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Monte Vista High School Women's Basketball
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VARSITY STATS CURRENT. JV CURRENT
So so so important to win against Foothill...
February 8, 2012 —
There are so many reasons why the game against Foothill now looms as the most crucial contest for the rest of this season. A win for Foothill brings them to within a game of Monte Vista with two to play for 2nd place in EBAL. A loss likely puts MV out of contention for a top four seed in the upcoming North Coast Section playoff. A loss derails the goal of sweeping the six schools outside of Carondolet. Oh yes, it would also be the first home loss at the Monte Vista gym to an EBAL opponent other than Carondolet in five years...
Monte Vista (JV) - 46 - Granada 32
February 7, 2012 —
Monte Vista 43 - Granada 30
February 7, 2012 —
Granada and Monte Vista in recent years had some memorable defensive struggles resulting in several insanely low scoring contests. Tuesday evening game proved to be off the same script.
Both teams went scoreless for over 4 minutes to start the game. Amanda Daily finally broke the 0-0 tie with a 13 foot jumper for Monte Vista. She would drive through heavy traffic for another basket to give MV 4 of their 6 points in the first quarter for a 6-3 lead. The Matadors then score the next 5 points including a three pointer to start the second quarter for a brief 8-6 lead. Angela Rigo's three gave Monte Vista back the lead at 9-8 with 5:50 to play in the first half. The host Mustangs led most of the way in the first two quarters but could never extend a lead beyond 3 points. With MV ahead 14-13 with 16 seconds left in the 2nd quarter, Granada had apparently committed a 30 second shot clock violation but the referee inexplicably awarded the ball back to Granada who thankfully sank a three point shot at the buzzer to steal a 16-14 lead into the break.
Instead of dwelling over the bad call, Monte Vista scored the first 5 points of the second half to take first a 19-16 and moments later a 21-18 lead. The visitors', however, would tie the game with a three at 21-21. Two free throws and an inside basket from Jazmine Dilworth gave the home team a 25-21 lead heading into the final quarter.
Daily's three from the wing pushed MV's lead to 30-22 only to see that cut in half at 30-26 by a pair of Granada baskets from Kearney who has proven to be a thorn in Monte Vista's side over the season series. A free throw and baskets from Angela, Jaz plus a turn around jumper from Sara Jensen would give the host their first double digit lead at 37-26. At 37-28, Madison Burroughs would put a dagger in the Mats heart by draining a contested three from the deep right corner for a 40-28 advantage from where they would coast home for a 13 point victory against a most pesky foe.
Angela Rigo led Monte Vista with 11 points followed by Sara Jensen with 9, Jazmine Dilworth with 8 and Amanda Daily with 7. Sara Jensen also collected 11 rebounds while Jaz would snare 10.
Friday's home game will feature the Falcons from Foothill High School. The game at Foothill was won by the visitors in overtime by the smallest of margin and this upcoming game will no doubt be another tightly contested game.
Monte Vista EBAL Standing
February 7, 2012 —
EBAL Standings
Monte Vista is now two full game ahead of Foothill and three ahead of Granada for 2nd place in EBAL. MV is ranked 4th in North Coast Section Division I behind Berkeley, Deer Valley and Heritage although Heritage lost to Deer Valley Friday and Monte Vista should leapfrog back into 3rd place. Deer Valley will play Carondolet 2/11 and may leave the door open for Monte Vista to move up into 2nd. We must, however, win out in EBAL to have a chance to do so.
Mont Vista (JV) 52 - Amador Valley 31
February 3, 2012 —
The bench of Steve Cornell looked like an infirmary with Alexis Meyer, Autumn Davis and Natalie Coffin all still in street clothes plus newly disabled Megan Oliviera. This is on top of loss of Erika Perez to the varsity this week. Did this set the MV team up for an unthinkable back to back loss ?
With Kelli Strand started at the second guard position next to Nikki Sell, the answer was swift and decisive as Monte Vista blitzed the host Amador Valley in the first two quarters quickly seizing an insurmountable 32-12 first half lead as if they were at full force, coasting eventually to a 21 point win. Freshman guard Kyndel Sidori had a big game scoring a season high 6 points along with handling the point duties coming off the bench. Center Brittany Nigra showcased her ball handling skills when Steve Cornell used her on occasions as a "big" guard. Ms. Nigra responded with 13 points on 6 of 8 shooting including a three pointer along with 3 steals, 3 blocked shots and 6 rebounds. Katie Good also had a great night with 13 points and 5 rebounds. The one that filled up her stat sheet was captain Bridget Haus who had a fabulous outing not only with 12 points but 8 rebounds and a career best 6 assists.
After a disheartening loss to Carondolet on Tuesday, the JV squad has regrouped and not only aims for a 24-2 season but with coach Steve Cornell and Pat Nivens tinkering with perhaps next season's lineup and options.
Monte Vista 55 - Amador Valley 39
February 3, 2012 —
The visiting Monte Vista appeared listless and devoid of energy in the early going of the game, fell behind 5-0 and 10-4 in the first quarter with six turnovers before closing to within three at 11-8 after one. The second quarter was just as ominous in the beginning with Amador Valley scoring the first 3 points to lead 14-8 and later 16-10. To make matter worse, Jazmine Dilworth, Sara Jensen and Rachel Tagle all picked up two fouls each and had to sit while AV was shooting bonus most of the second quarter. With 5:58 left in the first half, Jen Casper completed a three point play and Monte Vista was within 3 at 16-13. Suddenly, the tide turned in the visitors' favor and in the next 120 seconds, MV out scored the Dons 5-1 and just like that at the 4:05 mark, Monte Vista had its first lead of the day at 18-17. Ariah Mack dropped in a three for Amador Valley to give them a 20-18 lead but that was to be their last as the Mustangs ran off 8 consecutive points and took a 26-21 lead into the locker room.
Amador Valley's basket literally developed a lid in the third quarter as the host was unable to convert any basket until there was less than two minute left in the third by which time they were already trailing 36-21. The deficit for AV was briefly cut to 11 at 36-25 but a couple of three point baskets by Amanda Daily and Angela Rigo gave MV a 17 point lead and essentially sealed the victory. Back to back baskets by Jazmine Dilworth, a long two pointer by Amanda Daily from the left corner, a 10 foot jump shot from Jen Casper plus a basket from Madison Burroughs early in the final segment put Monte Vista up 53-27 from where they would coast home to their 8 straight win in league outside of Carondolet.
Jen Casper led a balanced Monte Vista scoring with 13 followed by Madison Burroughs with 11, Jaz D with 10, Rachel Tagle with 8, Angela Rigo with 7 and Amanda Daily with 5.
The game also saw the debut of Erika Perez who was promoted to varsity after devastating her opponents for almost a season. Erika will add depth to an already deep guard pool.
Monte Vista improves to 18-4, 8-2 on the season. Next up is another huge game against Granada at home on Tuesday.
BEAT AMADOR...
January 29, 2012 —
Carondolet 72 - Monte Vista 43
January 31, 2012 —
Carondolet (JV) 46 - Monte Vista 43
January 31, 2012 —
Monte Vista 59 - Livermore 56
January 27, 2012 —
Monte Vista continues its string of heart stopping narrow victories - this time by three points on the road at Livermore. Instead of playing poorly or blowing large leads, MV actually played short handed ( Angela Rigo out with concussion, Jazmine Dilworth still weighed down with the flu ) and battled against a spirited and dangerous opponent backed by a partisan crowd and managed to find a way to win.
The Cowboys took a brief 4-0 lead but with 3:46 left in the first quarter, the host's lead was only 9-8. Then Livermore's Kline hit a three pointer and was fouled in the process resulted in a rare 4-point play and their lead was suddenly 13-8. Jen Casper, who has been playing extremely well of late then scored three consecutive baskets on three possessions and gave the visiting MV their first lead of the game at 14-13 with just over 2 minutes left in the quarter. The first quarter would conclude after an exchange of baskets with MV holding the same one point 16-15 advantage. The Mustangs scored the first 4 points of the second period and led 20-15 only to see Livermore tied the contest at 22-22. The game would have three more ties in the first half at 24-24, 26-26 and eventually 28-28 at the intermission. Jen Casper led all scorers at the break with 14 points.
The Cowboys knocked down a couple of three pointers sandwiching a two point basket to start the second half to seize an 8 point lead at 36-28 less than 2 minutes into the third quarter, forcing Ron Hirschman to call a time out before the game got out of hand. With the game at 38-33, Lily Wissinger nailed a three point shot from the right corner to bring Monte Vista to within 2. The game would eventually tie at 40-40 and subsequently at 44-44 after three quarters.
Jen Casper kept Monte Vista close for three quarters and Madison Burroughs gave the Mustangs the lead for good by her ability to go by Livermore's defenders to the hoop. After a couple of driving baskets from Ms. Burroughs and a turn around jumper from Sara Jensen, MV suddenly found themselves ahead by six at 50-44. Livermore, however, simply refused to go away although each time they mounted a come back, Monte Vista would answer in like. With the visitors ahead by five at 54-49, Lily Wissinger would step up and drained her second three pointer of the evening to hand Monte Vista their biggest lead at 57-49 with 2:22 left on the clock. A victory appeared to be well in hand when Livermore scored on back to back possessions to come within four at 57-53. Rachel Tagle was deliberately foul but calmly sank a pair of free throws to give Monte Vista back a 6 points advantage with less than 30 seconds remaining on the game clock. Livermore's freshman guard Rachel Hernandez then made things interesting by hitting a three with 7.5 second remaining. MV then turned the inbound over under full court pressure and had to watch Hernandez's three point attempt clank off the rim before finally able to breathe a sigh of relief.
Jen Casper finished with a career high 22 points followed by Madison Burroughs with 17 and Lily Wissinger with 10.
With the win, Monte Vista (17-3, 7-1 EBAL) now has a three game lead over third place Livermore and Foothill both at 4-4. The Mustangs will host Carondolet on Tuesday for a shot at first place in EBAL.
Monte Vista (JV) 59 - Livermore 35
January 27, 2012 —
While the varsity squad seems to have to fight for its life every game, the JV simply rolls over its opponents. This evening, they made an excellent Livermore team looked foolish bolting out to a 31-14 half time lead and an insurmountable 51-19 advantage in the third quarter. Coach Steve Cornell again sat the entire starting lineup part of the third and the entire fourth quarter and still won going away by 24.
Erika Perez shot an amazing 9 of 12 from the field and 4 of 5 from the line to lead all scorers with a career high 22 point along with 6 steals and 4 assists. This was the most points scored by a Monte Vista JV player in at least four years. Megan Oliviera had 10 points including a pair of three pointers and Katie Good added 8 all played in less than a half of the game.
Monte Vista now brings its 19-1, 7-1 record against Carondolet on Tuesday for sole possession of 1st place in EBAL.
MONTE VISTA 47 - SAN RAMON VALLEY 37
January 24, 2012 —
The team continues to be in a rut due to a combination of factors the latest is the flu making the round now affecting both Madison Burroughs and Jasmine Dilworth. Monte Vista also played without Angela Rigo who suffered a non basketball related concussion and had to sit out the game.
The away game against the winless Wolves was more challenging with the weakened line-up. The host SRV played tough and although trailed virtually the entire game, refused to simply go away. MV led 4-0 and 7-3 but had to settle for a slim 12-11 lead after a quarter. Monte Vista then out scored the freshman ladened San Ramon Valley 11-1 with Lily Wissinger knocking down a two and a three pointer to go up 23-12. the host, however, chipped away at the deficit and managed to climb back into the contest by making a mini 7-2 run to trail only by 6 at the half at 25-19. MV center Jen Casper was instrumental in giving her team the lead by scoring 10 point in the first half to finish with 14 for the game in spite of foul trouble.
The third quarter stayed much the same with Monte Vista led by 8 at 29-21 only to see SRV cut it to 4 at 29-25. The visitors managed to post a 35-28 lead going into the fourth but unable to create any significant separation. San Ramon Valley's Allio scored the first basket of the fourth quarter to trim the deficit to 35-30 before the Mustangs ran of 6 straight points for a 41-30 advantage and the host was unable to come closer than 9.
Aside from the heroics from Jen Casper and Lily Wissinger, Madison Burroughs played for the second game in a row with the flu and contributed 10 strong points while Sara Jenson added 6 points and 10 rebounds. Rachel Tagle and Amanda Daily each added 4 points all of which were critical when they were scored in this close contest.
Monte Vista now improves to 16-3 for the year and 6-1 in EBAL despite never played with everyone healthy.
Monte Vita (JV) 52 - San Ramon Valley 35
January 24, 2012 —
SRV, after defeating Carondolet, had losses against Foothill and Granada, hence trailing both Monte Vista & Carondolet in EBAL standing by one game. A loss against MV would put them two games back and essentially out of running for the EBAL league title.
The Lady Wolves played the first quarter as if their lives depended on it. MV had a 7-3 lead which turned into a 8-7 deficit with 3:00 left in the quarter. That, however, would be the only time the visitors trailed. The remaining first half wasn't easy though. The lead was a slim 2 points at 12-10 after one quarter. MV led 14-11 but SRV got to within 2 at 18-16 with 2:07 left in the second quarter. Then Monte Vista JV's leading scorer Niki Sell buried a pair of baskets and assisted Katie Good on another pair to give Monte Vista a hard fought 10 point bulge at the intermission at 26-16.
The lead grew to 37-18 in the third quarter after the visitors out scored SRV 11-2. The game appeared well in hand when San Ramon Valley made a charge cutting the deficit to 41-29 after three. Order was quickly restored in the final quarter when Katie Good and Brittany Nigra combined for 5 quick points and a 46-30 lead.
Katie Good led all scorers with 14 while teammate Niki Sell had 11. Former teammate Jade Montes was held to 5 point on a single basket and 3 of 4 from the free throw line.
The JV squad is now on a 5 game winning streak and 18-1 on the season and 6-1 in EBAL.
Monbte Vista (JV) 57 - California 25
January 20, 2012 —
The JV had another easy outing with the outcome of the contest decided by the end of the first quarter, in this case 23-8.
Tuesday is the big rival game against San Ramon Valley who surprisingly defeated Carondolet and presumably has first place in EBAL by themselves. A win would put Monte Vista into a three way tie for first. Also of significant interest is the fact that Jade Montes is now on THE OTHER SIDE, a fact coach Steve certainly will not overlook. She may well be one of the main reasons why for the first time in nearly 10 years this game has assumed relevance...
Monte Vista 45 - California 42
January 20, 2012 —
Monte Vista has to be living a charmed life. Having blown a 16 point lead in the second half against Foothill and came away with a one point overtime victory, the Lady Mustangs again decided to roll the dice, this time at home against the underdog Cal Grizzlies.
Never trailed in the first half despite playing porous defense and generous with the giveaways, the host decided to do both plus stopped scoring in the second half. The result was being shut out for more than half of the third quarter and stuck on the wrong side of an 8 point hole. For the second time in as many games, MV was looking down the barrel of a devastating upset loss and not showing any signs that they could fight their way out of the rut. In came Amanda Daily who promptly nailed an all important three pointer from the wing to bring Monte Vista to within 4 at 33-29 and then a lay up to close the gap to 33-31 at the end of three periods. Amanda, who leads the team in three point baskets would end up with 8 for the game. Sara Jensen's three point basket from the top of the key gave Monte Vista back the lead for good.
The host would build a 6 point lead with 2:07 left in the game off the strength of a couple of driving baskets by captain Angela Rigo at 43-37 and appeared to be in control when the Grizzlies scored on a running hook shot and then an uncontested offensive rebound and put back basket. Suddenly, outcome of the game was again in doubt with 0:57 left.
The score stayed at 43-41 with both sides unable to convert until 0:09 when Rachel Tagle, who had been playing fabulous defense, was deliberately fouled and sealed the victory with both ends of a gutsy one-and one.
