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Photographs by Kathy De La Torre
High Scores: Willow Glen's Kelly McCloskey (#11), left, and Mary Bennett (#25), right, each scored in double figures in the win over Silver Creek last week.
Rams run record to 10-0
By Dick Sparrer
First-year coach Daphne Brownson wasn't quite sure what to expect when she took over the Willow Glen girls basketball team this winter. In fact, when she was asked for a preseason analysis of the Rams, she admitted that she didn't even know many of her players, and she didn't know anything about West Valley Division of the Blossom Valley Athletic League.
Well, she does now. And the teams of the West Valley Division certainly know more than they care to know about Brownson and her Rams.
Willow Glen is 10-0 in the division with just one week remaining in the regular season. The Rams haven't quite clinched the West Valley championship, but they took a major step in that direction last week with a thrilling 43-42 victory over second-place Silver Creek.
The Rams ended up on top in the game that remained close from tip to final buzzer. The loss dropped the Raiders to 8-2 in division play--two games back with just two games to play.
Senior stars Mary Bennett and Kelly McCloskey stepped up to lead the Rams to the important win. Bennett led Willow Glen with 19 points, including seven points at the free-throw line, and McCloskey joined her in double digits with 14 points.
Sophomore Andrea Rojas dropped a three-pointer and finished with six points in the game. Bianca Gomez and Marquita Willis added two points apiece.
The Rams trailed 9-7 after a period and 24-22 at intermission. They cut the SC lead to a point at 30-29 after three quarters, then edged the Raiders 14-12 in the fourth to pull out the crucial victory.
Willow Glen had beaten Lincoln to open the week, and a week earlier had crushed San Jose 40-24.
Bennett pitched in 16 points and McCloskey canned 10 in the win over the Bulldogs. Christine Ha tossed in a pair of threes on her way to eight points and Gomez popped a three. Melissa Allen and Theisha Rush had a point apiece.
San Jose gave Willow Glen a bit of a scare. The Rams jumped out to a 16-4 lead after a period, but the Bulldogs cut the lead to six by the half, 21-15. Willow Glen outscored San Jose in each of the last two periods, though, to nail the 16-point victory.
Willow Glen, 13-8 for the year, will close out the regular season with two games this week, at home against Overfelt on Feb. 15, 5 p.m., and at Yerba Buena on Feb. 17, 7 p.m. A win in either game clinches sole ownership of the championship for the Rams.
Panthers lose two
Katie Passalacqua scored in double figures twice, but the Presentation girls basketball team lost twice last week to division leaders, falling 71-41 to first-place Mitty and 48-33 to second-place Leland.
Passalacqua topped the Panthers with 11 points against the Chargers. Sara Werner and Katherine McLaughlin each hit seven points and each tossed in a three-pointer. Caitlyn Foley added six points and Erin Swift and Julie Hiura hit one each.
The Panthers, 6-6 in the Mt. Hamilton Division of the BVAL and 11-12 for the year, lost by 30 to Mitty to open the week.
Werner topped Presentation with 14 points and Passalacqua was close behind with 13. McLaughlin and Swift added five points apiece, and Foley and Briana Fernandez hit two each.
The Panthers picked up their sixth win of the year with a 43-28 victory over Leigh. At the time, Presentation was 6-3, but three straight losses to Oak Grove, Mitty and Leland dropped the Panthers to 6-6.
McLaughlin bombed four threes and finished with 18 points in the win over Leigh. Passalacqua scored in double figures with 10 points, Werner had eight, Nicole Yarwasky hit four, Liz Cirone two and Foley one.
Werner had a big night with 17 points, but Presentation lost 46-42 to Oak Grove. McLaughlin had a pair of threes on her way to eight points and Passalacqua hit eight points. Fernandez added six points, Foley two and Yarwasky one.
Rams get even
The Willow Glen boys knocked off Silver Creek 71-53 to get even in the Santa Teresa Division of the BVAL last Friday night. The Rams, with two wins last week, are 5-5 in division play and 14-9 for the year.
Willow Glen, 66-42 winners over Valley Christian to open the week, turned back the Raiders behind a 28-point performance by Guy Beahm. The 6-foot-8 senior forward canned a couple of threes among his 10 field goals and added six points at the free-throw line.
Casey Keegan tossed in nine buckets, including four threes, to finish with 22 points in the win, Pete Watts drilled four threes to wind up with 12 points.
Adam Saucedo added five points, Mihn Phan hit a three and Jon Williams had a point.
Beahm poured in 27 points, including four threes, to lead the Rams to the win over Valley to open the week. Keegan had a three among his 20 points and David Macchi added 11 points, including three three-pointers.
Watts drilled a pair of threes to finish with six points and Phan and Williams had a point apiece.
A week earlier, the Rams had split against Del Mar and Prospect.
The Rams lost 55-44 to the Dons to slip to 2-5 in division play. Keegan topped the club with 21 points and Beahm hit 19. Macchi and Williams had two apiece.
But Keegan hit 25 and Beahm 18 to lead the Rams to a 47-38 win over Prospect to start a three-game win streak. Watts supported with six points.
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Willow Glen, California Since 1992
