The Willow Glen Resident

Photograph by George Sakkestad

Giving it a shot: Willow Glen's Sondra Corpus goes up for a shot in the second round of the Pioneer Classic as Pioneer's Amy Thornhill (45) and Diana Johnson (21) close in on defense. The Rams lost 44-33 to the Mustangs.

Rams win Westmont title

Panthers nail third in Sacramento

By Dick Sparrer

They just played last Friday night.

But the Willow Glen and Los Gatos basketball boys' teams could meet again this Saturday night. And Rams head coach Todd Meeker wouldn't mind one bit if they did.

Because to meet again this weekend, the Rams and Gatos would have to be playing for the championship in the Wildcat Shootout at Los Gatos. And Meeker certainly wouldn't mind seeing his Rams play for a tourney title a week after winning a crown in another tournament.

Willow Glen knocked off Los Gatos 69-49 last Friday in the finals of the Westmont Tournament. The Rams had beaten Leland 69-41 and Piedmont Hills 67-66 in overtime to earn the spot in the championship game.

Dion Saunders, who opened the tourney with a 27-point effort against Leland, came back with a team high 30 points in the final game to lead the Rams to the 20-point victory.

Rayvon Jackson, whose 28 points sparked the Rams to a win over Piedmont Hills in the semifinals, supported with 20 points in the title game.

Both Saunders and Jackson were named to the all-tournament team for their efforts.

The Rams opened up a quick 22-9 lead in the first period against the Cats, and held on to that lead throughout the game.

Willow Glen had to battle back from a 28-21 halftime deficit to pull out the 67-66 overtime win over the Pirates a game earlier.

The Rams outscored the Bucs 21-15 in the third period to pull within one, then topped Piedmont Hills 14-13 in the fourth to knot the score at 56-56. Willow Glen edged Piedmond 11-10 in the extra period to clinch the thrilling win and earn a place in the finals.

Jackson led the Rams with 28 points in the win, and Saunders supported with 10 points.

Saunders pumped in 27 points, and Jackson added 12 to lead the Rams to a 69-41 win over Leland to open the tourney. Willow Glen jumped out a 23-6 lead in the first period and never looked back.

The three wins helped the Rams improve to 4-0 for the year as they prepare for the Wildcat Shootout this week. Willow Glen opens the tourney on Dec. 11, 7:30 p.m., against Live Oak. They'll play again on Friday and Saturday.

Girls lose at Pioneer

The Willow Glen girls slipped to 0-6 for the year with three straight losses at the Pioneer Classic last week.

The Rams lost their opener 69-18 to eventual champion Santa Cruz, then fell to host Pioneer and to Oak Grove in the seventh-place game.

Marcella Prada, a 5-foot-10 sophomore forward, led a spirited Willow Glen effort in a tough 44-33 loss to the Mustangs in the second round of the tourney. Prada tossed in 13 points to lead all WG scorers in the game.

Kelly McCloskey, a 5-foot-9 sophomore forward, pumped in nine points for the Rams, and Sondra Corpus added six points. Angel Ocampo hit two buckets, including a three-pointer, to finish the evening with five points.

Letisha Trumpo, a 5-foot-7 junior center, led the Rams with nine points in the loss to Santa Cruz to open the tournament. McCloskey added four points, Ocampo and Theisha Rush hit two each, and Shannon Donovan hit one.

Willow Glen had opened the week by dropping a 53-35 decision to Prospect despite an 18-point performance by Prada. Rush was next in line with four points, Donovan, Ocampo and Brigitte Boney had three points each, and McCloskey and Vanessa Sifuentes supported with two apiece. Boney drilled a three-pointer for the Rams.

Prada had poured in 20 points, but the Rams lost a tough 48-37 decision to Lincoln a week earlier.

Willow Glen opened the year with a lopsided 76-17 loss to Notre Dame of San Jose. Prada led the Rams with nine points.

Panthers third

Molly Shanley buried 54 points in four games to lead the Presentation girls' basketball team to a third-place finish in the rugged Capital City Shootout.

Shanley tossed in 11 points, including a three-pointer, to lead the Panthers to a rousing 49-15 win over Florin in the third-place game.

Rosanna Moreno supported Shanley's effort with 10 points, and Rachel Werner hit eight. Megan Moniz, Jaleh Donaldson and Cheyenne Brown added four points each in the win, and Jessica Borello, Sarah Incerty, Caitlyn Foley and Denise Mattos hit two each.

The Panthers blanked Florin 12-0 in the first period, upped their lead to 22-3 the half, and blanked Florin 13-0 in the third to dominate the game.

Presentation had opened the tournament with a 49-39 win over St. Francis of Sacramento. Shanley and Brown share game-high honors with 14 points apiece, and Werner added eight. Moniz chipped in with six points, Donaldson had five and Incerty hit two.

The Panthers lost 55-36 to Palos Verdes. Moniz was the Presentation scoring leader with just eight points, and Donaldson and Shanley had six each. Borello tossed in five points, Brown had four; Werner, Mattos and Moreno hit two each; and Jessica Maynes added one.

The Panthers then dropped a tough 62-50 decision to Berkeley, despite taking a seven-point lead into the second half.

Shanley led the Panthers with 23 points, including a pair of threes. Moniz had 10 points, Brown five, Donaldson and Mattos four each and Moreno and Werner two each.

The Panthers were up 28-21 at the half, but were outscored 22-12 in the third and 19-10 in the fourth.

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