So with a bit of good fortune, Monte Vista is now 15-3 and 5-1 in EBAL heading into the final game of the first turn at San Ramon Valley on Tuesday.
Monte Vista 42 - Foothill 41 (OT)
January 17, 2012 —
There are games no matter how ugly and poorly they were played, the coaches are just happy they escaped with a win. They can screamed at the girls the next day at practice, but at the end of the week, it would just be another win. On the other hand, the game against Foothill could very easily be one of those agonizing losses that ruins your season...
This game had the look of a blow out early on as Monte Vista took a 9-0 start and led 13-3 after a quarter. The lead was still at 10 at the half although they had failed to open up a larger lead given the opportunities they had.
The second half started well enough as the visiting Mustangs scored the first 6 points to build a 16 points bulge at 30-14 but this was where the team slammed into a brick wall. Over the next 14 minutes, the Falcons out scored Monte Vista 24-8 and looked every bit the more dangerous team. Foothill trailed the entire game but was within 2 at 36-34 with 2:24 remaining in the contest. The score stayed at 36-34 until the final minute when Meghan Craig tied the game with a driving basket. MV turned the ball over on back to back possessions and Foothill had the ball with 0:18 on the clock and had two excellent opportunities to take the only but final lead to walk away with a victory but failed to convert.
The Falcons did take their only lead in the game at the opening moment of overtime but Madison Burroughs drove the baseline to tie the game at 38-38. Then an inside basket by Sara Jensen and a pair of free throws by Angela Rigo put Monte Vista up by 4 at 42-38 with 1:01 remaining in the game. Just when the Mustangs fans breath a sigh of relief, Foothill nailed a long three pointer from the left wing to close the gap to 42-41 at 0:40. MV never got off another shot as they committed another pair of untimely turnovers as well as surrendering a hugh offensive rebound to give Foothill three opportunities in the final 30 seconds to hand Monte Vista a devastating loss. The gracious host, however, again failed to take advantage of the opportunities at hand and when Craig's final shot was deflected by MV, so went their chance for a historic comeback win.
With the victory, Monte Vista improves to 14-3, 4-1 while Foothill drops to 7-10, 2-3 and falling ever deeper into the hole they must climb out in order to qualify for the payoff.
Jen Casper led all scorers with a career high 17 points following her stellar performance last week against Granada. The dynamic duo of Craig and Clark from Foothill had 16 and 7 points respectively.
Monte Vista (JV) 58 - Foothill 23
January 17, 2012 —
Steve Cornell's team played a near perfect first half out scoring the host Falcons 22-4 and 12-3 in the first two quarters to take a commanding 34-7 lead into the locker room. The lead grew to 41-9 in the second half when he emptied his bench which battled the host team with virtually equal zeal. Monte Vista entered the fourth quarter leading 46-16 and finished the contest 58-23, adding 5 points to the lead while the entire starting line-up was on the sideline such was the depth of the JV squad. Particularly noteworthy is the fact that every member of the team scored which is a rare feat and the first time this has happen in well over a year.
The JV team improves to 16-1, 5-0 and now has a three game win streak since the loss to Carondolet. The squad, amazingly, has won 29 of the past 30 games. Way to go ladies !
Monte Vista 45 - Granada 37
January 13, 2012 —
For the past 10 years, I don't remember ever having an easy game at Granada. For some inexplicable reason, the games at Granada were always fiercely contested and always close regardless of the record of the teams. Granada's senior center Mckenzie Daly is considered one of the best players in the league and the year's first meeting between the two 12-3 squads for 2nd place in the EBAL, as expected, turned out to be a thriller.
The teams were locked in a defensive struggle in the first quarter. With less than three minutes left, Monte Vista only had a single point and Granada had none ! The host would eventually take a 4-3 lead at the end of one quarter and 6-4 early in the second. The Lady Mustangs then went on a 9-0 run to seize a 13-6 lead late in the second quarter and a 13-8 advantage into the locker room after a defensive lapse allowed Mckenzie Daly to go the full length of the court to score in the final 2.5 seconds of the half.
Pressure defense by Monte Vista early in the 3rd quarter forced consecutive turnovers and the Lady Mustangs would build a 19-8 lead only to see the Matadors put on a 7-0 run including a pair of three pointers by #12 to close to within 4 at 19-15. With MV leading 24-15, Granada's #12 would hit her third three point basket of the evening to trim their deficit to 6 at 24-18. this would stay at 6 at 27-21. The fourth three pointer by the host brought Granada to within three at 27-24. MV would take a 29-24 lead into the final segment.
The 4th quarter proved just as exciting as a three point play gave MV a 31-24 lead only to see the Matadors come within a basket at 31-29. Two of the six mostly inside baskets in the second half by Jen Casper gave another 6 point advantage to the visitors at 35-29. The following were subsequent scores : 35-30; 35-32; 37-32; 37-34 and 37-35, the latter on a three point play. A steal and a lay up by Angela Rigo and 4 consecutive free throws by Madison Burroughs closed out the game as Rigo and Burroughs each had 10 points for the game. This was the first time in a month that Angela Rigo played in more than a half and she clearly was a difference maker. Jen Casper also played perhaps her best game of the season with 14 points, 13 of them came in the second half. Ms. Casper also played tough defense on Mckenzie Daly who was held to a mere 7 point.
Monte Vista improves to 13-3, 3-1 and will face Foothill on Tuesday at Foothill.
Monte Vista ( JV ) 42 - Granada 27
January 13, 2012 —
When you are the top dog in the league, everyone gets fired up to play you. Other than the loss to Carondolet 10 days ago, Monte Vista had not been pushed. Granada provided the first test. Ahead 10-3 in the first quarter, the visiting Mustangs appeared to be in cruise control. The Matadors, however, scored the next 6 points to pulled within one at 10-9. Monte Vista answered with an 11-0 run in the second quarter and was ahead 21-9 and streaking in with less than 10 seconds left in the first half for an apparent easy lay up to go up by 14 into the break. The lay up, however, was blown and Granada grabbed the ball going the other way and scored at the buzzer to be only down by 10 at 21-11 at the half. The four point turn around did not appear to be that crucial at the time as Monte Vista was clearly in control. That notion, however, would change in the second half.
After the teams exchanged baskets in the 3rd quarter with the score differential still at 10 at 25-15, Granada hit a three pointer to pull with 7 at 25-18. A steal and lay up by Erika Perez would push the lead back up to 27-18 but back to back turnovers by Monte Vista and baskets by the host Matadors brought the score to 27-22 at the end of the 3rd. A free throw and another basket by Granada narrowed MV's lead to 27-25 early in the 4th quarter and the game was at risk of getting out of hand when Niki Sell drove the lane to drop in one of her signature runners to give Monte Vista a bit of breathing room at 29-25. She then followed with a pair of 15 foot jumpers from the left wing the next two trips down and all of a sudden, the lead was back at 8 at 33-25. The Lady Mustangs would have additional unanswered baskets by Erika Perez, Alyssa Gonzalez, Alexis Meyer and Olivia Romero to run away with a 15 point victory. Erika Perez would finish with only 4 points but terrorized the host with 9 steals. Niki Sell continued with her incredible scoring streak with 12 points followed by Olivia Romero with 8.
The new win streak is now at 2 while the team improves to 15-1, 3-1. Next up on the schedule is Foothill on the road.
Big Game Against Granada Tomorrow
January 12, 2012 —
Granada's upset loss to Cal Tuesday left EBAL wide open for 2nd place with Granada, Livermore, California and Monte Vista all at 2-1 although only Monte Vista out of the four teams has played Carondolet to date. A victory tomorrow will go a long way to solidifying MV's spot. The link below has the latest EBAL standing and national, state, section and division ranking of each team.
Maxpreps
Monte Vista 62 - Amador Valley 27
January 10, 2012 —
Monte Vista started this pivotal game nicely with Madison Burroughs first nailing a three pointer then followed with a lay up to lead 5-0. Then Jasmine Dilworth was inadvertently struck on the nose and had to leave the game because of a subsequent nose bleed. The event quickly changed the momentum and the visiting Dons outscored the host 10-2 the rest of the first quarter to go ahead 10-7. When Amador Valley's Wagner, who scored 29 points against Carondolet knocked down a three from the left wing to give AV a 13-7 lead, there was serious concern whether Monte Vista can right the ship and prevent the game from getting out of hand. Madison Burroughs, however, made certain her team would not lose back to back league games by scoring the next 4 points and all of Monte Vista's first quarter offensive output to cut the deficit to 2. The host then built a 15-13 lead which grew to 21-17. AV's Wagner then hit her second three pointer with 12 seconds left in the half to allow the visitors to draw to with one at 21-20. Ms. Burroughs then dropped in a runner at the buzzer to hand MV a 23-20 lead going into the locker and new momentum for the second half.
The second half was all Monte Vista's as they outscored the Dons 23-2 in the third quarter and at one point had a 36-4 run.
Madison Burroughs led all scorers with a career best 19 points while Jen Casper showed impressive inside rebounding and scoring prowess with 11 points many in heavy traffic.
Sara Jensen had 8 points while Lily Wissinger added 7. Point guard Rachel Tagle had an excellent outing against the active Dons with 6 points, strong ball handling and tough defense.
Monte Vista improves to 12-3, 2-1 but can not rest on their laurel as they will play a tough Granada squad on the road Friday.
Monte Vista ( JV ) 51 - Amador Valley 13
January 10, 2012 —
Monte Vista scored the first 13 points of the contest and never looked back in the 38 point victory over a shell shocked Amador Valley team. The Lady Mustangs bounced back from the bitter 4 point loss at Carondolet last Friday to raised their season record to 14-1, 2-1 and the beginning of a new win streak. Most of the final quarter was to set up Kyndel Sidori for her first points of the season. Kyndel, who missed most of the first half of the season because of a foot injury, netted her first high school basketball point off a free throw. Niki Sell continued her offensive prowess again led all scorers with 14. Alyssa Gonzales had her hot hand scoring a season high 6 points while both Brittany Nigra and Olivia Romero also contributed 6 each. Guard Erika Perez had another field day with 8 steals.
Equally exciting was the rumor that San Ramon Valley has beaten Carondolet by 7 points tonight, hence preventing the Cougars from taking sole possession of 1st place.
Caondolet 80 - Monte Vista 30
January 6, 2012 —
Playing Carondolet is tough enough at full strength. To be on the road and without the service of Jasmine Dilworth who has to sit out because of concussion and Angela Rigo because of recurrent ankle injury proved simply too much to overcome.
Monte Vista played valiantly and kept up with the home team for a quarter and a half but eventually ran out of gas and on the short end of a 50 point loss. The Lady Mustangs true to game plan held Hannah Huffman to only 15 points while Natalie Romeo managed 21. What they could not do was limit the damage from a very good Carondolet support cast to the tune of 44 points. The third and fourth quarter was particularly difficult as Monte Vista's defense could not keep up with the pace of Cougars' attack. The visitors' marginal stamina was clearly put on display against a superior and better conditioned opponent. Perhaps this is the wake up call for the Monte Vista team to notch up their conditioning in preparation for an anticipated brutal league season...
Carondolet (JV) 40 - Monte Vista 36
January 6, 2012 —
All streaks must come to an end and Monte Vista JV's 26 game unbeaten streak was broken this evening as the Cougars took advantage of Monte Vista's missed lay ups and poor free throw shooting to squeak out a tight 4 point victory. The visiting Lady Mustangs missed at least four easy baskets in the early going of the game to trail 8-0 and as many as 12 points late in the first quarter before rallying to tie the contest at 18-18 at the half. Autumn Davis made the only three point basket for MV during the second quarter come back. Monte Vista trailed the entire second half although the largest deficit was only 6 at 33-27 and 36-30. When Erika Perez drove the entire length of the court for a coast to coast basket, Carondolet's lead was trimmed to 38-36 although turnovers in the final minute and failed free throw conversions doomed the visitors. Erika Perez did everything tonight including running the point, breaking carondolet's press, making steals and leading the team in scoring with 10. Niki Sell and Brittany Nigra each added 6 while Bridget Haus contributed 4 points.
Steve Cornell's 13-1 team will now have the task of restarting a new streak beginning Tuesday at Amador Valley.
Monte Vista 56 - Livermore 38
January 3, 2012 —
Monte Vista dominated the season opener against Livermore from the early going of the game and never trailed in the contest. The host deployed a mix of man to man and blizzard defense forcing Livermore into numerous turnovers while building a 28-13 lead at half time after a buzzer beating 19 footer from Rachel Tagle as the first half expired. Jasmine Dilworth used her shot blocking abilities to intimidate the visitors' shooters while Madison Burroughs continued her offensive renaissance with her third consecutive double digit game with 11 points tying Amanda Daily who also had her back to back double digit output including a back breaking three pointer in the fourth quarter when Livermore had just crawled back to down by only 16. Jen Casper and Jaz both finished with 8 points and 7 and 9 rebounds respectively.
The Mustangs improves to 11-2 for the year but now must prepare to face Carondolet in three days on the road.
The JV games are always interesting as the teams change substantially each season and no one knows what to expect from their opponents. Livermore has always been known as a drive to the hoop and three point shooting team over the years and this JV squad turns out to be much the same. Monte Vista scored the first 4 points, Livermore hit a three and that was as close as the contest went. The game was at 10-4 when Niki Sell drained a pair of three pointers to lead Monte Vista on a 19-1 run and a 29-5 lead, essentially putting the game on ice. Livermore has a pair of excellent guards in #10 and #14 but the offense was completely shut down by Monte Vista. The Lady Cowboys also did not help themselves by converting only one of ten free throws in the first quarter ! Brittany Nigra was dominant as usual but was saddled with fouls through out the game. She did end up with 11 points and 11 rebounds along with 3 thunderous block shots. Olivia Romero added 8 points and 8 rebounds while Bridget Haus and Katie Good each scored 6 points and pulled down 12 and 11 rebounds respectively. Guard Nike Sell, who has been on fire offensively of late, scored a career high 18 points to lead all scorers.
Monte Vista won its 26 consecutive games and improves to 13-0 for the season. The streak, however, will be very seriously challenged when they visit Carondolet on Friday. The Cougars no doubt are eager to avenge last year's 9 point loss at home.
Monte Vista 61 - Western Ranch 39
December 30, 2011 —
The coaches from SRV and Livermore were on hand during the Jamboree and had to go away impressed by how hards the ladies played and how tough the defense was.
In the West Coast Jamboree Tanzanite championship game, Monte Vista again showed how tough defense, discipline and good coaching can beat a more athletic opponent.
The Mustangs used runs of 9-2, 11-4 and 14-4 in the first half to open up a commanding 38-17 lead. This was accomplished mostly with the back up rotation in the second quarter as Jaz, Sara, Jen and Dana all picked up two fouls and had to sit. Taylor Partin and Lily Wissinger had to carry the load at forward and both performed admirably in helping to build the lead. Amanda Daily came in and scored 7 quick points in the first half leading to a season high 12 points to share game scoring honor with Jen Casper who backed up a strong performance against Oakland Tech with another solid outing.
Western Ranch did not concede the championship quietly as the ladies in burgundy mounted their 10-0 run to trim the deficit to 38-27 at the 5:00 mark of the third quarter. A pair of quick inside baskets from Jasmine Dilworth and Jen Casper as well as a short jumper from Madison Burroughs quickly restored order as Western Ranch could never get closer than 16 afterwards. Ms Burroughs would score 10 points for the game and named Tournament MVP. Captain Angela Rigo played perhaps half the contest on her bad ankle and scored 7 points including a pair of steals and breakaway lay ups.
There was evenly spread out scoring for the tournament with Jasmine leading the way with 33, Madison with 32, Jen with 30, Amanda with 24, Dana with 20 and Sara with 19.
Monte Vista improves to 10-2 on the season with Livermore and Carondolet looming on the horizon next week as EBAL play begins.
West Coast Jamboree & Newark Memorial HS Tournament MVPs !
