Saratoga News
Sports
Saratoga's Baba, Ghafouri are all-league first teamers
By Mike Barnhart
In each of the last four girls basketball seasons, most of Monta Vista's biggest plays were provided by one of its smallest players. And although her 5-foot-4 frame is not big in basketball circles, Sophia Tam has been huge in the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League's El Camino Division.
Tam missed two league games and part of a third this season because of an injury suffered while diving for a loose ball, but it didn't matter to division coaches when they voted for post-season honors recently. The Monta Vista senior was picked to the all-El Camino first team for the third year in a row, and she was named the division's Most Valuable Player.
"Even as a freshman, she was my consistent go-to player," praised coach Sara Borelli. "As a point guard she has proven herself time and time again to be able to handle pressure and take control of the game."
Tam scored in double figures in eight of the 10 league games she played, including 20 or more in each of the final four contests, Monta Vista's stretch run to a berth in the Central Coast Section playoffs. With no room for another defeat on her team's record, Tam paced the Matadors to victory in all four of those games and led them into the Division I playoffs.
Once under the CCS spotlight, Tam starred during a first-round loss at Evergreen Valley. She scored a season best 26 points, one shy of her career high of 27, which she posted against Saratoga in 2006.
Tam finished this season with 399 points, an average of 17.3 per game. She nailed 46 baskets from beyond the three-point arc, but her game featured so much more.
"Sophia's repertoire includes the abilities to drive to the basket, dish to the post and pull up for a jumper," Borelli explained. "She has impressive post moves for someone of her stature."
In addition to being an offensive dynamo, Tam was an excellent defensive player for the Matadors.
"Sophia caused many turnovers and often was called upon to shut down the opposing team's best offensive player," Borelli noted.
In addition to Tam, El Camino coaches named five other players to the first team, including seniors Emily Shen of Lynbrook, Kate Mower of Homestead and Jacqui Fountain of Santa Clara. Slick-passing guard Erica Baba of Saratoga and Emily Lippe of Los Altos were the two juniors tabbed to the first team.
Shen and Mower, the top players on this season's El Camino Division co-championship squads, shared the Senior of the Year honor. Shen, Lynbrook's primary inside presence the past four seasons, capped an outstanding career with about nine points and seven rebounds a game. Mower, Homestead's top player the past two seasons, was an athlete for whom opposing coaches adjusted their defenses.
Baba made the offense go for coach Darrin Garcia's Saratoga squad. The 5-foot-2 point guard averaged nearly six assists a game to go with her 5.4 scoring average.
Sophomore of the Year Diana Lee, who led Lynbrook in scoring with about 11 points a game, headed a 10-member second team. Seniors Sabina Lau and Kelly Bodwin of Monta Vista, Mira Stauffacher of Lynbrook, Lisa Ruddy of Saratoga and Sara Nolet of Los Altos also were second team picks. They were joined by juniors Victoria Wu of Cupertino and Emily Blazensky of Homestead and sophomores Tiffany Wang of Cupertino and Alex Sclavos of Saratoga.
Seniors Elan Kim of Homestead and Katie Yamauchi of Lynbrook received honorable mention.
In boys play, 6-foot-5 senior Kris Gingrich of Lynbrook was a first team pick on the all-El Camino team. The second team included 6-foot-8 junior Andy Meunier of Lynbrook.
Cupertino's top scorers, junior Eric Heslin (17.0 point average) and senior Ryan Matsuoka (10.9), joined Saratoga junior Keon Ghafouri and four others on the boys all-De Anza first team.
Ten other players were picked to the second team, including senior guard Kourash Agahdel of Saratoga.
