Defense–a hustling, suffocating brand of defense–was enough to lift the Cupertino girls basketball team into the finals of the Monta Vista Invitational last week. Unfortunately, it wasn’t quite enough to garner the Pioneers the championship they were seeking.
After holding each of its first two opponents to less than 30 points, Cupertino yielded just 31 points in the tourney finals against the Saratoga Falcons, but that was enough to cost them the tourney title.
Saratoga, employing a stifling defense of its own, rallied from an early deficit to defeat the Pioneers 31-22.
Cupertino led 7-5 after one quarter of play, but managed a total of just 15 points over the next three quarters, never recovering from a 12-6 second period burst by the Falcons.
The Pioneers, who managed just eight field goals for the game, were led by Kayla Kaneshiro and Olivia Wissig, who each popped in seven points in the loss.
‘Tino, which enters this week with a 4-2 record, opened the Monta Vista tourney by crushing the Willow Glen Rams 55-29 last Thursday night. A 21-3 first-quarter blitz and an 18-9 third period run enabled Cupertino to play the final quarter on cruise control.
Wissig paced the Pioneers to victory with a game-high and season-best 23 points that included a pair of three-pointers on as many tries. Rilizza Isla added eight points, and both Selena Wang and Kristen Nagamatsu tossed in six.
Cupertino’s defense recorded a startling 20 steals against the overmatched Rams, including four each by Wissig and Wang. The twosome also led the Pioneers on the boards with six rebounds apiece, while Celina Arranaga pulled down five.
The Pioneers advanced to the tournament title game by dismantling host Monta Vista 43-28 behind another stellar defensive effort.
After the Mats took a slim 12-11 lead heading into the second, the Cupertino defense clamped down and allowed just two points in each of the next two quarters, allowing the Pioneers to surge into a commanding 28-16 lead by the start of the fourth.
The Pioneers registered 13 more steals–including two each by Isla, Kaneshiro, Nagamatsu, Arranaga and Nikita Devdhar–and dominated the boards with 28 rebounds, including 19 of the defensive variety. Isla, Nagamatsu, Arranaga and Wang had five boards apiece.
While Cupertino went on to lose to Saratoga in the finals, the Matadors dropped a 52-41 decision to Mountain View in the tourney’s third-place game.
The Homestead Mustangs snapped a three-game losing streak by crushing Fremont of Oakland 51-7 last Saturday night in the Amador Valley Tournament.
The Mustangs blazed to a 20-0 lead by the end of the first quarter and expanded it to 35-1 by halftime. After yielding six third-quarter points, the Mustangs blanked the Tigers in the final period.
Ciara Barros led a balanced scoring attack with 11 points, and Audrey Cheng dropped in 10. Ugochi Anudokem added eight, Kimmie Wong chipped in with seven and freshman Lindsey Haynes popped in five.
The Mustang defense produced 19 steals, including four each by Lindsey Takahashi and Lindsey Nishimoto, and dominated the boards with 25 rebounds, including seven each by Marielle MacDonnell and Cheng.
Prior to beating Fremont, Homestead had sustained losses against Deer Valley (64-54), Hillsdale (45-39) and Menlo-Atherton (57-38).
Emi Kong canned 17 points, and both Elizabeth Cook and Wong dropped in 10 to provide bright spots in the loss to Deer Valley.
Against Hillsdale, Nicolette Conkin’s eight points were the best Homestead could muster.
Takahashi drilled 10 points and Erika Yasuda six in the loss to M-A.
The King’s Academy Knights captured their own King’s Academy Invitational, triumphing over Sacred Heart Prep 48-40 in the finals.
Senior Katie Young and sophomore Autumn Awbrey both tallied 12 points to lead the Knights past Sacred Heart. Carissa Mills added eight points for the victors and Lindsey Nelson contributed seven more.
In non-tournament action, the Fremont Firebirds were overwhelmed 51-16 by Sacred Heart Prep last Wednesday in Atherton. Sacred Heart held Fremont to just four second half points, shutting them out in the fourth quarter.
Lynbrook evened its record at 3-3 by edging Westmont 39-34.
Senior Elaine Ma sparked the Viking effort with a game-high 19 points and senior Dolly Yuan chipped in with 10.