December 30, 2011 —
Madison Burroughs was named 2011 West Coast Jamboree Tanzanite Division MVP while her best friend Niki Sell was named MVP at the Newark Memorial HS Tournament during the same weekend !
Monte Vista (JV) 43 - Santa Rosa 31 Newark Memorial Tournament Champion !
December 30, 2011 —
There were concerns about matching up with the two big forwards from Santa Rosa and about attacking their extended zone defense. Some even thought this might be the best team they would face this season to date.
The game indeed was close although Monte Vista never trailed in the contest. The Lady Mustangs was up 9-6 after one quarter and ahead 22-18 at the half. The big girls from Santa Rosa did create moderate problem early but Brittany Nagra and Olivia Romero essentially shut down both in the second half. The sharp shooting by Megan Oliviera who had a pair of three's and Niki Sell who led the team with 13 points kept MV ahead while Erika Perez created endless problems for Santa Rosa with her 7 steals along with 8 points many from break away lay ups.
Santa Rosa did cut MV's lead down to 1 early in the fourth quarter at 32-31 but Santa Rosa would not score again while Monte Vista ran off with 11 straight points to seal the game 3 of which came from a three pointer by Alexis Meyer who took advantage of a screen by Brittany Nagra and nailed the long jumper from the corner. Bridget Haus capped her strong tournament play with 5 points while Katie Good had 4.
Niki Sell was name tournament MVP while Erika Perez and Brittany Nagra made the all tournament squad.
Monte Vista now improves to 12-0 on the season and next faces Livermore at home after the New Year.
Monte Vista 69 - Oakland Tech 29
December 29, 2011 —
The Lady Mustangs forced 10 turnovers in the first half and converted them into 16 points en route to a 48-15 halftime lead over the shell shocked Oakland Tech.
With the score at 5-2, MV went on a 14-2 run to surge ahead 19-4 and closed out the quarter with a 24-9 advantage. Madison Burroughs had a pair of three pointers to lead the charge. The host team then broke out for a 17-0 run to start the 2nd quarter to build an insurmountable 41-9 lead during which Jazmine Dilworth and Jen Casper combined for 4 inside baskets accompanied by a pair of three's from Taylor Partin and a three from Amanda Daily. Madison Burroughs finished with a game high 14 points followed by Jen Casper with 12 and Jazmine Dilworth with 11. Dana Outcalt had another strong game with 8 tough inside points and 5 rebounds while Sara Jensen added 7.
Monte Vista 9-2 will play Western Ranch, who beat San Ramon Valley 54-45, tomorrow at 7:30 pm for the Championship
Monte Vista (JV) 41 - James Logan 36
December 29, 2011 —
The Monte Vista JV squad won its 24th consecutive game since middle of last season by beating James Logan for the second time this season to advance to the Championship game of the Newark Memorial HS Tournament against a big and strong Santa Rosa team. The final score was the closest Logan could get since the early going of the contest. Captain Bridget Haus matched her season high with 12 points while Brittany Nagra added 9. Erika Perez rebounded from her recent scoring drought by scoring 7 points and Niki Sell, Autumn Davis and Katie Good had 4, 4, and 3 points respectively to round out the MV scoring.
Monte Vista 72 - San Leandro 26
December 28, 2011 —
Monte Vista ran away with this game leading 25-4 after one and 46-10 at half time.
Jazmine Dilworth has developed into a consistent threat leading all scorers with 15 along with 8 rebounds and three steals. Madison Burroughs had four first quarter steals leading to 8 points in the quarter and 10 for the game. Amanda Daily played significant minutes at the "1" and scored 9 points including a pair of three pointers. Dana Outcalt had a break out offensive game with 8 points while Taylor Partin added 7 and Rachel Tagle, Jen Casper and Sara Jensen each contributed 6 points.
Monte Vista (8-2 will play tomorrow at the first semi final game against an athletic Oakland Tech team.
Monte Vista (JV) 48 - Los Gatos 32
December 28, 2011 —
Katie Good :12
Niki Sell: 9
Megan Oliviera : 9
Bridget Haus : 7
Natalie Coffin: 4
Erika Perez : 2
Olivia Romero : 2
Autumn Davis : 2
Monte Vista now improves to 10-0 for the season.
Team From The Past...
Back Row: Erin Tao, Stephanie Cornell, Kendall Williams, Carlyn Rafael, Felicia Lopez, Carlie Nagel, Lindsey Mason. Front Row: Sarah Harvey, Kate Cornell, Katherine Buckles, Lauren Gray.
Coach Pat & Andrew Luck
December 23, 2011 —
Andrew was thrilled to meet guys from the high school that sent Ryan Whalen, Zach Ertz and Brett Nottingham.
Monte Vista 53 - Dublin 50 (OT)
December 21, 2011 —
The Gaels' senior guard Shannon Irwin was fouled with 3.8 seconds left in the fourth quarter of a 44-44 tie game and went to the line for a pair of free throws...
Approximately 90 minutes earlier, the visiting Monte Vista (6-2) tipped off against the undefeated Dublin (6-0) hoping to reverse the recent offensive difficulties and head into the holidays on a winning note. The team again started slow with the usual combination of missed lay ups, missed free throws and turnovers that plagued them this season to trail 8-7 at the end of the first quarter after leading 7-3. The second quarter saw little improvement as the Lady Mustangs had trouble effectively guarding Dublin's freshman shooter Martinez who knocked down a pair of three pointers in the first half as well as their 6' freshman center #52 who would end the day leading all scorers with 18 points. The Gaels led by as many as 6 at 19-13 but had to settle for a 21-17 advantage at the half. A pair of quick baskets by the host to start the second half gave Dublin their largest lead of 8 at 25-17. MV trimmed the deficit to 3 at 25-22 including a three point play from Angela Rigo only to see Dublin rebuilt their lead to 6 at 32-26. Three successive baskets by Sara Jensen and a tightened defense, however, allowed the visitors to climb back in the contest with Jensen's last basket knotting the score at 32-32 after three quarters.
Dublin quickly re-establish their 4 point advantage at 36-32 in the fourth but Monte Vista freshman Amanda Daily, who had just entered the game for Rachel Tagle, scored 6 quick points including a three and a two pointer to give Monte Vista their first lead since the early first quarter at 40-37. A free throw and a put back by Dublin's freshman center tied the game at 40-40 but Jen Casper knocked down a 13 foot jumper to give MV the lead again only to see the Gaels tie the score with 2:30 left in the contest. Neither team was able to score until 01:39 when Madison Burroughs drove the left baseline and put in a 6 footer for the lead but MV could not hold on to the advantage as Dublin tied the game for the fourth time in the quarter off a missed screen out. Monte Vista had the ball with 00:24 on the clock and had three opportunities to hit the winning basket but failed to connect. Worse was the fact they they left 00:09 for Dublin's Shannon Irwin to drive the left baseline leading to the dramatic pair of foul shots essentially no time left on the clock.
Irwin's first free throw hit the back rim. The second shot barely reached the front rim. And the teams were sent into the season's first overtime.
Monte Vista was dealt a severe blow when point guard and leading scorer Angela Rigo picked up her 5th foul 7 seconds into OT. One ensuing free throw gave the host a 45-44 lead. Madison Burroughs' basket gave MV back a short lived lead at 46-45 as Dublin retook the lead on their next trip down at 47-46. With 01:32 left in OT, Jazmine Dilworth who was saddled with early foul trouble made a pretty back to the basket spin move to give Monte Vista back the lead at 48-47. On the next trip down, Jaz again used her superior strength to power in a lay up for a 50-47 lead. Sara Jensen, who was instrumental in MV's come back, then connected on 3 of 4 free throw to put the game away. Sara led the team with a season high 13 points while Madison Burroughs added 11. Jasmine Dilworth finished with 8 and Angela Rigo contributed 7. Monte Vista improves to 7-2 while Dublin took their first loss and is now at 6-1. The team will take a holiday break and will play again on 12/28 at home against San Leandro in the West Coast Jamboree.
Monte Vista (JV) 52 - Dublin 40
December 21, 2011 —
This wasn't a particularly pretty game overall but one phase of the contest that was superb was the outside shooting of the starting guards. Niki Sell connected on eight baskets including a three pointer for a career high 17 points while Megan Oliviera hit five outside shots for 10 points along with her usual smooth ball handling. Freshman Kyndel Sidore who had just started playing following recovery of her foot injury saw her most extensive court time. Center Brittany Nagra was her usual dominant self at center and finished with 12 points while Bridget Haus contributed 6.
Monte Vista led from the tip and was ahead 12-1 mid way through the first, 30-13 at the half and 44-26 after three. coach Cornell was able to utilize his entire squad while improving to 9-0 for the year. The team will next play at the Newark Memorial HS Tournament after Christmas.
Old teammates including Amil, Coco, X, Dani, Christi were at Stanford...Many of the current Monte Vista varsity players were also present.
Niveen's Homecoming
December 17, 2011 —
This is Niveen Rasheen's first trip back to the Bay Area and a small crowd was on hand at Stanford to greet the former star forward from Monte Vista. Considered one of the very best woman basketball players ever from the east bay, Niveen's last season was lost following a devastating ACL injury in the middle of a fabulous season. Following a successful reconstruction surgery, she is now again the star at Princeton leading the team in scoring at 17.2 a game. The Tigers put up a tough fight against the #4 Stanford Cardinal but eventually lost 85-66. They will be at Santa Clara tomorrow evening before catching a redeye back east.
Monte Vista (JV) 43 - Dougherty Valley 28
December 17, 2011 —
Coach Steve Cornell knew going in that this would be a tough contest. Playing a strong Dougherty Valley on their home court with revenge on their mind would test the resolve of the Lady Mustangs. The game did not start well for MV who missed their first eight shots and promptly fell behind the athletic Wildcats 5-0, 7-2 and eventually 10-4 at the conclusion of one quarter. DV scored the first basket in the second quarter giving them the largest lead at 12-4. Monte Vista, however, came alive both offensively and defensively scoring 10 points in a two minute span while shutting out the host team to seize their first lead at 14-12 at the 2:30 mark and 18-15 at the half.
Dougherty Valley came within 1 at 20-19 less than two minutes into the 3rd quarter but Monte Vista responded with 7 straight points including a pair of jumpers from the right corner by Autumn Davis to build a 27-19 lead. DV narrowed the gap to 27-23 with two quick baskets but a long three pointer by Niki Sell and a lay up from Katie Good gave the visitors a 9 point advantage at 32-23. The Wildcats' #11 would hit a three from the top of the key to bring DV to within 6 at 32-26. Bridget Haus who was extremely tough both on offense and defense knocked down two 12 footers in heavy traffic to establish MV's first double digit lead from where Dougherty Valley would not recover. Center Brittany Nagra contributed 9 points including 3 of 3 from the free throw line but more importantly protected the paint against bigger and more athletic opponents and pulled down 5 rebounds on both the offensive and defensive end. The combination "twin tower" of Brittany Nagra and Katie Good also proved to be highly effective against Dougherty Valley's big #21 and super aggressive #33. Guard Erika Perez did not score in the game but was relentlessly disruptive against the host with steals, deflections and strong rebounding effort. Erika also drew the tough assignment of guarding the ultra fast #11 who was held to 10 points including a pair of three's. With the victory, Steve Cornell's JV squad improves to 8-0 and will attempt to extend its unbeaten streak against Dublin on Wednesday.
Monte Vista 46 - Northgate 41
December 16, 2011 —
Playing in their fourth game in four days, the MV players are tired and showed it in the first quarter against the host Broncos when they fell behind 6-1 and eventually 11-8 at the end of a quarter. This, incidentally, was their biggest deficit this season in the first quarter. The deficit was 6 at 18-12 mid way through the second quarter when the visitors put together a 12-2 run to end the half giving Monte Vista a 24-20 lead going into the locker room. Momentum appeared to stay with MV in the third quarter as the Lady Mustangs scored the first two baskets and on multiple occasions led by 10. They were, however, unable to break the game open due to repeated missed opportunities and continued woes at the line converting only 4 of 11. With a loud home crowd on their side, the Broncos cut their deficit to a single possession at 41-38 with three minutes remaining in the contest but that was as close as they would get as late baskets by Jen Casper and Sara Jensen closed the door on Northgate's hope of a come back. Angela Rigo and Jen Casper led the team with 10 points a piece while Sara Jensen added 8. Ms Jensen was also named to the ALL TOURNAMENT squad. Jasmine Dilworth had another strong game with 7 points, 8 rebounds, 5 steals and two blocked shots. Freshman Amanda Daily added much needed offense in the second quarter with 6 including a breakaway lay up to help Monte Vista come back from the early deficit. Monte Vista improves to 6-2 on the year and will face Dublin at their new gym on Wednesday.
Heritage 28 - Monte Vista 26
December 15, 2011 —
Playing with a sprained ankle, junior point guard Angela Rigo was given the unenviable task of sinking two free throws to send the game into overtime after Sara Jensen nailed a three pointer from the deep left corner to bring Monte Vista to within two at 28-26. The first shot went long and Heritage escaped with a two point victory over a dejected MV squad who missed connecting on multiple lay ups and converted only 5 of 18 free throw opportunities. The Lady Mustangs was held to the lowest offensive output in years and at several points in the game appeared to have completely folded its offensive game. The team, however, continued to play with determination and climbed back from a 16-10 and 19-12 fourth quarter hole to keep it a single possession contest at 19-16, 23-20, 25-23 and finally at 28-26. Despite the loss, the team played solid defense making it extremely difficult for the Patriots to score. Their star center Sabrina Engelhart was held to only two baskets and 10 points. Jasmine Dilworth herself only collected 6 points but had two thunderous blocks and two deflections in the second half to help fuel the comeback. The 5-2 MV will now face the host Northgate in tomorrow's third place game at 6:30 pm.
Monte Vista 46 - Acalanes 29
December 14, 2011 —
The game plan was to stop Acalanes' 6' 1" guard Sophie Taylor from inflicting excessive damage from the outside and to that end, Monte Vista was clearly successful as she was held to 10 points with only a single three pointer for the game. Free throws kept the Dons in the game early but they have no answer to Jazmine Dilworth who dominated the inside for 10 first half points before foul trouble limited her minutes. Three point baskets from Rachel Tagle and Taylor Partin right before the break gave Monte Vista a 29-16 lead and Acalanes could come no closer than 12 in the second half. Jazmine Dilworth finished with a team high 12 points followed by Madison Burroughs with 10 and Rachel Tagle with 7. Junior point guard Angela Rigo again played limited minutes because of her sprained ankle but was able to contribute 9 points and 4 steals. She no doubt would be a force when fully healthy. MV will face Heritage tomorrow in the 1st semi final game at 6:30 pm. Heritage (7-0) handed Monte Vista (5-1) their only loss of the season in the Alhambra Tournament and there is added incentive to hang a loss on the undefeated Patriots whose defense will be a challenge for the Lady Mustangs.
Monte Vista 60 - Pittsburg 24
December 13, 2011 —
Key to beating an athletic team like Pittsburg is to get out early and seize the lead. MV executed that plan perfectly as Angela Rigo stole a couple of passes immediately after the tip off for easy coast to coast lay ups helping the host built a 19-0 lead in the first quarter. 9 of those points came off back to back to back three points by Taylor Partin who finished with 11 points. Monte Vista extended the lead to 39-12 at the half and withstood a lull in the third quarter to easily cruise home to a comfortable 36 points victory to improve to 4-1 on the season. G/F Madison Burroughs scored a season high 16 points to lead all scorers while forward Jasmine Dilworth had another strong game despite missing half the contest because of a nose bleed. She finished with 6 of 7 from the free throw line for 10 points.
