Willow Glen Resident
Sports
Tharp's threes lead Willow Glen girls to win over Independence
By Kevin Sparrer
The majority of the action in basketball games happens inside the paint, but some of the best action comes from the outside--just watch Willow Glen junior Hayley Tharp.
Tharp was outside the arc for the majority of the night, scoring 15 of her 17 points from beyond the three-point line, to lead the Willow Glen girls basketball team to a 60-41 victory over Independence on Feb. 8.
Right behind her on the scoring charts was Samantha Tsukiji with 15, including a three and four points from the free-throw line. Brittany O'Brien added 12 with six coming at the line. Alyssa O'Brien had eight points, Odette Overton six and Meghan Wilson two in the win.
The victory brings Willow Glen to 5-7 in the Santa Teresa Division of the Blossom Valley Athletic League and to 7-15 overall.
"Wilson, our young post player, plays well beyond her size," said Willow Glen head coach Amy Gannon. "Defensively, she is a huge asset to our team."
Unfortunately, Willow Glen didn't have as much luck earlier in the week when the Rams fell to Mt. Pleasant 73-49 on Feb. 6.
The Rams went to Mt. Pleasant without the help of their two starting post players and struggled without the size for boards and defense. "The girls played hard and were able to accomplish what we set out to do," said Gannon.
Tsukiji led the offensive side of the Rams effort with 22, including six at the line and 12 points from outside the paint. Tharp was next with 14, including 12 points of her own from beyond the arc. A. O'Brien added seven points, including a three, and Overton had six with two free throws.
The Rams were to host Branham on Feb. 13 before heading to Prospect for the final game of the regular season on Feb. 15, 7 p.m.
The boys basketball team was solid last week, defeating Andrew Hill 55-37 on Feb. 9 and downing Overfelt 44-40 on Feb. 6.
Steven Skavdahl was the leader against Andrew Hill with 19, including four free throws and nine points from outside the paint. Kyle Schroeder added 15 points, including four at the line and a three. Brian Chunn hit seven with a three, Billy Hahn and Anthony Rodriguez both had four, Jimmy Renneke also had four with two at the line and Evan Bishop added two.
Against Overfelt it was Skavdahl who led the attack, putting up 13 with six at the line and a three. Schroeder was right there with him with 10, including two free throws. Hahn had eight, Chunn added six and Rodriguez had five including a three. Daniel O'Shaughnessy had two as well.
The two wins pushed Willow Glen's record to 10-2 in the Santa Teresa Division of the BVAL and to 18-6 overall.
Willow Glen was to face Branham on Feb. 13 before hosting Leland for the final regular season game on Feb. 16, 7:30 p.m.
Both the boys and the girls soccer teams at Willow Glen had strong victories last week over Andrew Hill.
The boys defeated the Falcons 4-1 on Feb 6 in their final game of the season. Santos Avalos, Martin Balderas, Carlos Correa and Jose Cervantes each scored the goals for the Rams.
The win has the boys finishing 7-5-2 in the Santa Teresa Division of the BVAL and 11-6-4 overall.
The female Rams won their contest with Andrew Hill 3-0 on Feb. 7. It was Taylor Lundquist who was the majority of the offense against Hill, scoring two of the three goals against the Falcons. Myra Diaz and Evelyn Cervantes assisted Lundquist with the goals.
Ashley Haight had the other goal for the Rams with Burree Cowherd on the assist.
The win leaves Willow Glen 8-3-3 in the Santa Teresa Division and 10-5-3 overall.
