February 25, 2005

Evergreen Sports

Cougars finish season at 11-3 in Santa Teresa Division, head to CCS playoffs

Evergreen Valley takes last home game against Willow Glen, gets ninth seed in Division II playoff picture

By Diego Abeloos
Sports Writer

Evergreen Valley's Gurchet Sanghera (#10) sticks tight on defense during a 62 - 38 win over the Willow Glen Rams on Feb. 16.

Although the Evergreen Valley boys’ basketball team played their final home game on Feb. 16, the end is not here.

The Cougars (18-7, 11-3), who took a 62-38 win at home against the Willow Glen Rams, still have business to attend to in the form of Central Coast Section playoffs. After dropping their final regular-season game to Overfelt on Feb. 18 by a score of 53-34, the Cougars (seeded ninth) face an uphill battle in the first round of CCS Division playoffs in a match-up against eighth-seeded South San Francisco on Feb. 23.

For the Cougars, the last home game of the regular season saw a pre-game ceremony honoring the team’s six seniors and a starting lineup—featuring five of the soon-to-be graduates—that overpowered the Rams on offense.

“Well, first of all, I hope it’s not the last home game,” Cougars Head Coach Dennis Fernandez said, referring to Evergreen Valley’s playoff hopes. “…The seniors stepped it up. They were fired up tonight. We started all seniors, and stayed with them for as long as they could handle it or until they ran out of gas.”

The tone of the game was set early on, as the Cougars opened up the game with a 21-8 first-quarter lead. The double-digit edge was challenged only once by the Rams, who went on a 9-4 scoring stretch in the first three minutes of the second quarter to cut the Cougar lead down to eight.

During the Rams’ scoring run, Steven Skavdahl chipped in 5 points, including a 3-pointer, while Heinock Habte added 4 more points to complete the scoring stretch.

The Cougars managed to bounce back from the Rams’ scoring burst, outscoring the Rams 13-5 for the rest of the first half, getting 8 points from senior Edward Lapitan on two 3-pointers and a jumper. Junior Morgan Blakely provided the rest of the offensive firepower with 5 points.

“They had a match-up zone that was hurting us,” said Rams Head Coach Todd Meeker. “They were just playing man-to-man and we just weren’t putting the ball in the basket. In the second quarter, we were driving it and kicking it, hitting some threes and getting some shots inside and scoring. But you know it’s only one quarter for us. We didn’t do the job for the other three.”

The Cougars extended their lead to 20 in the first three minutes of the second half, going on a 7-3 run for a 45-25 lead. Lapitan continued his offensive pace, chipping in 2 points during the run and later adding 4 more points in the quarter to add to his game-total 22 points.

“We just came out hard and took it away in the first half,” Lapitan said. “We just played hard during practice, and we took it from the beginning.”

Meanwhile, the Rams managed only 6 points for the entire third quarter, getting a 3-pointer from Habte and 3 points on a free throw and a layup from senior Ruben Medina. Habte’s 3-pointer came in the early stages of the second half, followed by a lull on offense that saw the next Ram basket scored at 4:15 by Medina.

The Rams then went nearly three minutes without a point, getting a free throw from Medina at 1:35. At the end of the quarter, the Rams found themselves looking at a 24-point deficit at 52-28.

The Cougars pushed their lead to 32 points through the first three-and-a-half minutes of the fourth quarter, piecing together a 10-2 run in which Gurchet Sanghera and Steven Yasutake dropped in 3-pointers, with Blakely adding 3 points on a jumper and free throw for a 62-30 lead.

The Rams ended the game on a modest 8-0 run, getting 3-pointers from Lawrence Montepio and Stephan Alanis, with sophomore forward Kyle Schroeder adding two free throws for a 62-38 final score.

Silver Creek wrestlers snag 2004-05 dual meet BVAL championship

By Val Esquivel
Staff Writer

Coming off a disappointing 2003-2004 season, the Silver Creek wrestling team was poised to make a comeback this year with a combination of veterans, young talent and a female wrestler who were all determined to put their program back on the map.

Like a phoenix rising from the ashes, the 2004-2005 wrestling team did just that. Compiling an undefeated 6-0 record, the Silver Creek Raiders walked away with the 2004-05 dual meet Blossom Valley Athletic League (BVAL) championship.

The team’s closest match of the season was also their first. Coming away with a 39 – 39 criteria victory over eleventh ranked Overfelt High School, this set the tone for the season. The next match up against the James Lick Comets was a more dominant victory. A young James Lick squad was no match for Silver Creek, as the Raiders cruised to a 51 – 24 victory.

The Raiders returned from the winter holiday with high hopes after traveling to the Reno Tournament of Champions. Silver Creek’s first opponent of 2005 was Willow Glen, and the Rams also felt the wrath of a team that had their sights set on victory after facing some of the toughest competition in the nation. Silver Creek sent Willow Glen packing with a 51 – 30 victory that included seven straight pins by the Raiders.

The next match was against the Westmont Warriors, who planned to play the spoiler role. Although the match was close, Silver Creek came away with a 39 – 28 victory which set the stage for its next dual meet against the Oak Grove Eagles.

The Silver Creek/Oak Grove match pitted two undefeated teams against each other. The winner would walk away with the league title, the loser—second place in the Mt. Hamilton division, the toughest division of the BVAL.

With a small lead held by Silver Creek, junior Brandon Hernandez was called upon to wrestle up a weight class and compete at the 154-pound division to insure victory. Hernandez, battling sickness and injury, came away with a victory in the last 30 seconds of the match when he scored a 2-point reversal and 3 near-fall points.