Monte Vista (JV) 48 - Pittsburg 36
December 13, 2011 —
Playing the same team three times in three weeks is never easy. As expected, the team came out flat against the Pirates and trailed 9-7 and 11-8 in the early second quarter before going on a 13-5 run to close out the half with a 21-16 advantage. The game remained in a sluggish mode in the early going of the third quarter with the host holding on to leads of 25-18, 28-18 and 35-26 when Brittany Nagra sank a 22 foot three pointer followed by a long bank shot to ignite a 9-1 run and blew the game open at 44-27. Ms. Nagra finished with a team high 12 points. Katie Good continues her strong inside game with 8 points and Bridget Haus added 7 to help the Lady Mustangs go 6-0. On her first game back from ankle injury suffered during the Pittsburg Tournament, Erika Perez contributed 8 points and collected her usual 8 steals. Next on the schedule is a rare meeting with Casa Grande on Friday and a rematch against Dougherty at Dougherty on Saturday.
Save your ankle - wear a brace !
December 9, 2011 —
Virtually all D-1 colleges mandate wearing ankle brace for basketball practice and game. It can prevent or reduce the severity of ankle injuries. Images above are those of Erika Perez who sprained her ankle in the Pittsburg game and Angela Rigo who sustained her injury during practice.
Monte Vista 42 - Rodriquez 41
December 6, 2011 —
The team won its past two games easily without the service of starting point guard Angela Rigo who sat out with a bad ankle, but a quick and athletic Rodriquez squad quickly made it obvious why Rigo is indispensable. Monte Vista was troubled by the quick and aggressive defense including several early blocked shots and deflected passes. The Lady Mustangs also did not help its cause by failing to execute plays and committing 12 turnovers in each half along with poor shooting from both the field and line. Monte Vista scored the first 4 points but allowed Rodriquez to surge past with a 12-2 run to trail 12-6 and eventually 14-8 after one quarter and 21-18 at the half. The contest was tight in the third quarter with both teams squandered scoring opportunities. The host finally tied the game at 23-23 and briefly led at 25-23 and 26-25 only to see Rodriquez retook the lead at 28-26 after three. The fourth quarter proved to be an even greater challenge for both teams with neither side able to produce meaningful offense. Monte Vista at one point had four consecutive possessions all ending in turnovers. Rodriquez, however, was equally generous with their turnovers and poor shot selection. The game was frozen at 30-30 for nearly four minutes with the visiting team finally broke through for a short jumper to lead 32-30 and with just over two minute left in regulation 33-32. Jasmine Dilworth tied the game at 33-33 making a crucial free throw and Monte Vista had the ball with 25 seconds left in the contest for a possible winning shot but missed the jumper with 9 seconds on the clock allowing Rodriquez to take the presumed final shot. The visitors, however, promptly turned the ball over giving MV another chance at ending the game in regulation. Jen Casper had a great look from 8 feet but her shot rattled out of the basket sending the game into overtime. The 4 minute extra segment produced its share of drama with Monte Vista seemingly in control when Madison Burroughs first swished a 15 foot shot from the right wing, then drove the lane for a lay up to give the home team a 4 point lead and 37-33. Burroughs hit another jumper from the same spot in the wing to give MV a second 4 point lead at 39-35 but Rodriquez refused to go away by banking in a desperation three from 23 feet out to bring them within one at 39-38. Leading by 3 with 50 seconds remaining, Monte Vista missed on back to back 1 and 1 opportunities. A made basket by the visitors brought the game to a 1 point affair at 42-41. MV went to the line for the final 1 and 1 and naturally misfired giving Rodriquez the final possession. This was the root of the last controversy as Rodriquez's point guard drove to the basket at the final seconds and missed the winning basket but there was obvious contact in the attempt but no foul was called and the Lady Mustangs escaped with a victory that on a different night or on a different court could easily be a loss. Jasmine Dilworth and Madison Burroughs led the team with 12 points each and Jen Casper contributed 8. Monte Vista improves to 3-1 for the season while Rodriquez suffered its first loss at 4-1.
Monte Vista (JV) 44 - Rodriquez 22
December 6, 2011 —
Monte Vista was leading by a slim 9-7 margin when Megan Oliviera drained her second buzzer beating three pointer in as many games to give the host a 12-7 advantage after one quarter. The Lady Mustangs was able to push the lead to 10 on two occasions, the second was at half time when MV took a 24-14 advantage into the locker. Katie Good followed her All Tournament performance at the Pittsburg Pirates Tournament with probably her best outing of the young season scoring 14 points most came in the second half when Monte Vista was able to steadily increase its lead to 34-17 after three and the final score of 44-22. Forward Olivia Romero also had possibly her best game of the season with 9 points while point guard Nikki Sell added 7. Freshman Autumn Davis dropped in a three, her first of the season. The team improves to 4-0 for the season with Pittsburg on the horizon.
Monte Vist 70 - Concord 18
December 4, 2011 —
Concord was completely overwhelmed from the tip allowing Monte Vista to streak to a 34-9 advantage which ballooned to 50-10 at intermission. The lead was at 52 after three quarter when the running clock mercifully closed out the contest. Three players had double digit scoring including Rachel Tagle with 12, Jazmine Dilworth with 12, Jen Casper with 10 and Lilly Wissinger had 8 points all in a frantic first quarter. Back up forward Dana Outcalt also contributed 8 points while Sara Jensen and Madison Burroughs each contributed 6. MV improves to 2-1 for the season and will face a 4-0 Rodriquez HS squad on Tuesday at the home opener.
Monte Vista (JV) 44 - Dougherty Valley 31
December 3, 2011 —
The Championship game of the Pittsburg Pirates Tournament lived up to its billing with a tight contest early on with MV holding a slim 11-9 lead after one quarter. The lead was pushed up to 14-9 only to see Dougherty Valley came back to within 1 at 14-13 and moments later at 16-14. Katie Good than scored on back to back possession to give MV a six point lead at 20-14. Off a defensive rebound with just over 5 seconds to play, the Lady Mustangs made it all the way across mid court with Olivia Romero finding Megan Oliviera at the left wing for a long three at the buzzer that gave Monte Vista a 9 point bulge at the break......The 3rd quarter was all Mustangs' as they pulled off a 13-2 run to build a 36-16 lead from where Dougherty will not recover.
Brittany Nagra had 5 points and 13 rebounds while Katie Good had 6 points and 10 rebounds both named to the All Tournament team. Bridget Haus had another terrific game scoring 10 points but more importantly played tough defense as well as collected 7 rebounds. She was named Tournament MVP. Megan Oliviera did not make the ALL Tournament squad but that hardly diminishes how well she played in the tournament. MO played the point position with aplomb, took down rebounds, made steals and along the way scored a game high 12 points including a pair of three's and 4/4 from the line. Olivia Romero, for the fourth game in a row, scored 6 points. Monte Vista, for the season, improved to 4-0.
Monte Vista 53 - Petaluma 30
December 2, 2011 —
The team rebounded from a disappointing 6 point loss to Heritage to defeat Petaluma and even the season record at 1-1. In spite of the convincing victory, Monte Vista still played an uneven up and down game opening the contest with a 20-0 run then allowed Petaluma to cut the lead to 25-12 at half time and 25-16 in the third quarter before forcing four consecutive turnovers and out scoring the opponent by 20-6 to build an insurmountable 45-22 lead. Center Jen Casper had an outstanding first half scoring 10 of her game high 13 points while guard Taylor Partin had her second strong game coming off the bench to score 11 including a pair of three-pointers. Sara Jensen finally broke out of a slump with a 10 point performance all in the final quarter. Jasmine Dilworth and Madison Burroughs each had 6 points while freshman Amanda Daily contributed 4. The team will face the winner of Concord / Mt. Diablo tomorrow at 11:30 am. Monte Vista will be playing without starting point guard Angela Rigo who also sat out today's contest with a sprained right ankle.
Monte Vista (JV) 55 - Pittsburg 21
December 2, 2011 —
Playing the Pirates for a second time in 5 days actually made it simpler for the visiting Lady Mustangs. Unlike last week's contest in which Monte Vista took a whole half to figure out how to solve the more athletic opponent, the squad took an early 4-2 lead and never looked back. MV led 31-16 at intermission and 49-16 after 3 quarters again allowing coach Steve Cornell to utilize his entire roster. The inside combination of Brittany Nagra, Katie Good, Natalie Coffin, Bridget Haus and Olivia Romero accounted for 40 of the team's 55 points led by Brittany Nagra's season high 16 points and Katie Good's 10 points. The forwards were able to dominate inside scoring was in no small part due to pin point passing of the point guard trio of Niki Sell, Megan Oliviera and Alexis Meyer. The only downer for an otherwise excellent outing is the ankle injury sustained by Erika Perez who will likely miss the championship game against a tough Dougherty Valley team.
Heritage 40 - Monte vista (Varsity) 34
December 1, 2011 —
MV suffered it's first season opener loss in nine years falling in the opening round of the Alhambra Bulldog Tournament to a good Heritage team that features two of northern California ranked players. Heritage took a 12-6 first quarter lead in spite of having to sit their star center who picked up two early fouls trying to defend MV's active Jasmine Dilworth. The Mustangs was unable to take advantage simply because of woeful free throw shooting in the first half going 0-7 in the first quarter and 1-9 at the half. The game was tied at 19-19 at intermission on the strength of Angela Rigo's back to back steals and breakaway lay up on a badly swollen ankle. The game slowed to a halt in the 3rd quarter with neither team able to score effectively. The Patriots' big Sabrina Engelstadt began to take control of the inside with a combination of lay ups and foul shots while the Lady Mustangs was unable to convert from the paint or outside. Taylor Partin, however, came off the bench to provided a much needed 3-point basket and 7 points while Angela Rigo led the team with 13. Monte Vista will face Petaluma tomorrow at 3:30.
Monte Vista (JV) 56 - Bay Tech 10
December 1, 2011 —
The undermanned small charter school from Oakland was quickly overwhelmed by a relentless full court pressure from the Lady Mustangs to trail 22-2 after one quarter and 40-7 at the half. Baytech was athletic and impressively resilient but was clearly not used to playing against a shot clock resulting in numerous shot clock violations. Katie Good led all scorers with 13 and Bridget Haus, freshly switched back from guard to forward, added a season high 12 points. Brittany Nagra had her usual strong outing with 10 while Olivia Romero contributed 6. Equally impressive was the ball handling and passing skills of guards Megan Oliviera and Nicki Sell who also added 5 points. The 2-0 Monte Vista will face the winner of Pittsburg and Miramonte in the semi final tomorrow at 8:00.
Varsity Scrimmage Against Arroyo
Monte Vista successfully concluded its preseason with a five segment scrimmage against Arroyo
winning all five segments by scores of 23-6; 11-9; 12-6; 15-11 and 10-8.
The team was led by Angela Rigo who had five three pointers and 19 points after two segments to finish with 23. Jasmine Dilworth also had a strong outing with 15 points.
Every player on the poster scored in the friendly contest.
The following is a breakdown of the scoring:
Taylor Partin 2 - 0 - 0/0 4
Rachel Tagle 2 - 1 - 2/4 9
Amada Daily 0 - 0 - 3/4 3
Angela Rigo 3 - 5 - 2/2 23
Dana Outcalt 2 - 0 - 1/1 5
Sara Jensen 1 - 0 - 0/0 2
Jasmine Dilworth 5 - 0 - 5/12 15
Elyce Bayat 1 - 0 - 0/0 2
Madison Burroughhs 3 - 0 - 2/3 8
Jen Casper 2 - 0 - 0/0 4
Lilly Wissinger 1 - 0 - 0/0 2
JV scrimmage at Arroyo High School
November 25, 2011 —
The scrimmage was dominated by the visiting Lady Mustangs from the tip off who are more game ready than their counterpart. MV won the first segment 19-0 with the host team only got off a single shot. The second segment was equally impressive for Monte Vista as they held their opponents scoreless until the final second. Coach Steve Cornell was able to utilize his entire bench top to bottom liberally while preparing for the real season opener against a certainly tougher Pittsburg Pirates team on Monday.
Monte Vista 51 - James Logan 36
November 22, 2011 —
The Lady Mustangs brings to 2011-12 season a virtually new line-up having graduated it's entire front court of Kaylie Williams, Alyssa Samia and Taylor Fazio along with starting guard Nicole Oliviera. Head coach Ron Hirschman and assistant coach Tony Arndt knew this years team would be talented but extremely young with NO senior on the roster.
The season opener Foundation game against division rival James Logan at home would offer a glimpse of the true capability of this group.
Monte Vista started the contest on a 10-1 run and for a brief moment appeared to be headed for a possible rout. The Colts, however, switched to zone defense and created its own 15-5 mini run to erase the deficit and led 16-15 after one quarter and 27-23 at intermission. Angela Rigo scored 8 of Monte Vista's first 10 points but was held scoreless for the final 10 minutes of the first half. MV on the average only allowed 37 points a game for the past half decade. To yield 27 points in a half was uncharacteristic and worrisome.
Adjustment at halftime by the Monte Vista was dramatic as the Mustangs held James Logan to only 3 points while scoring 15 resulting in an 8 points lead after three quarters. The lead expanded to double digit in the early fourth quarter and the Colts never threatened again while coach Hirschman was able to use his bench extensively.
Angela Rigo ended with a team leading 14 points, five assists and four steals. Center Jen Casper who has made steady improvement over the summer and fall finished with 12 points and an excellent overall game. Freshman guard Amanda Daily, who may be the best pure shooter on the team, made her presence known by scoring 10 points in her limited playing time including a pair of crucial three point baskets in the second half to help the host overcome the half time deficit. Sarah Jensen who just returned from volleyball playoff scored 5 while power forward Jasmine Dilworth, saddled with early fouls, added 4.
Monte Vista ( JV ) 48 - James Logan 37
November 22, 2011 —
Most members of last season's 24-2 JV squad have either retired from basketball or moved on to varsity. The team is now comprised of five returning players and EIGHT freshmen ! This may be a true "re-building" year for coach Steve Cornell if not for the arrival of freshman forward Brittany Nagra and full time commitment from last year's sophomore sensation Erika Perez who give Monte Vista size inside and speed / athleticism outside.
The game against Logan couldn't have started better with the host quickly built an 8-1 advantage only to see the Colts rebounded to lead 9-8. MV managed to regain the lead at 14-9 after one quarter but with all freshmen on the floor, the visitors promptly went on an 8-0 run to lead 17-14. Monte Vista led 29-23 at intermission but the lead also proved short lived as Logan closed to within one at 33-32 early in the 4th quarter. Their big center who scored 20 points created major match up problem for the Mustangs. The remaining fourth quarter, however, was all Monte Vista's as the visitors tired visibly. From the 1 point differential, MV outpaced James Logan 15-5 to close out another successful season opener.
Erica Perez led the Lady Mustangs with 13 points along with 6 steals while freshman center Brittany Nagra had 9 points in her high school debut. Guard Niki Sell had a strong game at the point position scoring 8. Veteran Olivia Romero, despite painful chronic foot pain, added 6.
Amanda Daily & Jen Casper were NOT stretching Madi. They were helping her put on her ankle brace !
October 22, 2011 —
The Open Gym has just completed its third week and new players are beginning to arrive. With several key varsity players still competing in volleyball, the open gym gives younger players a chance to go toe to toe with returning members of both the JV and Varsity team.
It's The Beginning Of Another Season - Open Gym Time !
September 27, 2011 —
1st Open Gym will be Wednesday 10/5/2011 at Stone Valley Middle School from 3:30 to approximately 5:30 pm. Until official start of practice second week of November, open gym will be held every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. Bring plenty of water and a pair of running shoes. If prior years are any indication, there will be conditioning...
Deer Valley 77 - Monte Vista 53
February 25, 2011 —
The winning formula against Deer Valley includes breaking the pressure, protecting the paint, getting rebounds, limiting turnovers and using the clock. Monte Vista did a credible job handling the trap and DV did relatively little damage inside. The host team, however, decisively out rebounded the visitors on the offensive board resulting in multiple second and third chance baskets and more importantly forced numerous turnovers which helped ignite two runs, one in the second and the other in the third period that essentially decided the game's outcome.
