Last Tuesday the Gunn girls basketball team struck another high note in their season by defeating San Mateo 51-31 in their first and last home game of 2012.
The Gunn girls once again exhibited superior defensive skills, which allowed them to dominate the game.
“Gunn is a very well-disciplined team,” San Mateo coach Nancy Dinges said. “They rebound, they hustle for every ball, and I was very impressed by them.”
Despite losing, San Mateo (0-5) left the game with no regrets.
“I think our team proved that they can play with [Gunn]’s team,” Dinges said.
Every non-injured member on the Gunn team participated in the game and contributed. The team made 13 field goal -- including six 3-pointers -- took 14 rebounds and made 10-of-12 free throws. With the win, the Titans, runners-up in the Pinewood Holiday Tournament last weekend, improved to 5-2 on the season.
“Everyone played and everyone contributed,” Gunn coach Sarah Stapp said.
Despite her team’s overall solid performance, Gunn sophomore forward Meghan Mahoney still managed to stand out with her five field goals, four rebounds, and 100 percent free-throw percentage.
Gunn’s defensive lockdown lasted until the third quarter, when the Bearcats struck back. In just the third quarter, San Mateo managed to more than double their points, moving from a 24-4 deficit to 36-10. But it was still too much of an uphill battle.
“I think they pressured the heck out of us the first half, but second half we handled the pressure a lot better and took care of the ball,” Dinges said.
Leading the Bearcats’ mini-comeback was senior guard Alana Simon, who carried her team on her back the entire game. The guard scored 15 points, with the most field goals (seven) of anyone on the court.
“We identified [Simon] from the start, and I think we should have done a better job at keeping her from doing exactly what she’s good at,” Gunn senior guard Karrisa Ogawa said.
Added Ogawa: “We let [San Mateo] in, and with being more solid on defense, knowing what’s going on and being poised, we would have done better,” Ogawa said.
Gunn regained its footing in time to stave off San Mateo, though.
“Having some pride in what they do out there got them back,” Stapp said.
San Mateo's next game is against Mercy of San Francisco and the Bearcats will be looking to tighten things up.
“We need to work on turnovers and coming to the ball,” Simon said.
The Gunn girls will not be hitting their home court until mid-January, 2013 when they face off against Saratoga. In the meantime, they will be heading off to Stockton to take part in the McNair Classic starting next Thursday.