Willow Glen had a little extra incentive since it was senior night in front of an enthusiastic home crowd.

Prior to game time, Willow Glen coach Todd Meeker said, "Both teams have something to play for and it's not just a meaningless game for either team finishing out the season. Our kids know what's on the line and our seniors really want to make the playoffs."

Those Ram seniors--Will Robinson, Ruben Medina, Adam Bruening, Michael Morales, LaMonte Bannister, Marques Hill, and Derrick Telly--hoped it would not be the last time they pulled on the red and gold of Willow Glen. Unfortunately, Prospect was too much for the Rams to handle as they suffered a disappointing 53-45 Blossom Valley Athletic League Santa Teresa Division loss. Willow Glen completed its season 10-15 overall and 6-8 in division play and in the middle of the pack.

The Rams started out like gangbusters, jumping to a 7-1 lead with Hienock Habte hot from outside and Medina clearing the defensive boards. Willow Glen put up a strong zone defense, giving Prospect nothing but outside shots and it couldn't find the range. However, a rash of turnovers by the Rams sent Prospect on a 12-2 run to close the quarter and grab a 13-9 lead.

The Rams couldn't find any offensive rhythm and slipped further behind until they were looking up at a nine-point deficit with just over two minutes left in the half. That's when the fireworks erupted. Habte threw up a three-pointer with one second left on the shot clock that somehow dropped in, sparking the Rams and getting the home crowd back in the game. Habte fired in another one with 30 seconds left in the half. With the clock winding down, Medina drove the lane and flipped the ball to Robinson who kicked it out to Kyle Schroeder waiting at the arc. He launched a three ball that swished through with two seconds showing and just like that it was 25-25 at the half.

Unfortunately, the Rams left that momentum in the locker room at the intermission and were unable to score again until 3:25 left in the third quarter. That allowed the Panthers to build a lead that the Rams could not overcome, although they continued to play aggressively and stay close until the end.

Habte was the only Ram in double digits, scoring 17 points. Schroeder followed with eight points while Robinson tossed in seven, all in the fourth quarter, and Steve Skavdahl knocked down six. Bruening dropped in four and Medina added three.

The Rams had another chance to ensure a playoff berth earlier in the week but faced a tough Evergreen Valley team and lost 62-38. Habte led the Rams with eight points while Skavdahl added seven and Medina six.

The Lady Rams were also sitting on the CCS bubble as play began last week. They needed to win both of their final two games to qualify for a playoff berth but came up one game shy, finishing 6-8 in the BVAL Santa Teresa Division and 11-14 overall.

The week started out on the right foot with the Rams picking up a solid 48-38 win over Silver Creek. The bad news was they had to face eventual division champion Santa Teresa in their final game of the season. The challenge proved to be too much for the Rams as they fell 51-33 to end their season.

Although it was disappointing to come so close and not qualify for the playoffs, coach Amy Gannon maintained a good perspective. "We had a good season and the kids had great attitudes. Going in we definitely knew it was going to be a rebuilding year, and the kids exceeded my expectations. We moved up a division and we thought we would be lucky to finish in the bottom two or three and I was surprised that we did so well."

Gannon had a fairly young team made up of five juniors, three sophomores and only one senior, Diana Schnabel, who shared the same sentiment about the season as her coach.

"Since we won league last year, we had to move up and people did not expect much from us," Schnabel said. "But we showed them we could compete and I was just happy that we were able to do that. It would have been nice to go to CCS, but we still had a good season."

Schnabel finished her Willow Glen career in fine style, knocking down a double double against Santa Teresa. She had a game high 19 points and pulled down 10 rebounds.

"Being the only senior, Diana knew going into the season that she would need to come up big and lead the way," the coach said. "And she pretty much did that most of the season."

Schnabel was the only Ram in double figures against Silver Creek, tossing in 11 points. Juniors Emily Roberts and Corina Lopez fired in nine and eight, respectively. Junior Edith Vazquez put in seven points while junior Krista Pronge and sophomore Stephanie Serna contributed six each. Sophomore Jacky Pavan added a free throw.

The Lady Rams finished their first year in the Santa Teresa Division in fifth place in the eight team division.