Using the hot shooting of speedy Angela Rigo and Nicole Oliviera who combined for 21 points in the first half, Monte Vista was able to not only keep up but actually built a 19-10 lead with less than a minute left in the first quarter. Switching to five super quick guards, Deer Valley forced MV into a series of turnovers early in the second period and went on a 19-4 run which turned a 5 point deficit into a 10 point lead at 33-23. Basket by Rigo and a pair of free throws by Kaylie Williams brought the visitors to within six at 39-33 going into the half. Back to back inside baskets from Taylor Fazio brought Monte Vista to within three at 40-37 thirty seconds into the third period but Deer Valley exploded for 15 straight points in the next four minutes included a trio of three pointers from #22 "MO" Moulder to essentially put the game away at 55-37. Two free throws by Rachel Tagle brought MV back to within 10 at 58-48 but that would be as close as the Mustangs was going to get to the Wolverines.
Angela Rigo and Nicole Oliviera both had 13 to lead the team. Kaylie Williams had 9 points plus 10 rebounds while Taylor Fazio added 8 points, 10 rebounds and 3 block shots. Rachel Tagle also contributed 8 point in the loss.
Monte Vista finished the season with a 19-8 record, sole possession of second place in the tough EBAL at 10-4 and a spot in the North Coast Section Playoff quarterfinals.
The game also concluded memorable high school career for Kaylie Williams, Alyssa Samia, Nicole Oliviera and Taylor Fazio with 93, 93, 93 and 89 high school wins respectively over four seasons.
Monte Vista 49 - Heritage 41
February 22, 2011 —
There is a certain finality to playoff games. It's lost and you are done for the year. All teams go into the state tournament with extra incentives, particularly seniors who may be playing their last high school contest.
Heritage is a team with quickness at the guards and strength at the post with one of BVAL's best centers in 6' 1" S. Engelstad.
The Patriots nailed a three pointer on their first trip down court and kick started a seesaw first quarter ended with Monte Vista taking an 11-8 lead after Kaylie Williams knocked down a 15 foot jumper. The zone defense of Monte Vista troubled Heritage in the second quarter, limiting the Patriots to only 5 points while MV managed 12 to seize a 23-13 lead at the half.
Heritage would refuse to go away as they scored the first 4 points of the second half to trim their deficit to 6 at 23-17. The lead by MV was still at 6 at 25-19 when Alyssa Samia's layup and Angela Rigo's three pointer gave the Mustangs their largest lead at 30-19 with 2:43 left in the third. The visitors, however, would storm back mostly off MV turnovers, to get within 6 again at 34-30. Another 13 ft jumper by Williams and a breakaway layup from Rigo restored some margin for the host team at 38-30. A three point basket by Heritage's Cyganowski with 2:10 left in the game brought Heritage to within 4 at 42-38 but Taylor Fazio's 3 foot right handed back shot on the next possession gave the home team some breathing room and Heritage could not get any closer the rest of the way. Alyssa Samia grabbed three consecutive offensive rebounds after missed free throws by Monte Vista to stymie any hope that the Patriots would be able to mount a last ditch comeback. Samia finished with 14 points to go with a team high 11 rebounds followed by Kaylie Williams with 10 points and 7 rebounds. The MVP of the win, however, would go Angela Rigo who not only handled the Heritage trap with aplomb but added a season best 19 points to boot. Monte Vista's length up front was intimidating as they accounted for 8 block shots including 4 by Fazio and 3 by Samia.
Monte Vista (19-7) now awaits the winner of Deer Valley - Irvington in the quarter finals.
NCS Playoff - Tuesday, February 22 at HOME against Heritage HS
February 20, 2011 —
As expected, Monte Vista was awarded a #6 seed and a home game against 17-9 Heritage ( which we beat in the Alhambra Tournament.) Game time is 7:00 pm Tuesday, February 22, 2011. Be there !
2010-2011 North Coast Section Playoff Seeding & Pairings...
February 20, 2011 —
The NCS seeding committee meets this morning at 8 am to determine seeding and pairing for all six divisions ( Boys & Girls. ) Division I this year will be even more challenging with Carondolet moving up from Division II. Berkeley (25-1) will have the #1 and Carondolet (23-3) the #2 seed. The rest will be up to the committee. BVAL champion Deer Valley (19-7) may be #3 and Mission SJ (24-2) and James Logan (21-5) should be # 4 & #5 depending on the outcome of their game last night. If Mission SJ wins, they may have a shot at #3 with a 25-2 record. Monte Vista should be the best of the rest at 18-7 and will likely get the #6 seed. Their opponent is hard to say but may be Liberty, Pittsburg, Foothill or Irvington.....Result will be post as soon as they become available.
Additional thoughts on the Fabulous JV Squad...from KT
February 19, 2011 —
1. Incredibly good decision to move Taylor Partin to the wing position. Relieved her of the burden of bringing up and distributing the ball and giving her a chance to rebound which she turned out to be quite a beast inside, allowing her to drive which she did plenty and very effectively and still allowing her to handle the ball with frequency. Of course, Taylor also had more open looks at the basket from beyond the arc where she made those opponents who decided to stop her drive pay.
2. The maturing of Angelyn Brown and the leadership she brought.
3. Development of Jade Montes into a true outside threat.
4. The pure athleticism of Erika Perez. The team is so deep her presence is less obvious against lesser opponents. But against the like of Carondolet, Foothill, MSJ and Castro Valley - she transformed the team. Too bad we will surely see less of Erika in the future on the hardwood as soccer IS her sport. We can always ask - "what if ?"
5. What a banner year for the entire MV freshman class - skills and depth.
6. Tip my hat to the sophomores who handled their secondary role with class.
7. Steve, Pat and I will no doubt spend many weekends debating which was the best JV squad Steve coached. Jury is still out on this year's team which could easily have been 25-1. In time, we will find out how many will play on varsity and their impact. The last 25-1 team had Alyssa Samia, Taylor Fazio and Nicole Oliviera and their only loss was to Sacred Heart Cathedral whose varsity team finished that year ranked #1 in the country by USA Today. The 25-1 team before that had last season's starting back court of Alex Smolen and Krystal Misono along with NCS and NorCal champion starter Dani Rabago as well as at least two additional impact varsity players. Their only loss that year was to the freshman squad ( ! ) of St. Mary's Stockton whose varsity team finished #1 in the nation by USA Today as well. Many pictures and stories of these two great teams from 2006 & 2007 are still on this site - go check them out !
8. The well will not be empty for coach Cornell as there will be another very good freshman class on the way including Nicole Oliviera's sister, Kelsey Hirsch and Amanda Daly to name a few.
9. Finally - BIG Thank You to Linda Perez for providing such incredible stats and coming to games even when Erika was not playing, to Kevin Outcalt for doing such great write ups on the JV including the exhaustive year end summary and to ? Katie's mom who kept the score book when Linda was out of town. Question: will you folks do it again ????? Please...
Monte Vista JV Wins EBAL Championship!
February 18, 2011 —
Finishing with a 24-2 overall record and 13-1 mark in EBAL play, the Lady Mustangs completed one of the most memorable seasons in Monte Vista JV women's basketball history as they won the league title and also the Mission San Jose and Newark Memorial Tournament Championships early in the season. With a young team featuring one junior, six sophomores, and five freshman and coming off a 5th place finish in EBAL last season, Coach Steve Cornell didn't exactly know what to expect as he started practices. Unlike the previous season which had a team with good height but lacking quickness, this team was fast and smart with deadly outside shooters and very mobile post players but no one over 5-10. Looking to take advantage of the team's athleticism and to score off transition as much as from the set offense, the coaches installed a pressing and trapping defense and brought back the complex Blizzard defense that had produced the record-setting back to back 25-1 JV seasons a few years ago.
The result was a high-performance, high energy mix that utterly crushed their two opponents in pre-season scrimmages as they destroyed Arroyo High 69 to 26 and Miramonte High 95-21 (six quarter scrimmage). Rotating a starting lineup of six starters that included four guards the team featured junior Angelyn Brown at point guard, three-point bomber sophomore Jade Montes at shooting guard, swingman sophomore Taylor Partin who could drop in the longball or post up, freshman 5-10 center/forward and rebounding machine Dana Outcalt, cat-quick ballhawk freshman Erika Perez at guard, and sophomore power forward Bridget Haus coming back from a knee injury that ended her fine freshman year early. The bench was deep as well featuring sophomore power forward Olivia Romero with her strong under the basket moves, sophomore point guard Callie Starn with her extraordinary dribbling and quickness, freshman guard Nikki Sell with one of the sweetest jumpers in the league, hard-charging sophomore shooting guard Elyce Bayat, rebounding and shot-blocking sophomore forward Charlotte Sedlock, offensive rebound putback specialist freshman center Katie Good, and court-directing freshman point guard Justine Garvin.
With so much promise, the team had high hopes to do well as the regular season began. The Lady Mustangs team opened the year in the Castlemont Tournament and had a bizarre season opener last second loss to Maria Carillo High as Coach Steve Cornell was delayed at work and stuck in nasty Highway 880 traffic so junior captain Angelyn Brown took over the coaching duties with cellphone help from Coach Cornell until he arrived in the 2nd quarter. The team went on to win the consolation bracket of that tournament with guard Taylor Partin and center Dana Outcalt being named to the all-tournament team. Now in a groove, Monte Vista rolled off 11 straight wins leading up to league play, including two tournament championships. They won the Mission San Jose tournament defeating Mission San Jose - who had never lost in their tournament - in the semi-finals and then prevailed in a nailbiter of a championship game over Foothill as guard Jade Montes was named tournament MVP and Dana and Taylor were named to the all-tournament team. Next they won the Newark Memorial tournament including a come from behind win in the championship game against Castro Valley as guard Erika Perez banked in a buzzer beater at the end of regulation to force the extra time and guard Jade Montes fired in a top of the key game-winner at the buzzer as well -- Jade collected her second tournament MVP award as Dana was named to her third straight all-tournament team and guard Angelyn Brown garnered all-tournament honors as well.
Based on early season results, EBAL looked to be shaping up as a battle between Monte Vista, Foothill, and Carondelet while California and San Ramon Valley also had strong squads capable of being spoilers. Carondelet was the favorite based on their dominating pre-league play that featured only a single loss by a basket to Berkeley High considered the top JV team in northern California. Foothill only had two losses, both in tournament championship games with one of those to Monte Vista. The EBAL season opened for Monte Vista as they hosted Carondelet at home and the two evenly matched teams went into the locker room at halftime with MV trailing by one at 29-28. Freshman Guard Erika Perez had to leave at halftime as she is also a starting forward for the Monte Vista Varsity Women's soccer team and the Lady Mustangs came out a bit flat in the 3rd quarter to trail by 9. But a furious 4th quarter comeback had MV within 2 with 30 seconds left but they could never regain the ball and dropped the EBAL opener to the Cougars 52-48 despite a heroic 19 point performance from guard Jade Montes. MV then beat Amador Valley and Granada handily beforefacing a tough Foothill squad at home. Like the previous time these two teams had met it was a back and forth battle but Monte Vista once again prevailed by 5 points winning 38-33 as guard Taylor Partin gunned in 11 points and power forward Olivia Romero rammed in 8 while center Dana Outcalt collected 12 rebounds and newly arrived freshman power forward Lilly Wissinger pulled down 7 boards. Three more easy wins over California, Livermore, and San Ramon Valley had MV sitting in second place at 6-1 just behind undefeated Carondelet as the first half of the EBAL season ended.
Since EBAL does not have a season ending championship tournament, the league champion is crowned from the regular season record. In case of a tie it is head to head results and if that is tied it is which ever team won the last meeting between the two squads. To keep their title hopes alive, MV knew they had to win versus Carondelet to open the second half to deal the undefeated Cougars a loss in league play. Expecting a big crowd for the JV and following varsity contest, the game was moved to the De La Salle high school gym as the 17-2 Lady Mustangs faced off against the 20-1 Cougars. What transpired was one of the most memorable Monte Vista JV games and Coach Cornell called it one of the three greatest victories in his long and distinguished coaching career. Like the previous meeting, the teams were separated by just one point at halftime as MV was down 23-22. And like in the previous meeting Carondelet broke the game open in the 3rd quarter stretching the lead to 7. However, freshman guard Nikki Sell's deep jumper stopped the Cougar run and ignited an MV comeback fueled by guards Erika Perez and Angelyn Brown who swiped 13 balls between them and MV had caught the Cougars with 4 minutes to go at 41 points a piece. Carondelet would never score again as Monte Vista finished with a 9-0 run to stun the crowd. Junior co-captain Angelyn Brown had her best game of the season leading all scorers with 12 points and Jade Montes dropped in 10 - mostly on layups beating the Cougar press or on a feed from Erika or Angelyn after a steal. Co-captain center Dana Outcalt led all rebounders with 15 boards against the bigger Cougars and power forward Lilly Wissinger pulled down 7.
Now in the driver's seat for the title, the Lady Mustangs had to win out to claim it. They next crushed Amador Valley led by guard Callie Starn's season high 9 points, but then had an uncharacteristic struggle with a weak Granada team winning by just 6 after being down much of the game and would then face the tough Foothill Falcons for the 3rd time this season. As expected, Foothill had only lost to Monte Vista and Carondelet in league play thus far. Their title hopes were still alive as they faced both schools at home in the second half and if they could win both games they would lock up the league championship. Worried about the lackluster performance against Granada, Coach Cornell put the team through their toughest practices of the year as they prepared to face the Falcons who were the last real threat on the schedule. The game did not start out well as Foothill jumped to an 8-2 lead early. However, the second quarter turned into the Taylor Partin Show as the sophomore guard pumped in 8 points igniting a 16-2 MV run that put MV into the locker room at halftime with an 8 point lead. A stifling Mustang defense held off any hopes of a second half comeback for Foothill as MV posted a 38-28 win.
With three games left, the Lady Mustangs cruised past California, had a sluggish but easy win over Livermore and then traveled to San Ramon Valley's new gym to face the Wolves in the final game of the season in which a win would give them the league championship. The game was never close as Monte Vista played their best defense of the year going into the locker room after two quarters with a remarkable 19-3 lead and then coasting home in the second half to win by 21 points to be crowned the 2011 EBAL Women's Basketball JV League Champions. Congratulations to everyone for a great season and also special recognition to Angelyn Brown, Taylor Partin, and Lilly Wissinger who have been moved up to the varsity squad for the North Coast Section playoffs!
Overall Record: 24-2
2011 Single Game Records 2011 MV Season Records
EBAL Record: 13-1 Team Scoring: 60 vs. Livermore
Total Points Scored: 1194 Team Fewest Points Allowed: 10 vs. Sonomoa
Total Points Allowed: 803 Points: 19 Jade Montes vs. Carondelet
Average Game Score: Rebounds: 25 Dana Outcalt vs. Castro Vly
Monte Vista 46 Steals: 13 Erika Perez vs. Pittsburgh
Opponent 31 Assists: 7 Angelyn Brown vs. Dougherty
Scoring: Assists:
Taylor Partin 204 points Angelyn Brown 62
Dana Outcalt 203 points Erika Perez 39
Jade Montes 185 points Taylor Partin 37
Dana Outcalt 37
Rebounding: Blocks:
Dana Outcalt 215 Dana Outcalt 27
Bridget Haus 99 Erika Perez 12
Taylor Partin 90 Charlotte Sedlock 11
Steals: Technical Fouls
Angelyn Brown 90 Steve Cornell 2
Dana Outcalt 72 Taylor Partin 1
Erika Perez 71
Monte Vista (JV) 49 - San Ramon Valley 27
February 18, 2011 —
Needing a win in their final game to claim the EBAL league title, the Lady Mustangs traveled to San Ramon Valley High to play in their brand new gym for the first time. SRV had given the Mustangs a bit of trouble earlier in the season before falling to MV 44-31, but there was no repeat tonight. MV unveiled a trapping fullcourt press to start the game that San Ramon could not solve and this game would have been over in the first half if the Mustangs had converted more of the steals into points. Never trailing after opening the game on a Bridget Haus power move bucket, and leading 7-2 after the first quarter, Monte Vista went into the locker room at halftime with a 19-3 lead after having their finest defensive half of the year. In the third quarter the offensive energy increased as center Dana Outcalt and forward Olivia Romero combined for 10 of the 14 points to up the lead to 19 points and in one 34 second span the crowd enjoyed the Charlotte Sedlock Show as the center/forward had a steal, assist, rebound, and knocked down 2 free throws as she took over the game for a time. The fourth quarter started with guard Callie Starn driving in a layup off a steal and continued as a fun celebration for the 24-2 EBAL champs as they closed out the season and the rival Wolves by a final score of 47-26. Leading scorers for the game were Dana with 14 points, Olivia with 6, guard Taylor Partin with 5, guard Angelyn Brown with 4, center Katie Good with 4, and forward Lilly Wissinger with 4 as well. Taylor had 10 rebounds for a personal season high, Dana collected 9, and Katie had 6 boards. The defense produced 26 steals with the top thief being Dana with 6 followed by guard Elyce Bayat with 4 and Taylor with 4. A team leading three assists were dished out by guard Nikki Sell, Angelyn, and Taylor while guard Justine Garvin had one of her more impressive performances of the year with her all around play at both ends of the court.
