By Dick Sparrer
It was just a nonleague game.
So when the Saratoga and Los Gatos girls' basketball teams took the floor last week, it was a game that didn't mean much to either team.
Yeah, right!
Any time Los Gatos and Saratoga collide in any sport, the game is meaningful because of the longtime rivalry between the two schools in the same high school district.
Add to that the fact that Los Gatos plays in the rugged De Anza Division of the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League, and Saratoga is a notch below in the El Camino Division, you know that the game is important.
So it might have been a nonleague game last Friday night, but you can bet that it was more like a championship game for the teams involved.
And it was Saratoga winning the championship.
The Falcons pulled out a thrilling 42-39 victory over Los Gatos to win ... well, win the Los Gatos- Saratoga High School District crown.
Junior forward Allison Zisko poured in 15 points to lead all Saratoga scorers and senior Jill Moon added 10 points, including a couple of three-pointers, to lead the Falcons to the important win.
Andrea Lo, another senior, supported with eight points in the win, and sophomore guard Nancy Fathali hit a pair of threes to finish with six points. Sophomore Karin Bencala added two points for Saratoga, and junior Clancy Roberts had one.
The clubs were tied 9-9 after a quarter, but Saratoga outscored the Wildcats 15-13 in the second and 10-7 in the third to take a five-point lead into the final period. Gatos cut the lead by two points in the fourth, but ended up losing by three.
The win helped Saratoga improve to 6-3 in the preseason as they look forward to their El Camino Division opener this week. The Falcons visit Mountain View on Jan. 7 and Los Altos on Jan. 9 for a pair of 7 p.m. games to open the league season.
Saratoga coach Bret Yeilding, who rates Cupertino as the league title favorite, expects his Falcons to improve on last year's league record of 2-12. They're already assured of improving on last season's overall mark of 5-18.
The coach looks for Zisko, an all-league honorable mention pick as a sophomore, and co-captains Lo and Sarah Ruby as the team leaders this winter. Moon, Amy Woo and Caroline Wu are other varsity returners for the Falcons.
Fathali and Roberts are top prospects up from the junior varsity, and junior Robyn Katzman is "new to basketball, but very athletic," said Yeilding.
Westmont girls win
Tiffany Reiblein poured in 21 points and Melissa Newberg popped 14 to lead the Westmont girls' basketball team to a lopsided 71-40 victory over Hillsdale last week.
Emillia Ortiz joined the two in double digits with 10 points for the Warriors. Lauren Costanzo and Stacey Mahaffey added eight points apiece. Mahaffey popped a pair of three-pointers for the winners.
The win helped the Warriors improve to 9-1 in the preseason as they look ahead to the league campaign in the Santa Teresa Division of the Blossom Valley Athletic League. Westmont will host Pioneer on Jan. 7, 5 p.m., and Independence on Jan. 9, 7 p.m., to open league play.
Panthers top Falcons
In boys' basketball action last week, Prospect wrapped up an 8-5 preseason with a 57-44 victory over Saratoga.
Senior Aaron Harmon had a three-pointer among his five field goals on the way to a 15-point night for the Panthers. Aaron Winters supported with 14 points, Vince Corcoran had 12, Uriah Bojorquez hit 10 and Zack Melvin popped a pair of threes to finish with six points.
Junior guard Mike Black led the Falcons with 11 points.
The Panthers will open play in the Santa Teresa Division of the BVAL this week under the new head coach, John Melvin.
Brandon Morgan, a 6-foot-3 senior, and Eric Ostgarden, a 6-foot-1 junior, are other top prospects for the Panthers.
This article appeared in the Saratoga News, January 8, 1997.
©1997 Metro Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.