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Published on 12/29/1999 All articles from this issue

Coach not surprised by Spartans' start

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By Pete Borello / Town Crier Staff Writer

Prep Girls Hoop Scoop

Titans win tourney

So far, the Mountain View High girls basketball season has unfolded pretty much as head coach Karl Hawkins expected.

The Spartans are showing signs of improvement and enter Thursday's 7 p.m. home game against Yerba Buena with a 4-7 overall record.

"That's about where I thought we'd be," said Hawkins, in his third year as coach. "We've beaten most of the teams we should beat."

Last week, Mountain View went 1-2 in the Cupertino Holiday Tournament to finish in fourth place.

The Spartans beat host Cupertino 40-24 in the tourney opener Dec. 20, but it wasn't as easy as the score indicates. Mountain View trailed 18-16 at intermission, then went on a 24-6 run in the second half.

"We started slow and didn't get going until the third quarter when we out-scored them 11-2," Hawkins said. "We finally started playing the way we're capable of playing."

Freshman Sherrie Varisce scored a game-high 16 points and Selena Lewis added 11.

"Sheree was dynamite," Hawkins said of the 5-foot-4 guard, who wound up making the all-tournament team. "She played real well as our sixth player in all three games."

In the second round, Mountain View dropped a 56-37 decision to Hillsdale.

The Spartans only trailed by three at the half, but were out-scored 33-17 the rest of the way. Mountain View was paced by Ashlie Cresci, who nailed four three-pointers and scored 14 points. Lewis tallied 10 points.

Then on Dec. 22, Mountain View fell 57-28 to Fremont in the game for third place.

The Spartans simply ran out of gas in that one, according to Hawkins.

"We only had eight girls and we just got tired," the coach said. "We didn't rebound or play good defense."

Varisce scored a team-best 10 points, while Cresci contributed eight points.

Thursday's game against Yerba Buena marks the end of the non-league schedule for Mountain View, which opens SCVAL El Camino Division play Tuesday at Cupertino. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m.

"I think we can beat any team in the league and lose to any team in the league," Hawkins said. "If we're going to do well, we'll need to play hard and play smart."

The Gunn High girls edged host Half Moon Bay 40-25 Dec. 20 to win the Half Moon Bay Tournament.

The game was tied at 19 at halftime, then the Titans went on a 21-14 spurt in the second half to secure the title.

Gunn (11-1) was led by center Jacqueline Heler, who scored 12 points. Guard Katherine Wang and forward Katy Tripp added eight points apiece.

The Titans begin their SCVAL De Anza Division season at 7 p.m., Thursday with a home game against defending league champ Homestead.