Dreyfuss provided solid defense, rebounding and leadership during the Falcons' three tourney games.

After beating Cupertino in the first round, Saratoga dropped games to eventual tourney champion Wilcox and host Fremont. Mika Lewis (eight points) and Daphne Wu (five) provided some offensive spark for the Falcons against the Firebirds in the third-place game, but the hosts prevailed 44-31.

The Fremont event was the first of four December tournaments for the Falcons, who take a 1-4 record to Terra Nova High in Pacifica this week (Dec. 8-10). Tourneys at Westmont (Dec. 15-18) and Del Mar (Dec. 27-30) follow. Coach Bret Yeilding hopes the pre-season schedule gets the Falcons ready to compete when league play begins in January.

Dreyfuss, Lewis and Wu are returners from last season's team, which shared the De Anza Division championship with Homestead. The Falcons put together a 20-6 record a year ago, including a first-round victory in the Central Coast Section tournament.

In addition to losing four players from that team to graduation, starting forwards Bryte Nielsen and Julia Anderson--all-leaguers as juniors--transferred to Los Gatos for their senior year. Sophomore Jenna Anderson, Julia's sister, also transferred to Los Gatos. Yeilding had anticipated the younger Anderson to be a three-year varsity starter for the Falcons.

Gellman is all-tourney

The Westmont girls basketball team battled its way to claim the consolation trophy in the 22nd annual Glenn Ventura Pioneer Classic Tournament. The Warriors pounded out a hard fought 56-48 win over Monta Vista to grab the consolation title.

Rachel Gellman led the charge for the Warriors, pouring in 16 points including a three-pointer.

Gellman had a strong performance in the tourney and was rewarded with a selection to the all-tournament team. She led the Warriors in scoring in all three games in the tournament, including 13 against Leigh and 20 against Oak Grove.