Monte Vista (Varsity) 51 - San Ramon Valley 29
February 18, 2011 —
This was San Ramon Valley's senior night. Since the Wolves did not make the North Coast Section Playoff this season, this would also be the final game for the team and final high school game for their four seniors. That should be incentive enough to put up a strong showing which the Green & Gold did. After trailing 0-8 to start the game, San Ramon Valley played Monte Vista even for the remainder of the half, actually out scoring the Mustangs 10-9 in the second period to trail only 24-14 at the break. The visitors surged ahead 32-17 with a mini 8-3 run to start the third quarter and appeared on the way to blow the game open when SRV ran off 5 straight point to trim the deficit to 10 at 32-22 late in the third quarter. A pair of inside baskets by Jasmine Dilworth, however, pushed the lead back up 36-22 and eventually 38-22 at the end of three. Monte Vista would control the final period and cruised to a 51-29 win to lock up sole possession of 2nd place in EBAL at 10-4 and 18-7 for the season. San Ramon finished at 4-8 and 10-16.
Kaylie Williams closed out her final regular season with 11 points, 9 rebounds and 4 assists. Nicole Oliviera had another excellent game with 10 points, 5 boards and 3 assists. Alyssa Samia left her marks with 8 points and 8 rebounds as she left the new San Ramon Valley Gymnasium for the first and final time as a player. The squad will now wait for the seeding, and more importantly, their opponent for the first round which should be at home on Tuesday.
Monte Vista (Varsity) 52 - Livermore 35
February 15, 2011 —
SENIORS' NIGHT always evokes mixed emotions and yesterday evening was no exception. The game against Livermore would be the final regular season home game for Taylor Fazio, Nicole Oliviera, Alyssa Samia and Kaylie Williams - four players who seem to have arrived as young freshmen just yesterday will graduate and move onto college later this year. Each, however, has left her mark both in the school as well as on the Monte Vista basketball program. Taylor was a member of perhaps the best JV squad ever at MV under Steve Cornell at 25-1 and Nicole, Alyssa and Kaylie were the last varsity members on the NCS and NorCal Championship team that played for the California Interscholastic Division I State Title at ARCO.
Following an emotion drenched ceremony, the MV crew got back onto the court with all four seniors in the starting rotation and went on to convincingly defeat the visiting Cowboys 52-35. Livermore led for a brief moment when Veronica Garza knocked down a three to open the scoring but Monte Vista went on an immediate 10-0 run and never looked back. The defense led by Kaylie Williams forced the Cowboys to exhaust their 35 second shot clock on numerous occasion, severely disrupting their offensive rhythm. The home team was led by Angela Rigo with 12 points followed by Alyssa with 11. Taylor Fazio had another strong day in the low post with 10. The team now has sole possession of 2nd place in EBAL at 9-4 with an overall record of 17-7. Monte Vista also moves, for the first time this season into Eastbay ranking at #14. Next up is season finale at San Ramon Valley's new gym on Friday.
Monte Vista (JV) 34 - Livermore 21
February 15, 2011 —
Riding their second 11-game winning streak of the season, MV appeared to have one of the season's easier games on tap as the Livermore team that they had defeated 60-27 on the road came to the Lady Mustangs' home court. But the Monte Vista offense failed to show up as the team shot a season low 16% from the floor, including scoring just 2 points in the entire 3rd quarter. Thanks to MV completely dominating the boards (the 50 rebounds were a season high) and a tough inside defense that gave up almost nothing in the paint, the Cowgirls were even colder than the weather outside and never mounted a serious threat after being down by 9 at the end of the first quarter. Taking a 21-10 lead into the locker room after guard Nikki Sell drained yet another buzzer beating jumper, the two teams settled into a low-scoring defensive struggle in the second half that resulted in just about even scoring as MV prevailed 13-11 for the final half. The 34 total points was MV's second lowest of the season, just ahead of the 31 they scored in the season opening loss to Maria Carillo in a shorter 7-minute quarters tournament game. Co-Captain Dana Outcalt led the team in scoring and rebounding with 7 points and 11 boards, forward Lilly Wissinger pumped in 6 points, guard Taylor Partin had 5 points along with 5 rebounds, power forward Bridget Haus had a great game collecting a season high 9 rebounds and adding four points as well and center Katie Good tied her season high as she deftly cleaned the glass for 7 rebounds. With a 12-game winning streak and a 12-1 record in EBAL and is at 23-2 overall, MV plays Friday night at the San Ramon Valley new gym to attempt to wrap up the EBAL JV title.
Monte Vista (Varsity) 44 - Cal 30
February 11, 2011 —
When these two teams met at Cal's new gym earlier in the season, Monte Vista was on a four game winning streak and alone in second place in the league. The Grizzlies surprised the visitors by dominated the board and handed MV a bitter 49-47 road loss. The rematch was a tight contest from the tip off. The Mustangs jumped out to a 3-0 lead when Nicole Oliviera knocked down a three pointer on their second possession. Neither team could muster more than a two point advantage in the first period with Cal briefly ahead 6-5 and MV led at 5-4, 7-6 and eventually 9-7. When Sara Jensen scored on a baseline jumper from the right earlier in the second quarter, Monte Vista had their largest lead at 13-8 but a 7-0 run by Cal pushed the visitors ahead 15-13. A driving basket from Rachel Tagle knotted the game at 15-15. A pair of converted free throws by Angela Rego gave the home team a 19-16 lead only to see Cal bounce back at 19-18 and had the chance to take the lead into the locker room but had to settle for a 19-19 halftime tie when they could only hit one of two from the line at the waning seconds of the first half. .....During much of the week, coach Hirschman was not sure if captain Kaylie Williams would be cleared by the medical staff in time to play. She was and her presence was made known to open the second half by first scoring on a high low play 40 seconds into the half. Ms. Williams then converted both free throws when she was fouled going to the basket after grabbing an offensive rebound. Center Taylor Fazio then single handedly put the Grizzlies away by putting on a show in the 3rd and 4th quarter. With MV up by a slim 23-19 margin, she blocked a lay up attempt by Cal's Delang, got the rebound and started a fast break during which she took the missed shot and scored as a trailer. In the next three minutes, Taylor brought down four additional offensive rebounds and scored a pair of inside baskets to give Monte Vista a 29-19 lead they would not surrender. Ms. Fazio finished one of her best games this season with a team leading 14 points, 13 rebounds- 6 from the offensive end and 4 block shots. Nicole Oliviera also had a terrific outing scoring 11 points including a shot clock beating long jumper from the top of the key with two defenders hanging on in the first half. Alyssa Samia also heavily contributing to the reversal of fortune by controlling the paint. She finished with 6 points and 10 rebounds. In all, Monte Vista out rebounded Cal 41-19 limiting them to only 5 on the offensive side compared to 20 they gave up at Cal. The team also allowed Cal ZERO three point basket. With the win, the Mustangs improves to 8-4 in EBAL, tying them for second with Livermore and 16-7 overall. The upcoming game Tuesday at home against the Cowboys will determine 2nd place in the league and perhaps seeding order in the NCS Division I playoff.
Monte Vista (JV) 49 - Cal 38
February 11, 2011 —
Cal High always appears to create difficulty for Monte Vista and tonight was no exception. The host Mustangs had amble opportunities to build a commanding lead in the first quarter but missed lay ups and turnovers kept the Grizzlies close. MV settled for a 16-10 1st period advantage but had to withstand a big charge by the visitors. Leading 18-14, Taylor Partin was called for a technical foul which resulted in a one on one followed by a pair of free throws and possession to California. When it was all said and done, the lead was down to 18-17. Monte Vista, however, was able to bounce back to seize a 24-19 cushion at the half. With Taylor nursing three fouls, Monte Vista started the third quarter with her on the bench. The result was a 4 minute and 30 second scoring draught. It was a good thing California was almost as inept on the offensive side, managing only a single free throw during the span, allowing Monte Vista to maintain a 24-20 lead. A driving basket from Lily Wissinger finally took the lid off the basket and pushed the home team's lead to 26-20. Two free throws and a lay up from Katie Good gave Monte Vista its largest lead at 30-20 heading into the fourth quarter. The momentum was carried over to the final period with Charlotte Sedlock contributing a pair of baskets in a 6-0 run to open the 4th while limiting the Grizzlies to only a single point for over 12 minutes. With the deficit at 41-26, Cal made one final counter attack and managed to cut Monte Vista's lead to 45-36 but back to back steal by Erika Perez and resulting breakaway baskets effectively closed out the contest. This would be Erika's final game with the JV squad this season as she heads onto soccer national camp in southern California. Ms. Perez ended the evening with 6 points, 6 steals and 5 rebounds and left no doubt to her immense impact on this year's team. Taylor Partin led Monte Vista with 8 points while Dana Outcalt, Katie Good and Charlotte Sedlock all contributed 6. The JV now stands at 11-1 in EBAL and an impressive 22-2 for the season. Next up is Tuesday at home against Livermore.
Scary Moment...
February 8, 2011 —
With less than five minutes left in the game and Monte Vista finally had the game comfortably in hand with a 48-34 lead, captain Kaylie Williams took a nasty fall while going for an offensive rebound striking the right side of her head on the floor. For a frightening several minutes, spectators and teammates held their breath while Kaylie remained on the floor holding her head in pain. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief when she was able to walk to the bench and appeared to be fine other than an obvious large lump on her forehead...Prior to her injury, Ms. Williams was having one of her finest games of the season with 21 points, 12 rebounds and 4 steals plus an assist and no turnover !
Monte Vista (Varsity) 48 - Foothill 39
February 8, 2011 —
In a virtual must win game after a bitter loss at Granada last Friday, coach Hirschman saw his team held scoreless for nearly 4 minutes and fell behind 7-0 to open the first quarter. Monte Vista was behind 10-3 when they put together a 10-0 run off the strength of 6 points from Kaylie Williams to take a 13-10 lead. A second three point basket by Megan Clark, however, tied the game at 13-13 at the first period break. The second quarter was a tight battle with neither team able to establish control. MV held a slim 17-16 advantage when Ms. Clark knocked down her third three to give the Falcons a 19-17 lead at the 6:00 minute mark. She would finish with 5 three's for the evening. A three point play from Sara Jensen ignited a 9-2 Monte Vista run to push the Mustangs up 26-20 but Clark's fourth trey of the first half with 4 seconds to go brought Foothill to within three at 26-23 at halftime. Early second half continued to be a seesaw affair. Foothill knotted the game at 26-26 and went briefly ahead 28-27. The game was tied at 30-30 with 4:30 left in the third when Kaylie Williams powered in three inside baskets along with a couple of free throws as well as a three pointer from Angela Rigo to propel Monte Vista to their largest lead at 41-32 at the end of three periods. The advantage was pushed to 48-34 less than four minutes into the final quarter and the visitors was able to coast home from for their 15th win of the year and reclaims sole possession of 2nd place in EBAL at 7-4.
Monte Vista (JV) 38 - Foothill 28
February 8, 2011 —
In a critical must win game for Monte Vista to keep their EBAL title hopes alive, the Lady Mustangs invaded the Foothill gym to face the Falcons for the third time this season. In their previous two meetings, MV had won both with each game coming down to the final seconds. Foothill had only lost to Monte Vista and Carondelet and if they could knock off the Mustangs in this game and then defeat Carondelet later in the week they would win the league title. Featuring a high-scoring offense with sharp-shooting guards and big inside post players, the Falcons jumped out to an early 8-2 lead before the Mustang defense stiffened and MV fought back to be down 8-6 at the end of the first quarter. The second quarter was one of MV's finest of the year as the defense slammed the door allowing just 2 points and guard Taylor Partin took over on the offense as she knocked down 2 three pointers and scored 8 of MV's 12 points in the quarter as the team took a 18-10 lead into the locker room. The third quarter saw Foothill battle back as they spread the floor to allow their quick guards to isolate on a single defender and drive to the basket as they cut the deficit to 5 to start the 4th quarter. The final quarter began with Monte Vista forcing turnovers as cat-quick Erika Perez swiped a pair of passes and fed power forward Lilly Wissinger to extend the lead out of the danger zone. Knocking down their free throws in the final minutes, the Lady Mustangs ended with a 10 point victory holding the 19-4 Falcons to their lowest point total of the season. Taylor Partin led MV in scoring with 13 points while Lilly Wissinger had a season-high 9 to go along with 5 rebounds. Erika Perez led the team in steals with 4 and assists with 3 while scoring 4 points and center Dana Outcalt led the teams in rebounds with 7. Monte Vista raises it's record to 21-2 and next faces Cal High at Monte Vista on Friday.
Going down Memory Lane
Monte Vista (JV) 43 - Granada 37
February 4, 2011 —
Based on the 36 point margin of victory at Monte Vista last month, this game should be a cake walk for the 19-2 Mustangs. But game outcomes are not always easy to predict based on past performances. Tonight's contest is a prime example of Monte Vista perhaps looking past the Matadors to next week's showdown with Foothill. Except for the first game against Carondolet, this is the only time this season MV trailed in all of the first three quarters. Instead of bolting out of the gate with a huge lead like the last contest, Monte Vista allowed the Matadors to seize a 9-2 lead and had to fight the entire evening to climb out of the hole. Behind 11-7 in the second period, MV ran off 8 straight points to take a 15-11 advantage and appeared on the verge of blowing the game wide open when inexplicably, the team went ice cold offensively and defensively allowing the host squad to stage a 8-0 run of their own to trail 19-15 at the half. Monte Vista went 0-7 in the stretch and appeared baffled by Granada's zone defense. Granada scored first in the second half to take their largest lead at 21-15. Monte Vista continued to miss from both the inside and outside and trailed 25-20 into the final minute of the third quarter when they converted back to back baskets the last one by Lily Wissinger with 7 seconds left on the clock to trail 25-24 going into the final period. Then Taylor Partin put on perhaps the finest individual performance this season in a quarter by knocking down 12 points in less than three minutes including a pair of three pointers, a mid range jumper, a reverse lay up plus two free throws sandwiching another three point basket from Jade Montes to propel the visitors to a 43-29 lead from which they coasted home without being threatened again. Taylor finished with a season high of 16 points while Dana Outcalt and Lily Wissinger each contributed 7 points. Erika Perez led the team with 7 steals along with 6 rebounds and Olivia Romero added 4 points and 3 boards.
Monte Vista JV now officially returned to 20 wins at 20-2 after 15 and 19 wins the last two seasons. The team has a chance to finish 24-2 which would trail only the 2006-07 and 2007-08 JV squad both of which finished 25-1 for all time honor. The 2005-06 team was 23-3.
