Photograph by George Sakkestad
Los Gatos senior standout Brad Griffith poured in 27 points, but the Wildcats lost to Arcata in the playoffs.
By Dick Sparrer
The Los Gatos basketball team deserved a better finish.
The Wildcats should have had the opportunity to cut down some nets, or carry their coach off the court on their shoulders, or, at the very least, fire the basketball triumphantly toward the gym ceiling.
But there wasn't that kind of finish for the Cats this winter. There was no celebration becase their season ended with back-to-back losses--of course, you have to consider where those losses occurred.
The Wildcats lost in the Central Coast Section Division III championship game, and then again in the first round of the Northern California playoffs.
So there was certainly no shame in the way the Cats finished their season. And there was no shame at all in the Wildcats' season--the best-ever finish in the history of Los Gatos basketball.
Gatos won a record 24 games in the 1996-97 campaign, and they shared the championship in the De Anza Division of the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League with Milpitas.
The Wildcats lost only six games in their remarkable year, and four of those losses came to teams who advanced to the NorCal playoffs.
So shed no tears for the Wildcats. They may have missed out on their chance to celebrate, and they may have lost the last two games of their season--but what a season it was.
Senior Brad Griffith played the final game of the season just as he had played thoughout the year--he was sensational. Griffith lit up the NorCal playoffs for 27 points to lead all Los Gatos scorers in a 73-63 loss to Arcata.
Dave Utt and Court Showerman, other senior stars for the Cats, joined Griffith in double digits. Utt buried 12 points for Gatos, and Showerman was close behind with 10 points. Showerman had a three-pointer among his three field goals.
Mike Pugh, who set a new single-season record for three-pointers this winter, tossed in three more buckets from the three-point range to finish with nine points for the Cats.
Mike McSweeney chipped in with three points, and Steve Biderman added two points to round out the scoring for Los Gatos.
Gatos led by a bucket after a period, 15-13, but was outscored 23-13 in the second period to trail by eight at the half, 36-28. The Cats cut the lead by one in the third, but Arcata pulled away in the fourth to win by 10.
The game marked the end of the line for seniors Griffith, Showerman, Utt, Pugh, Lee Mokri, Mike Ozawa and Ryan Vaughan.
Griffith and Showerman wrapped up outstanding senior seasons by earning places on the all-league first team in the De Anza Division of the SCVAL. Pugh was named to the all-league second team and Utt earned a place on the honorable mention list.
This article appeared in the Los Gatos Weekly-Times, March 19, 1997.
©1997 Metro Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.