The Saratoga High School girls basketball team reached the championship game of the West Coast Jamboree Amethyst Division last week.
The giant West Coast Jamboree, which has 160 teams and 20 divisions, is packed with high-level competition.
“We played some really hard teams in that tournament,” Saratoga coach Dan Wallace said. He added that his team “played with no fear. They were not nervous. They just played hard.”
In its first tournament game, Saratoga edged Pleasant Grove-Elk Grove 35-34.
“We just played hard defense,” said Wallace, whose team used a 2-3 zone to defeat the tall Eagles. Wallace said Pleasant Grove had three players 6-1 or taller, including a 6-4 center.
Trailing 34-33 with 10 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter, Saratoga’s Jane Loo broke the Pleasant Grove press and send a pass to Ella Parr, who sank a close basket for the game-winner.
Loo led Saratoga with 10 points, with Anika Prasad and Harshini Ramaswamy adding nine points apiece.
Saratoga then edged Casa Grande-Petaluma in overtime, 46-41. The Gauchos tied the game at 39 with a last-section basket to send the game into an extra period. But again, Loo and Parr combined for a key play to help win the game.
Loo found Parr with a pass, and the sophomore converted the basket and drew a foul. She sank the free-throw for a five-point Saratoga advantage.
Ramaswamy led Saratoga with 17 points. “Harshini had an amazing game,” Wallace said.
In the championship game against Livermore on Dec. 30, Saratoga fell 50-45.
“The reason we lost the game is they hit their 3’s and we didn’t,” Wallace said. “That was a great team we played.”
Wallace said Livermore sank 11 3-pointers in the game. Loo led Saratoga in scoring with 13 points, and Ramawamy addded 11 points.
Loo and Prasad were selected all-tournament, Wallace said.
Saratoga then opened Santa Clara Valley Athletic League El Camino Division play with a 58-32 win over Monta Vista on Jan. 2.
The Falcons won despite having only nine players available.
“My whole team is sick,” said Wallace after the game on Jan. 2. “My girls just step up … They just take care of business.”
Prasad led Saratoga in scoring with 18 points, and Ramaswamy added 12 points. Saratoga is now 10-3 overall and 1-0 in El Camino Division action.
Boys Basketball
Saratoga placed fourth in the Aptos/Santa Cruz Warriors Invitational last week and entered this week with an 8-4 overall record.
The Falcons opened the tournament with an 86-40 win over Gilroy. Saratoga limited the Mustangs to 31-percent field goal shooting in the win.
Saratoga coach Patrick Judge said his team “played really well against Gilroy, shot the ball well, passed it well.”
But the Falcons ran into a very good Half Moon Bay team in the semifinals and fell 74-62. The Cougars have five players 6-foot-3 or taller on their roster, including 6-7 Ethan Menzies. Saratoga’s two tallest players are 6-4.
“I’m really proud of my guys. We battled,” Judge said.
Next, the Falcons faced a team intent on avenging a loss to Saratoga on Dec. 15. Behind a school-record 47 points from Dylan Belquist and 25 points from Alex Braken-Guelke, Los Gatos beat Saratoga 91-70.
Saratoga fell behind 34-23 at halftime, and even a 30-point fourth quarter for the Falcons could not get them close to Los Gatos in this Dec. 30 game. Los Gatos scored 34 points in the fourth quarter.
“We didn’t hit shots in the first half,” said Judge, who also pointed out that Braken-Guelke, who missed the Dec. 15 game with an ankle injury, was another weapon for the Wildcats in last week’s game. “We weren’t as crisp, we weren’t as solid. … We didn’t match their aggression level in the first half.
Harrison Fong scored 30 points for Saratoga against Los Gatos.
