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Photograph by Skye Dunlap
Saratoga's Geoff Lamotte drives for two of his 10 points in his club's 55-39 win over Pioneer to open the CCS Division III playoffs. The Falcons opened the with victory, but they lost a tough decision to No. 1-seeded Santa Cruz.
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Falcons win, lose at CCS By Dick Sparrer
It was pretty much a foregone conclusion.
It didn't matter much whether Saratoga or Pioneer won in the first round of the Central Coast Section Division III playoffs, that winner was going to lose two nights later against No. 1 seed Santa Cruz.
What's more, the Cardinals were heavy favorites to walk away with that Thursday night decision, based on their 30-0 season record heading into the postseason.
Well, the scenario was partly true. Saratoga beat Pioneer handily in the first round of the playoffs, and the Falcons did lose two nights later against Santa Cruz.
But the Cards didn't exactly walk away with that victory. Far from it. The Falcons gave those Cardinals all they could handle before losing by eight at the coast.
Saratoga pounded Pioneer 55-39 in the CCS Division III first round game, then lost 70-62 to Santa Cruz in the second round.
Junior guards Mike Crosby and Micah Weger and senior guard Geoff Lamotte were the big scorers for the Falcons in the two playoff games.
Crosby came on strong in the postseason for Saratoga, scoring 30 points in the two CCS contests. He figured as the top scorer for the Falcons in each of the two games.
Crosby tossed in 14 points to lead the Falcons to the 16-point win over the Mustangs to open the playoffs. The 5-foot-10 junior had a three-pointer among his three field goals, and added seven points at the free-throw line.
Weger finished with 11 points, including a three, and Lamotte had a pair of threes among his 10 points.
Spencer Jamison supported with eight points, including two three-point buckets. Bill Wallace hit four points, Max Sandigo three, Adam Weiskal and Jesse Alejandro two apiece and Robert Kim one.
The Falcons jumped out to a quick 15-6 lead in the first period and pulled away over the next two quarters to take charge of the game. Saratoga led by 14 at the half, 33-19, and by 21 after three quarters, 50-29.
Photograph by Skye Dunlap
Hitting the boards hard for a rebound against Pioneer is Saratoga's Spencer Jamison (33). The Falcons beat the Mustangs by 16, then lost a tough 8-point decision to Santa Cruz.
Mike Nakamura and Kevin Gray led the Mustangs with eight points apiece, and Greg Haskell drilled a pair of three-pointers to finish with six points.
Saratoga moved on to face No. 1 seed Santa Cruz a game later, and the Falcons gave the Cardinals a real battle before falling by eight.
Crosby and Lamotte shared team-high scoring honors for the Falcons with 16 points apiece. Crosby dropped a pair of three-pointers, and Lamotte buried four.
Weger joined the two in double digits with 13 points. Jamison had two threes to finish with six points, Wallace and Matt Garrapolo had four points apiece, and Scott Snider hit a three.
The Falcons hung with the Cardinals for a period, leading 9-8 at the first buzzer. Santa Cruz pulled away by four at the half, 25-21, and by nine after three quarters, 44-35.
But the Cardinals couldn't put the Falcons away. Saratoga matched Santa Cruz in the final period, outscoring the Cards 27-26, but ended up eight points short.
The Cardinals improved to 31-0 for the year with the win and advance to the CCS Division III semifinals.
The Falcons ended their season with a 16-12 record.
Westmont girls fall
The Westmont girls also split in the playoffs. The Warriors won their opener 53-43 over Salinas in the CCS Division II event, but lost 44-20 to Leland to face elimination last weekend.
Hot-shooting Sheryl Mahaffey poured in 21 points to lead the Warriors to the win over Salinas. The 6-foot-1 junior pitched in three three-pointers among her eight field goals and added a couple of points at the free-throw line.
Alyssa Parson joined Mahaffey in double digits with 10 points. Jenny Brown had six, Zuleeka Mohamed five, Stacey Simmons four, Victory Sifuentez three and Kim Castillo and Gina Kottikas two apiece.
Westmont jumped out to a 14-6 lead in the first period and upped that lead to 11 points by intermission, 29-18. The Warriors outscored Salinas 16-6 in the third quarter to take a commanding 21-point lead at 45-24, and coasted from there to the win.
Westmont was pounded 44-20 by Leland later in the week. Brown and Mahaffey had six points apiece to lead all Warriors in scoring. Parsons added four points and Simmons and Mohamed had two apiece to round out the scoring.
Westmont was held to just a bucket in the first period and four points in the second quarter as Leland jumped out to a 19-6 lead by the half. Leland dominated Westmont 12-6 in the third period and 13-8 in the fourth to post the easy win.
Westmont finished the year with a 16-12 record.
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Saratoga, California Since 1975
