Los Gatos Weekly-Times Photograph by George Sakkestad Los Gatos guard Beau Knight drives for two of his nine points in a win over Pioneer in the Westmont Invitational. Knight was one of three Wildcats named to the all-tournament team. Wildcats win Westmont title Gingery tops list of Gatos returners By Dick Sparrer Yogi Berra would have called it "dejá vu all over again." Just as they did a year ago, Los Gatos and Willow Glen met up in the championship game of the Westmont Invitational Basketball Tournament. But the results were much different this time around. Willow Glen edged Los Gatos in overtime to win the title in the Westmont tourney last year. This time around, though, it was all Los Gatos. The Wildcats turned an 11-point halftime lead into a lopsided 27-point victory over the Rams in the 32nd annual Westmont Invitational. Los Gatos beat Prospect 55-51 and Pioneer 59-45 to move into the title game against the Rams. Willow Glen opened the tourney with wins over Fremont 56-46 and Piedmont Hills 47-44. Top Returners Juniors Matt Gingery and Beau Knight and seniors Jonathan Groff and David Whiteside are top returners for the Wildcats this winter, and they starred for Gatos in the Westmont tourney. Gingery, a 6-foot-6 forward, returns after winning all-league second team honors last winter. He was also named to two all-tournament teams for the 'Cats. "[Gingery and Whiteside] are returning starters for us," said Los Gatos coach Jim Marino. "And [Groff and Knight] saw considerable action last year." Knight, a 6-foot-3 guard, was a frosh-soph all-leaguer last season, along with Ben Kane, a 6-foot-0 sophomore guard who joins the varsity this season. The two join guards Groff (6-foot-0) and Whiteside (6-foot-1) as top prospects for the 'Cats. The Wildcats, who finished 7-5 in league play last season after winning the division title the year before, are expected to contend for one of the top spots in the De Anza Division of the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League this winter. "Palo Alto and Milpitas have the most players returning," said Marino, who predicts a third-place finish for the 'Cats. "And Wilcox has the big kid (6-foot-8 Patrick Denehy)." But the Wildcats certainly could be right in there in the race for the title, if last week's performance is any indication. Westmont Champs Gingery picked up this season where he left off last year--winning an all-tourney berth. Gingery, Knight and Groff each earned all-tournament team honors after leading the Wildcats to the title in the Westmont Invitational. Los Gatos clinched the crown with the 53-26 win over Willow Glen in the championship game. Gatos was up 27-18 before unloading on the Rams 26-8 in the final period. "We didn't play that well in the first three quarters," admitted Marino. "But in the fourth quarter, all of a sudden we clicked and started to pull away from them." Knight led the Wildcats with 18 points and 11 rebounds, and Gingery finished with 15 points and nine boards. Knight buried a pair of three-point buckets and Gingery also added a three. Groff supported with 12 points for the winners. Whiteside and Chris Warren (5-foot-11 senior guard) each hit three-pointers and Stephen Pulley (6-foot-2 senior forward) added two points. Whiteside led the 'Cats with four assists and Kane added three. "It was nice to finish a little stronger in the championship game than we had in the previous two games," said the coach. Gatos was outscored by both Prospect and Pioneer in the fourth period in the first two games of the tourney. Still, the 'Cats had more than enough cushion to hang on for wins in each of the two games. Los Gatos opened up a commanding 44-28 lead against Pioneer in three periods and coasted from there to the win. Groff was the top scorer for the Wildcats with 14 points and Gingery added 11, including a three-pointer, and led the club with seven rebounds. Senior forward Devan Denton (6-foot-2) finished with 10 points for Gatos and Knight popped nine, including a three, and added added six rebounds. Whiteside had six points and four assists, Pulley hit four points, Ross Halper (5-foot-8 junior guard) and Alex Holcomb (6-foot-1 junior forward) had two apiece and Kane hit one. "They played us tough," said Marino of Pioneer, which is coached by former Los Gatos frosh-soph coach Joe Berticevich. Los Gatos opened the tourney with a hard-earned 55-51 win over Prospect. "Their guards were very quick," said Marino. "Overall, they were quicker than we were. But we were bigger, and we were able to get the ball inside and control the boards." Gingery had a big night for the 'Cats with 18 points and 12 rebounds. Knight was the Gatos scoring leader with 19 points, including three three-pointers. Groff joined the two in double digits with 12 points. Pulley added four and Denton hit two. The tournament championship marked the first time ever that Los Gatos had won a title in the Westmont Invitational. Los Gatos Shootout Gatos will try to make it two straight tournament titles when the 'Cats host the Los Gatos Lions Club Wildcat Shootout Dec. 9-12. Los Gatos figures to be the favorite in its bracket over Pioneer, Leland and Live Oak. Armijo of Fairfield is a favorite in the other bracket, and "Willow Glen could get it together, too," said Marino. Willow Glen defeated Los Gatos in the Shootout finals a year ago. [ Back to Contents Page | Los Gatos Weekly-Times Home Page | Archives ] This article appeared in the Los Gatos Weekly-Times, December 9, 1998. ©1998 Metro Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.