhorns past the Pirates on Saturday night.

Josh Kreuzer muscled in 19 points underneath, and Keith Miyakusu hit a pair of threes among his five field goals to finish with 12 points for the 'Horns.

Derek Marquardt added six points, Mark Perry four, Marcus Anderson and Todd Phillips two apiece, and Darren Fujikawa one.

Leigh had opened the tournament with a 55-34 win over Sequoia. Kreuzer and Guidry topped the 'Horns with 11 points apiece.

Miyakusu added eight points, and Anderson, Kevin Rawson and Byron Taplin hit six each. Fujikawa added three points, and Perry and Marquardt hit two each. Guidry and Fujikawa each popped three-pointers.

Leigh outscored Sequoia in every period on the road to the victory, then, after matching Piedmont's eight first-quarter points, the Longhorns topped the Pirates in each of the last three periods.

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