Granada (Varsity) 46 - Monte Vista 42
February 4, 2011 —
The Matadors took advantage of Monte Vista's poor free throw and outside shooting to hand the visitors their fourth league loss of the season, the most in seven years. The victory also avenged a 15 point defeat earlier in the season. The game was close in the first half with neither side able to establish a significant lead. Granada, however, led most of the contest except for a stretch in the third quarter when Monte Vista took a short lived 27-22 lead giving way quickly to a one point deficit off two back to back three pointers by the host team. Trailing by as many as 6 points in the fourth quarter, MV was able to cut the deficit to 2 at 44-42 after a basket by Taylor Fazio with just over a minute to go but could get no closer as Granada went 2 for 2 from the line in the closing seconds to seal the win. Nicole Oliviera led Monte Vista with 12 points and Kaylie Williams added 11 along with 6 rebounds, 3 assists and 4 steals. Alyssa Samia was held to only 5 points but did grabbed 8 rebounds and handed out 5 assists and collected 3 steals. Sara Jensen had her best offensive outing in over a month with 6 points. The team, however, was only 5 of 11 from the line which was the difference in the contest. With the loss, the Lady Mustangs drops to 14-7 for the year and 6-4 in EBAL.
Monte Vista (Varsity) 48 - Amador Valley 31
February 1, 2011 —
As the season winds down, no game is easy and none can be taken for granted. Amador Valley currents ties for last place in EBAL but clearly wasn't about to just hand over a victory to the host team. The Dons jumped out to a 4-0 lead off three quick Monte Vista turnovers before the Lady Mustangs woke up ultimately taking a tough fought 10-8 lead after one period. MV charged out in the second period to go ahead 15-8 and 17-10 with Madi Burroughs scoring all 5 of her points including a sweet three point play but had to settle for a slim 19-16 lead at intermission when Amador Valley drained a three pointer to close out the quarter. Unhappy with the first half, coach Ron Hirschman brought out a different starting line up with Jen Casper, Jasmine Dilworth, Miranda Bidwell, Rachel Tagle and Madi Burroughs and promptly opened up a 10 point lead at 27-17. The visitors, however, managed to trim the deficit to 27-23 half way through the 3rd quarter but that was the closest Amador Valley was going to get as Monte Vista peeled off three straight baskets two by Kaylie Williams sandwiched by a lay up from Alyssa Samia to re-establish a 10 point lead at the end of the third period at 33-23. The final period was all Monte Vista's with Kaylie Williams knocking down a three, Miranda Bidwell putting back a missed lay up and Jasmine Dilworth grabbing an offensive rebound and powered through a basket to close out the stubborn visitors. Balanced scoring was the theme of the evening with Kaylie Williams leading MV with 9 points and 6 rebounds followed by Taylor Fazio who had 7 points, 7 rebounds, 3 blocks and 2 steals. Miranda Bidwell had a season high 7 points including her first three point basket of the season while Nicole Oliviera and Alyssa Samia both had 6 and Jasmine Dilworth added 4. Jen Casper had her longest outing on the court this season and played a solid game finishing with 5 rebounds and a basket. Monte Vista is now 14-6 for the season and 6-3 in EBAL looking forward to visiting Granada on Friday.
Monte Vista (JV) 59 - Amador Valley 24
February 1, 2011 —
This was typically a let down game after the big win against Carondolet but the Lady Mustangs pounded on Amador Valley from the tip off building up a 17-3 lead after one quarter and never looked back. Virtually everyone got into the scoring column led by Taylor Partin with 13, Callie Starn with 9, Lily Wissinger with 7, Bridget Haus with 6, Nikki Sell, Olivia Romero and Elyce Bayat each with 4. Three other players each had 2 points. The JV squad improves to 19-2 for the season and 8-1 in EBAL play.
Monte Vista (JV) 50 - Carondolet 41
January 28, 2011 —
In a battle of the two leading teams in EBAL, the 17-2 Lady Mustangs invaded the De La Salle Gym to avenge their earlier defeat to the 20-1 Carondelet Cougars. Unlike the first contest at Monte Vista, this time the Mustangs jumped out to an early lead but the Cougars battled back with a full court press and three inside players all taller than the tallest that MV had to offer to close the gap to 2 at the end of the first quarter. The second half saw 7 lead changes as the Carondelet gambling press either produced turnovers or gave up easy layups to the MV guards. Carondelet scored last in the first half and went into the locker room with a 23-22 lead. In the 3rd quarter the Cougars' outside shots started to fall in and they built a 7 point lead at one point and finished the quarter leading 35-30. Faced with a daunting task of mounting a 4th quarter comeback in a crowded hostile gym against one of the best teams in northern California, the Lady Mustangs rose to the challenge and with a lock down defense and total control of the boards against the taller Cougars finally caught Carondelet at 41-41 with four minutes to go on a sweet 15 footer by guard Taylor Partin. After forward Lilly Wissinger muscled in a shot from under the basket off an offensive rebound and center Dana Outcalt stole the inbound pass after the Carondelet timeout, the Cougars had to resort to fouling when they were down by four with about a minute to go. The Mustangs hit six more from the charity stripe and never gave up another point to finish a spectacular 20-6 fourth quarter blowout to shock the stunned home crowd as forward Charlotte Sedlock swished in the 50th point on a perfect free throw. There were plenty of heroes for Monte Vista as power forward Lilly Wissinger had her best game yet with 9 points and 7 rebounds - much of her production came in the pressure-packed 4th quarter, Dana Outcalt had an amazing 15 rebounds against larger Cougars, almost half the Mustang points came from guards Angelyn Brown who led all scorers with 12 and Jade Montes who tallied 10 as they both beat the press for numerous layups and then sank their free throws in crunch time, guard Erika Perez swiped seven balls and dished out a team high five assists, guard Nikki Sells came off the bench to hit a big 12 foot jumper in the 3rd quarter that stopped the Carondelet run that was threatening to break the game open, and Taylor was all over the court as she finished with five rebounds, four steals and dropped in 9 points as well. Coach Cornell calls this one of the three greatest wins he has had as a coach and this positions the 18-2 Monte Vista JV squad in the driver's seat in the race for the EBAL title.
Carondolet (Varsity) 72 - Monte Vista 36
January 28, 2011 —
To compete with Carondolet, Monte Vista would have to play air tight defense, limit turnovers and have a big offensive night. Failing any of the three usually means a defeat. Failing all three would be recipe of a dreaded rout. The Lady Mustangs could not come close to duplicating the JV squad's accomplishment. As a matter of fact, they played one of their collective weakest games of the season and the result was a blow out in the hands of one of the best teams in northern California. With the score at 6-4 in the first quarter, MV made six consecutive turnovers over a 2 minute span to trail 12-4. That was just the beginning of a long night during which Monte Vista made a total of 40 TO's, none more disconcerting than a 16-2 run by the Cougars in the beginning of the third period all via steals and lay ups. A 38-22 half time deficit suddenly became 54-24 and the contest officially became a game for the bench players...
Monte Vista (Varsity) 52 - San Ramon Valley 28
San Ramon Valley converted 11 three pointers last Friday to shock a high flying Cal team three days after Cal upset Monte Vista at home. Suddenly, beating SRV took on a whole new challenge. The game started with teams trading baskets but back to back three point basket by Hunter gave SRV an 11-7 lead. Taylor Fazio, however, had a pair of quick inside baskets to tie the game and the host Monte Vista managed to hang onto a slim 13-12 advantage after one period. The game was at 15-14 in the second quarter when Angela Rigo, who has been shooting the ball well, nailed three consecutive three pointers two from the right wing and one from the right corner to push the lady Mustang up by 10 at 24-14 and eventually a 28-18 lead at the half. The defense took over in the third quarter limiting San Ramon Valley to 1 of 10 shooting and only one basket for the period while scoring 16, six of which came from Kaylie Williams off offensive rebounds. Ms. Williams finished with 14 points, 11 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals. Angela Rigo led all scorers with a career high 18 points to go with 3 assists and 5 rebounds.. For the game, Monte Vista out rebounded San Ramon Valley 43-23. With the win, the lady Mustangs moves into sole possession of 2nd place in EBAL at 5-2 and 13-5 overall. Carondolet now looms on the horizon for a Friday contest in Concord.
Monte Vista (JV) 44 - San Ramon Valley 31
The Lady Mustangs opened the game with a 9-0 run versus their crosstown rivals and never were seriously challenged in this game. Leading 31-18 at halftime, Monte Vista built the lead to 40-20 early in the 3rd quarter when Coach Cornell pulled his starters for the rest of the game as the super subs played tenacious defense, especially in the 4th quarter when they limited SRV to no baskets from the floor as the Wolves tallied their only points with free throws. Jade Montes and Taylor Partin were in the groove with the longball as both nailed three pointers and jumpshots early in the contest to lead the scoring with 11 and 7 points respectively. Forward Olivia Romero heated up faster than a microwave, just as she did in the Foothill game last week, as she poured in 5 points over a span of a few minutes. Power forward Bridget Haus lead the team with 6 rebounds, while center Katie Good cleaned up collecting 5 boards, and guard Angelyn Brown wiggled her way through the trees to also grab 5 rebounds while dishing out a team leading 3 assists for the game.
Monte Vista (JV) 60 - Livermore 27
January 21, 2011 —
Playing for the first time since a season ending 21 point loss last year to the Livermore JV, the Lady Mustangs expected a tough game considering the Cowgirls had reached the semi-finals of all their pre-season tournaments. It was not to be the case as MV blew the game wide open in the first quarter as they rang up a 20-6 lead. With a 24 point lead at halftime, Monte Vista put the game on cruise control in the second half as they posted their highest point total of the year to beat the Cowgirls by 33 points. Scoring leaders were center Dana Outcalt with 12, power forward Bridget Haus had a season-high 11, guard Jade Montes added 9, and guard Taylor Partin with 8. Dana had 8 rebounds, Bridget collected 6, and guard Angelyn Brown grabbed six boards while also leading the team in steals with 5. Guard Erika Perez was her usual ballhawk self, but also led the team in assists with 5 as her pinpoint passing threaded the Livermore defense all night. A season record 12 Mustangs scored in the game as Monte Vista raised their record to 16-2 for the season and 5-1 in EBAL.
Monte Vista (Varsity) 56 - Livermore 38
January 21, 2011 —
Three days after arguably one of the most difficult losses of the season, Monte Vista turned in perhaps their best performance of the year by coming into Livermore and handing the Cowboys a rare home loss. More importantly, the Mustangs erased the dismal rebounding performance against Cal High by thoroughly dominated Livermore in the paint. MV raced out to a quick 6-1 and 17-11 first quarter lead. Nicole Oliviera was 4 of 5 in the period hitting jumpers from all over the court. The lead was expanded to 28-19 at the half but Livermore quickly trimmed their deficit to 28-23 with a pair of baskets off Monte Vista's turnovers the first minutes of the third quarter. Alyssa Samia countered with a basket and two free throws to give MV back a 9 point lead at 32-23 but a three pointer by the Cowboys cut the lead to 32-26. That, however, was as close as the host team was going to come in the half as Monte Vista would reel off 8 straight points to build a commanding 40-26 advantage. Taylor Fazio had back to back baskets in the run including a high low assist lay up from Kaylie Williams and an offensive rebound and put back. The lead was pushed up to 48-30 and later 53-33 in the fourth period as MV controlled both ends of the board led by Alyssa Samia who had a season high 14 rebounds - 8 from the offensive side and 19 points including her first career three point basket. Kaylie Williams added 10 boards along with 6 points while Taylor Fazio contributed to the rebound dominance with 7. The game could not have gone so smooth without the quickness and ball handling skills of sophomore point guard Angela Rigo who is rapidly developing into the field general coach Hirschman had envisioned. Ms. Rigo neutralized the Cowboys trapping defense and disrupted their offense with 4 steals. To boot, she scored 9 points and handed out 5 assists none more pretty than in the fourth period when she penetrated the paint, drew three defenders and deftly flipped the ball to a wide open Taylor for a easy lay up that almost brought down the house. With the win, Monte Vista improves to 12-5 for the year and 4-2 in EBAL tying Livermore for 2nd place.
Monte Vista (JV) 46 - Cal 33
January 18, 2011 —
The Grizzlies by all accounts should not present a serious challenge to the Lady Mustangs. They do not have great size nor possess great speed. They lost to Foothill and Amador Valley which Monte Vista beat, the latter very handily. But Cal High came to the game with intensity while Monte Vista played with indifference. The result is a very close contest - perhaps too close for comfort. MV led 7-2 and 10-4 but the game was tied 11-11 after a 7-1 Cal run. Monte Vista went back on top 15-11 but a 7-2 run by the host team gave Cal an 18-17 lead. Only a basket in the final seconds gave Monte Vista a slim 19-18 lead heading into the locker room. Teams exchanged baskets three times early in the third period with MV continued to hold onto a single point lead at 25-24. The visitors, however, exploded for 11 unanswered points late in the third quarter to seize a 36-24 lead only to see Cal created their own 9 point run trimming Monte Vista's lead to merely 3 at 36-33. Coach Cornell rotated back in the starters and Cal never scored again while MV reel off 10 straight points capped by a jumper from Nicki Sell. With the win, the JV squad improves to 15-2.
Cal 48 - Monte Vista (Varsity) 47
January 18, 2011 —
Other than Carondolet, the only EBAL team Monte Vista lost to the last three years was Cal high this past season. The loss was due primarily to a match up issue with their inside players. The same Cal players presented an identical problem this evening with another dominating performance on the offensive board giving the Grizzlies multiple second and third chance baskets. The game began in ominous fashion with MV turning the ball over on their first three possessions. They trailed 4-0 before even able to get off their first shot. The first half, however, was a tight contest with a total of 8 lead changes ending with Monte Vista ahead 19-18. The first 4 minutes of the third quarter was a similar affair. the game was tied at 30-30 when MV went on an 8-0 run to lead 38-30. California responded with 12 consecutive points including a pair of three's to go up 42-38 at the end of the third period. The final quarter was a defensive struggle with both teams committing numerous turnover. The Grizzlies knocked down a crucial three point basket when the game was knotted at 42-42. Rachel Tagle basket from the left corner was ruled a long two and MV trailed by a point at 45-44. Two turnovers by Monte Vista foiled any chance of over taking Cal and the team had to resort to fouling in the final seconds ultimately giving Cal a unsurmountable 48-44 lead. A desperation three from the corner by Nicole Oliviera at the buzzer gave the final score.
Monte Vista (JV) 38 - Foothill 33
January 14, 2011 —
The last time these two teams met was at the championship game of the Mission San Jose Tournament and that was a seesaw battle that was not decided till the final two minute of the contest. Foothill came into town this evening with revenge in mind and jumped ahead 9-7 after one period. Monte Vista, however, had a dominating 2nd period when they out scored the Falcons decisively 13-5 to lead 20-14 going into the half. Olivia Romero had her best game of the season scoring 6 of her 8 points in the first half. Foothill emerged in the second half with new found vigor cutting the deficit in half with an early long three pointer followed by a MV turnover and easy lay up to trail only 20-19. The teams traded baskets most of the third quarter. With Monte Vista up by only 1 at 26-25, center Dana Outcalt was hit in the eye and had to come out of the game. Back up center Katie Good came in and quickly scored a pair of baskets to help MV re-establish a 7 point lead at 32-25. Another three point basket by the Falcons trimmed MV's lead to 32-28 in the fourth but Jade Montes scored on a drive up the middle to push Monte Vista up by 6. In the final 2 minutes, Foothill had to resort to fouling, a tactic that would have worked as the Lady Mustangs had not been a strong free throw shooting squad this season. Friday, however, was a different story as Jade Montes hit both her shots in the fourth and Taylor Partin was 7 of 8 from the line to lead all scorers with 11 as Monte Vista was able to hold off the usually potent Foothill to win by a final score of 38-33. The JV team improves to 14-2 and 3-1 in EBAL. Dana Outcalt, who sat out the 4th quarter, led the team in rebound with 12 along with 3 assists.