To cement the victory, senior Eric “Cupcake” Carlos recorded his trademark double-to-a-cradle for a quick pin and Silver Creek’s 2004-2005 league title.

To further solidify their dominance of the BVAL, Silver Creek ended its dual meet season with a victory at home over the Independence 76ers. Although the match was close, Silver Creek defeated Independence, 36 – 33.

Carlos, the 154-pound BVAL champ who pinned his opponent in 22 seconds at the BVAL finals, commented, “This season has been great. We showed that we can step up and perform when needed, but most of all, we are all having fun. Like our coaches, we work hard and play hard!”

From here, Silver Creek competes in the CCS tournament, Feb. 25 – 26, at W.C. Overfelt High School, which showcases the best talent from South San Francisco to King City. Silver Creek will be represented by sophomore Tina Linhsamount (105), BVAL champ Michael Rico (137), senior Omar Armenta (142), BVAL champ Eric Carlos, and senior Raymond Romero (HWT).

Rico and Romero are the number two seeds going into the tournament, with Carlos seeded 3. The top 4 in the CCS qualify for the 2005 state tournament held at the Centennial Gardens Arena, March 4 – 5.

Sixth, seventh grade

Evergreen-Colt Basketball League begins March 11

Based on the popularity of an independent basketball league last fall, Chaboya Middle School will host the Friday-night Evergreen-Colt Basketball League from March 11 to May 13. The first 72 sixth and seventh grade boys and girls to register will be enrolled in one of the eight teams of the league.

Sign up today by picking up a registration form at Chaboya Middle School, 3276 Cortona Dr., or by calling (408) 270-6939, (408) 410-3570 or (408) 605-1513. Cost is $100. League Directors John Franza and Allen Ventura need volunteer coaches for each team.

Evergreen Valley Cougars end season 12-0, crowned West Valley champs

CCS Division II playoffs await 14th-seeded Cougars

By Diego Abeloos
Sports Writer

The Evergreen Valley girls’ basketball team finished their season in the same way it started, remaining undefeated and becoming West Valley Division champions.

The Cougars (19-7, 13-0) ended division play Feb. 17 with a 57-32 win over Lincoln, their closest division rival in West Valley standings. Just two days earlier, the Cougars played their final regular-season home game – a convincing 69-30 win over San Jose High – in front of a packed house, honoring seniors Elizabeth Humphers and Kathleen Reboton in a pre-game ceremony.

“We have five juniors on our team and we’ve been with them for three years, so we’ve gotten really close the past few years,” Reboton said of playing her final regular-season game as a Cougar. “Not only do we play on the court, we hang out outside of school. We go out all the time … so definitely, it’s kind of sad.”

In the Feb. 15 win, the Cougars made quick work of the San Jose Bulldogs, opening up the game with a 19-8 first-quarter lead in which Reboton and Humphers combined for 15 points. The Cougars began the second quarter by extending their lead even more, going on a short 6-0 run on baskets from Humphers, junior forward Camille Pena and junior guard Jennifer Gines before finishing the first half with a 29-15 lead.

Looking to leave a lasting impression as seniors, Reboton and Humphers eyed the last home game as a chance to make a statement both offensively and as team leaders.

“Some would say it’s lots of pressure, but we stepped up and we tried hard and did our best for ourselves and also for everyone else who came out to support us,” said Humphers, who finished the game with 10 points.

The Cougars managed to extend their lead to 20 points in the early part of the second half by going on a 10-4 scoring stretch to open up the third quarter. During the run, Reboton chipped in four points and finished the game with a team-high 16 points.

The Cougars also got baskets from Gines, junior guard Courtney Taku and sophomore forward Krista Frausto on the run and maintained at least a 17-point lead throughout the remainder of the third quarter, ending with a 48-27 advantage.

The Cougars put the finishing touches on the win in the early portion of the fourth quarter, opening up the last period of play on an 18-0 run that finally ended when San Jose’s Carla Monteiro sank 1 of 2 free throws with 3:03 left. The scoring stretch saw Gines lead the team with 6 of her game-total 12 points, with Taku and Pena contributing 4 points each. Taku matched Gines with 12 game-total points and were two of five players scoring in double-digits for the game.

“Our goal the whole season is to play well as a team, and I think coming together and playing together as a team is what we tried to accomplish,” said Cougars Head Coach Leo Olmscheid after the win against San Jose. “I think we did that offensively tonight and that’s why we were able to score some points against this team.”

Having already clinched the West Valley Division with the win over San Jose, the Cougars looked to keep their perfect record against Lincoln, which came into the Feb. 17 game in second place at 8-3.

After jumping out to a small 16-10 lead in the first quarter, the Cougars put some distance between themselves and the Lions in the second and third quarters. The Cougars managed to outscore the Lions 16-8 in the second quarter for a 32-18 halftime lead before stretching their lead to 27 points with a 19-6 scoring advantage in the third quarter.

Frausto led all Cougars in scoring with 18 points, with Reboton and Gines combining for 25 points in the season-ending win.

In the end, the Cougars managed to stay perfect, adding a division title in the process.

“For me, it’s more of bonding with the team and this being my last year, I wanted to get as close to the team as possible,” Reboton said of winning the West Valley Division crown and going undefeated. “Yes, we have a perfect record, but it has to do with teamwork and how we, as a team, have come together over the past three years.”

The Cougars’ season will continue into the post-season after being seeded 14th in Central Coast Section Division II playoffs. The Cougars will take on Palo Alto on Feb. 24 in the opening round.