The Willow Glen High School boys basketball team ran their overall record to 6-0 last week before a 48-38 loss to Cupertino on Dec. 16 at the Fremont High School Holiday Tournament.
“They are a good team, well-coached. They ran their offense really well,” Willow Glen coach Drew Marino said. “We just couldn’t make enough shots.
“We played OK. Cupertino tried to slow the game down. They made it difficult for us to drive, to get in the lane and play inside.”
However, Marino was pleased with his team’s performances last week. The Rams played two teams from the tough Santa Clara Valley Athletic League De Anza Division – Wilcox and Cupertino.
“I was really happy with the way we responded to some adversity,” Marino said.
In a 54-49 win over Monta Vista on Dec. 12, Willow Glen had three players score in double figures – Noah Yang (17 points), Kevin Mayeda (13) and Max Moody (12). Mayeda connected on three of his six 3-point attempts, and Yang was 6 for 12 from the field and 5 for 6 from the free-throw line. The 6-foot-2 sophomore also grabbed a team-high 13 rebounds.
Ewan Crutchfield added seven rebounds, four assists and two steals. Manny Diaz and Moody both grabbed eight rebounds.
Against Wilcox in its first game of the Fremont tournament on Dec. 15, Willow Glen outscored the Chargers 18-15 in the fourth quarter for a close 56-53 victory. The Rams were 12 for 13 from the free-throw line in the victory.
Yang again led Willow Glen with 18 points, including 6 for 9 field-goal shooting and 6 for 6 free-throw shooting. He also had 10 rebounds.
“He stepped up big-time against Wilcox,” Marino said.
Besides Yang, the Rams had three other double-digit scorers – Mayeda (12), Crutchfield (10) and Moody (10). Moody grabbed 10 rebounds and had three steals. Mayeda passed for four assists, and Crutchfield had three steals.
Against Cupertino, Willow Glen led 25-23 at halftime, but a 12-2 fourth-quarter scoring advantage lifted the Pioneers, who shot 50 percent from the field in the game (18 for 36). The Rams shot 26 percent from the field in the loss (12 for 47).
Yang led Willow Glen in scoring with 11 points, and Moody added 10 points. Both Moody and Crutchfield had a team-high six rebounds. Crutchfield also had a team-high three assists, and Moody led the team in steals with two.
Lincoln took a 12-3 lead in the first quarter on its way to a 48-31 win over Gilroy in the first round of the Prospect Panther Invitational on Dec. 13.
Nhat Doan and Ricardo Castrejan led a balanced Lions scoring effort with 10 points apiece. Admir Jazvin added nine points, including a 5 for 5 performance at the free-throw line.
But Piedmont Hills beat Lincoln 75-27 in the next round on Dec. 14. Castrejan scored a team-high 17 points.
On Dec. 15, Lincoln (1-6) fell to Sobrato 64-55. The Lions trailed 37-23 at halftime, but cut the lead under 10 by the end of the game. Jazvin paced Lincoln with 17 points, including four 3-pointers. Castrejan (14 points) and Weston Scoffone (11 points) also scored in double figures.
Girls Basketball
Lincoln High had great runs in even quarters against Monta Vista at the Hunt Memorial Shootout on Dec. 16.
The Lions outscored the Matadors 16-6 in the second quarter and 18-10 in the fourth quarter in a 42-37 win. With the victory, Lincoln evened its overall record at 4-4 entering this week.
Willow Glen took a 47-34 lead against Live Oak on Dec. 12 and held on for a 64-55 win. Silei Reed led the Rams in scoring with 16 points, and teammate Jessica Espinola added 14 points. Madison Odam was also a double-figure scorer with 11 points.
But the Rams’ record fell to 5-2 with a 54-43 loss to Lynbrook on Dec. 14. Lynbrook used a 16-8 run in the fourth quarter to move away from visiting Willow Glen.
