The Sun
Sunnyvale's Newspaper

No more undefeated teams

Firebirds, Mustangs lose for the first time in league play

By Dick Sparrer

It's not easy for a basketball team to go undefeated through an entire league season.

And no team really expects to.

But it doesn't make it any less disappointing when that first loss spoils an otherwise perfect league record.

It happened to both Homestead and Fremont last week. The Mustangs slipped to 4-1 in the De Anza Division of the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League after a heartbreaking 34-31 loss to St. Francis, and the Firebirds dropped to 3-1 in the El Camino Division of the SCVAL after a tough 44-41 loss to Mountain View.

Fremont battled back from the defeat to pound Wilcox 56-46 on Friday night to improve to 4-1 in the division and to 12-5 for the year.

Chi Tran poured in 18 points and Natalie Woo pitched in 17 to lead the Firebirds to the 10-point win over the Chargers. Tran had a couple of three-pointers among her five field goals in the game, and she added six points at the free-throw line.

Monique Gammon supported with seven points for the winners and Beatriz Corro and La Nolia Ufondu chipped in with six apiece. Shade Akanbi rounded out the scoring with two points.

The Firebirds actually trailed by a point after a period, 14-13, but outscored the Chargers 14-4 in the second to lead by nine at the half, 27-18. Wilcox trimmed the lead by three in the third period, but Fremont pulled out by four more in the fourth to win it.

Woo had scored 17 points and Tran added 14, but the Firebirds lost the tough three-point decision to Mountain View to open the week.

Fremont led most of the way. The Firebirds went up 13-9 in the first period and held a two-point lead at intermission, 23-21. Fremont opened up a four-point lead heading into the final period, but the Spartans outscored the 'Birds 17-10 to win it.

Tran hit a couple of threes on her way to 14 points for the Firebirds. Ufondu added six points, Corro two and Gammon and Kim Johnson one apiece.

Fremont will return to the floor this week to visit Saratoga on Jan. 28 and to host Gunn on Jan. 30 in a pair of 7 p.m. games.

Mustangs split

Homestead opened the week with a solid 45-37 win over Los Gatos, but the Mustangs lost their perfect record in a 34-31 loss to St. Francis. The Lancers moved into a first-place tie with the Mustangs, both clubs at 4-1.

Michelle Wald buried 15 points and Julie Speckels had 13 points, including a three-pointer, to lead the Mustangs to the win over the Wildcats to open the week.

Vicki Chiang tossed in 10 points to join the two in double figures. Marie Levey added five points in the win and Shelley Mellberg had two.

No Homestead player could score in double digits in the low-scoring loss to St. Francis to close out the week, though.

Speckels led the Mustangs with eight points and Wald, Chiang and Tanya Green added six points each. Mellberg chipped in with four points and Levey hit one.

The loss leaves Homestead 12-6 for the year.

Fremont boys win

Melvin Rabena canned 14 points and Darren Lang drilled 13 to lead the Fremont boys' basketball team to a 54-31 win over Monta Vista. The win helped the Firebirds improve to 3-2 in the El Camino Division of the SCVAL and to 9-11 for the year.

Thai Kim popped 10 points for Fremont in the win, Reynold Carlos and Michael Harris pitched in five apiece, Manuel Mendoza four and Michael Hardwick three.

Fremont jumped out to a quick lead, outscoring Monta Vista 17-4 in the first period. The Firebirds opened up a commanding 20-point lead by intermission and coasted from there to the victory.

Mustangs drop two

The Homestead boys, meanwhile, lost twice last week to fall to 2-3 in the El Camino Division and to 4-13 for the year.

The Mustangs lost 57-48 to Saratoga despite a 14-point night by Greg Fobbs, then lost 42-31 to Mountain View despite an 11-point effort by Pat Cabell.

Fobbs hit six in the loss to the Spartans, and Matt Hovik and Joe Whiteman added five apiece. Matt Hoffman and Brian Holm hit two points each.

Hobbs led the Mustangs with his 14 against the Falcons and Holm added 11 points.

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This article appeared in the Sunnyvale Sun, January 28, 1998.
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