Monte Vista (Varsity) 58 - Foothill 36
January 14, 2011 —
Foothill's Madison Craig lit up Cal High for 36 points earlier in the week and coach Hirschman made it a mission to not allow that to happen to Monte Vista. MV switched
from their favorite "Blizzard" to man defense and rotated Angela Rigo, Rachel Tagle and Nicole Oliviera on a 'do not allow to get open' assignment on #2 Craig.
Denying the ball to their star player disrupted Foothill's offensive scheme resulting in the Falcons only scoring 11 point for the first half. Ms. Craig had to expend enormous energy just to get her hands on the basketball ultimately affecting her shooting. She ended up hitting a season low 7 point for the contest. Monte Vista jumped out to a 16-4 lead and was ahead 20-6 after one period. After a short lull, the Lady Mustangs was able to push the lead to 21 at the half at 32-11 after a 12-1 run to close out the second quarter primarily on the strength of inside scoring that Foothill had great difficulty defending. The Falcons switched to full court pressure in the third period to create turnovers and managed to trim the deficit to 38-26 4 minutes into the second half. Monte Vista, however, was able to quickly right the ship on a 15-3 run to put the game effectively out of reach at 53-29 by the middle of the fourth quarter. Kaylie Williams had one of her best games this season with 16 points and 14 rebounds while front court mate Alyssa Samia broke out of her scoring slump by sinking 17 points to lead all scorers. Shooting guard Nicole Oliviera added 9 and Rachel Tagle 6. Monte Vista improves to 11-5 on the season and 3-1 in EBAL play. The team will play at Cal High's newly christened gymnasium Tuesday.
Monte Vista (Varsity) 45 - Granada 30
January 11, 2011 —
Tough defense by Monte Vista stymied Granada for much of the contest limiting the Matadors to single digit 1st, 2nd and 3rd quarter and a grand total of only 17 points after three periods. Granada's zone defense also created some offensive issues for Monte Vista although enough outside shooting from Rachel Tagle, Angela Rigo and Nicole Oliviera enabled the Lady Mustangs to maintain a comfortable lead and was not seriously threatened throughout the game. Captain Kaylie Williams was limited to only 5 points but grabbed a season high 14 rebounds. Sara Jensen led the team with 5 assists while Alyssa Samia handed out four. Angela Rigo was the only MV player with double digit scoring with 10 while Nicole Oliviera and Rachel Tagle each contributed 8. Monte Vista improves to 10-4 on the year and 2-1 in EBAL. Next up is Foothill at home on Friday.
Monte Vista (JV) 50 - Granada 16
January 11, 2011 —
The Lady Mustangs had their easiest game of the season as they rolled over the Granada High Matadors winning by a margin of 36 points that could have been much bigger. Coach Cornell used the opportunity to get everyone lots of playing time and tried a number of different combinations on the court. Scoring early and often, MV built a lead of 15-3 after the first quarter and then turned back a minor run by the Matadors in the 2nd quarter to take a 27-13 lead into the locker room at half time. The 3rd quarter was all Monte Vista as they scored 17 unanswered points and held Granada scoreless enroute to a 25-3 second half fueled by tenacious defense and dominating the boards over the smaller squad from Livermore that featured only one real rebounder - the rough and tumble burly #20 who was called for a technical for elbowing guard Justine Garvin in the mouth -- Justine calmly sank both free throws, the first technicals the team has shot this year. Center Katie Good continued her emergence as a strong presence in the paint as she tallied a season high 12 points leading all scorers and grabbed 5 rebounds as well as blocking two shots. Rounding out the top scorers were center/forward Dana Outcalt who had 8 points as did guard Taylor Partin which included knocking down two long 3 pointers. Forward Bridget Haus led the team in rebounding with 6 boards, guard Nikki Sells tied her season high with 6 points while dishing out a game high 3 assists and racking up three steals, and forward Charlotte Sedlock caused problems down low for Granada as she snared 4 rebounds and blocked a shot as well. Ten Mustang players scored, a high for the season, as the team ran it's record to 13-2 and will face rival Foothill on Friday in an EBAL game that is a rematch of the Mission San Jose Tournament Championship Game that saw MV prevail over the Falcons in one of their toughest games of the year.
Monte Vista (JV) 42 - Amador Valley 26
January 7, 2011 —
Intent on bouncing back from their first defeat in over a month, the Lady Mustangs traveled to Pleasanton to take on the Amador Valley Dons for the first time this season. The game was never in doubt as MV jumped up big early, never trailed, and cruised to a 15 point victory. The Mustang full court press produced lots of steals and easy buckets as guard Angelyn Brown and guard Erika Perez swiped 11 balls between them turning those thefts into 18 points through driving layups or sweet assists. The leading scorers were guard Jade Montes with 12 points, center Dana Outcalt with 10, forward Taylor Partin with 7, and Erika with 6. Center Katie Good had her best game of the season and unveiled a new level of ferociousness as she cleaned the boards and led both teams with 7 rebounds in the contest. Monte Vista is now 12-2 for the season and levels their record at 1-1 in league play.
Monte Vista (Varsity) 63 - Amador Valley 52
January 7, 2011 —
The game had the feel of an upset from the very beginning when host Amador Valley jumped out to an early 8-4 lead and carried to a 14-11 advantage at the end of the first period. The lead was extended to 19-13 and later 22-15 early in the second quarter mostly off the strength of four three point baskets - three by guard Tanoda who would finish with five treys and 17 points for the game. Monte Vista, however, was able to tighten the defense and chip away at the deficit primarily by working the ball inside to center Taylor Fazio who had 9 points at the half and finished with 13 for the game along with 8 rebounds and three block shots. MV finally went ahead for the very first time just before halftime 26-25 when Angela Rigo nailed a straight on three. First two minutes of the 3rd quarter was a seesaw affair and the teams were tied at 28-28 when Sara Jensen dropped in a three point basket from the left wing to push Monte Vista up 31-28 which in turn ignited a 23-5 run ending with MV ahead 54-33 from where they were able to cruise to their first EBAL win of the season. Rachel Tagle arguably had her best game of the season with 14 timely points including 3 of 3 from the line after being fouled while attempting a three point shot. Kaylie Williams and Nicole Oliviera each contributed 10 points with Kaylie adding11 rebounds and Nicole 5 assists. With the win, Monte Vista improves to 9-4 and will next played Granada at home on Tuesday.
Carondolet (JV) 52 - Monte Vista 48
January 4, 2011 —
Riding an 11 game winning streak the Lady Mustangs went up against a much bigger and undefeated Carondelet squad that was a battle from the start to the last seconds. Falling behind early as the Carondelet full court press resulted in several turnovers and easy baskets for the Cougars, MV came storming back behind the three point shooting of sophomore guards Jade Montes and Taylor Partin to trail by just one at 29-28 at halftime. Without ballhawk Erika Perez in the second half and a cooling off of the outside shooting, Carondelet pushed their lead to 10 late in the third quarter and seemed to have the game in hand. But the 4th quarter belonged to Monte Vista and featured key scoring from the bench by forward Olivia Romero, guard Nikki Sells, and guard Callie Starnes -- and with 30 seconds left center Dana Outcalt hit a baseline jumper just inside the 3-Pt. line to close the gap to two at 50-48. Alas, MV was never able to get the ball back and Carondelet left victorious. Jade had a season high 19 points, Taylor added 7 points along with leading the team in steals with 5 and assists with 4, Dana scored 6 and led all rebounders with 13 boards while also blocking 5 shots, Callie Starnes had a big game as she scored 5 including three clutch free throws as a total of 9 MV players scored in the contest. The 11-2 Lady Mustangs will next face Amador Valley on Friday.
Carondolet (Varsity) 60 - Monte Vista 42
January 4, 2011 —
Coming off a last second 2 point loss to Long Beach Poly, nation's #2 ranked team by USA Today, Carondolet moved into town to open defense of their EBAL title. Armed with Stanford bound Erica Payne, northern California #1 ranked junior Hannah Huffman and freshman sensation Natalie Romeo, the Cougars proved to be a tough match up. Monte Vista, however, put up a spirited contest with an aggressive zone defense in spite of Carondolet's known outside shooting ability. The Cougars took a quick 5-0 lead but the first quarter turned out to be a close affair with Carondolet only holding a slim 15-13 advantage thanks to three point baskets by Nicole Oliviera and Kaylie Williams as well as a long bank shot by Taylor Fazio as the first quarter clock expired. The game stayed close in the second quarter with Monte Vista briefly taking a 19-18 lead only to fall behind by 6 at intermission including a buzzer beating three pointer from the visitors' Natalie Romeo. The third quarter was less kind to Monte Vista as the pressure full court defense by Carondolet finally caused breakdowns from Monte Vista's tired starters. A 12-0 run gave the Cougars a 21 point end of third quarter lead at 50-29 as Monte Vista struggled to put points on the board managing only a grand total of 5 points in the third segment. A strong finish by the second five of Monte Vista poduced the final score, which turned out to be a respectable outcome against a formidable foe.
Captain Kaylie Williams led the Lady Mustangs with 11 points and 8 rebounds and was the only MV player with double digit scoring. The 8-4 Monte Vista will next face Amador Valley.
Newark Memorial Tournament Championship Game: Monte Vista (JV) 45 - Castro Valley 43 OT
December 30, 2010 —
Monte Vista faced Castro Valley for a second time this season in the finale of the Newark Memorial Tournament and it was a much different squad than the one that fell to the Mustangs 38-19 in the Mission San Jose Tournament ten days ago. MV's biggest lead was six points late in the first quarter as they got off to a good start and were up 10-4 before Castro Valley scored two late layups in the quarter to cut the lead to 2 at the first intermission. This was the story of the game as Monte Vista couldn't shake the Warriors as the Lady Mustangs held leads of 2 points again at halftime and 4 points at the end of the 3rd quarter. Castro Valley finally took the lead and stretched it to 3 points at 36-33 late in the fourth quarter. With MV still down by two and with one last chance, a 15 foot bank shot by Erika Perez to tie the game with just 7 seconds left sent this championship contest into overtime. In the overtime period, Castro Valley scored early and took a 43-41 lead but free throws by Taylor Partin and Dana Outcalt evened the contest at 43 apiece. The game appeared to be in Castro Valley's hands as they were at the charity stripe with the game tied and very little time remaining, however they missed the free throws and Monte Vista hustled the ball down the court as Erika zipped a pass to Jade Montes at the top of the key who launched a buzzer-beater that found nothing but net as she was buried by celebrating teammates. Dana, playing with a thumb brace on her shooting hand, led all scorers with 15 points and had an astounding 25 rebounds, Jade added 10 points along with 4 steals and 4 assists, Bridget Haus had another big game as she netted 7 points and added 7 rebounds as well, Taylor was clutch in overtime as she scored 7, and Erika added 6 points - including a coast to coast driving layup in OT off a rebound - along with a season high 8 rebounds and 4 assists. Dana and guard Angelyn Brown (who was an assist-machine throughout the tournament) were named to the All-Tournament Team and Jade was selected as tournament MVP. Monte Vista has now won 11 straight and enters league play next week with an 11-1 record and two tournament championships.
Monte Vista (JV) 54 - Dougherty 43
December 29, 2010 —
The Lady Mustangs rolled to their 10th straight victory of the season as they knocked off Dougherty Valley in the semi-finals of the Newark Memorial Tournament today. It was a tale of two halves as MV came out smoking hot in the first half against a team with the biggest frontline they've faced all year. Behind the hot shooting of Jade Montes(8 baskets which included two three pointers), the pinpoint passing of Angelyn Brown, and the aggressive play on both ends by center Dana Outcalt (6 points, 3 blocks, and 3 steals before being lost for the rest of the game with a jammed thumb just 1 minute into the 2nd quarter) MV jumped to a 21 point lead at halftime going into the locker room with a score of 35-14. But this game was far from over as Dougherty Valley fought back in the second half against a depleted Mustang squad playing without Dana and still missing Erika Perez and center Katie Good by pounding it inside and employing a pressure defense that forced a season high 29 turnovers from MV. Valiant efforts by power forward Bridget Haus who ended with 7 points and 7 rebounds working in the tall timber in the second half, Jade's season high 18 points for the game, a key post-up bucket by Taylor Partin, and two clutch free throws from Nikki Sell thwarted the comeback and Monte Vista moved on to the finals. They will face Castro Valley at 1:30 tomorrow in the championship game.
Newark Memorial Tournament - Monte Vista (JV) 59 - Moreau 26
December 28, 2010 —
With a depleted holiday season roster down three players, even before guard Callie Starnes went out in the second quarter with an ankle injury, the Lady Mustangs opened the three-day Newark Memorial Tournament on Tuesday morning versus Moreau Catholic High School of Hayward. The smaller squad size had no effect on MV as they rolled to a 25-8 lead after the first quarter on the sharpshooting of Jade Montes and Taylor Partin. Moreau Catholic was never in it as MV built the lead each quarter to produce it's highest scoring game of the year. The offensive stalwarts of Jade Montes, Dana Outcalt, and Taylor Partin with 13, 12, and 7 points respectively contributed as expected, but guard/forward Elyce Bayat was the story of the game as she made quite the statement with 10 points - many off of great feeds from forward Bridget Haus - and a team leading 6 rebounds while guard Justine Garvin also had a big game with 5 points and 4 rebounds. Guard Angelyn Brown led the team in steals with 6 and assists with 4 setting up much of the early scoring. The team faces off at noon tomorrow for the first time against rival Dougherty Valley in the second round of the tournament.
Monte Vista (Varsity) 71 - Tennyson 38
December 29, 2010 —
Monte Vista rebounded after two tough losses to rout Tennyson in the 7th place game of the West Coast Jamboree. Nicole Oliviera broke out of her scoring slump with 15 points while captain Kaylie Williams added 12. MV jumped out to a 10 point lead after one quarter but Tennyson held its ground in the 2nd quarter and at one point in the third quarter was only down 8 before the Mustangs went on a run to open up a 27 point lead to end the segment. Jen Casper had a season high 5 points while freshman Lilly Wissinger had 4. Starting guard Rachel Tagle had another solid game including contributing 9 points. The 8-3 Monte Vista now has the unenviable task of facing national powerhouse Carondolet at home to open the EBAL season.
Montgomery 45 - Monte Vista (Varsity) 43
December 28, 2010 —
Bradshaw Christian 56 - Monte Vista (Varsity) 40
December 27, 2010 —
A two week lay off and a 10 am start showed as Monte Vista suffered its biggest loss of the season to D-5 power Bradshaw Christian at the opening round of the West Coast Jamboree. MV has no answer for the inside presence of UC Davis bound Lauren Beyer and Vanguard University bound Jordie Smith each accounted for 12 points. The back court department also had trouble with the quick point guard Jasmine Jones who led all scorers with 18 including four three pointers. Monte Vista did not help themselves hitting only 3 of 11 from the free throw line. No one from the Lady Mustangs had more than 6 points. MV will face Montgomery at 2:30 tomorrow at Las Positas College.
Oh, What A Night ! Monte Vista (JV) 47 - Foothill 42
December 23, 2010 —
Monte Vista capped a fabulous tournament with a hard fought victory over EBAL rival Foothill to win its first tournament of the season. The highly anticipated game lived up to the hype with the two evenly matched teams each had its moments resulting in 10 lead changes and the final outcome not settled till the final 3 minutes of the contest. With 5 seconds left in the first quarter, Foothill drained a 3 pointer from the deep left corner on a set play to turn an 8-9 deficit into an 11-9 lead. The second quarter started in Monte Vista's favor with the Lady Mustangs out scoring the Falcons 7-1 including a three point basket from Jade Montes from the left wing to lead 16-12. Foothill, however, countered with their own mini 6-0 to re-take the lead at 18-16 and later 21-20 and ultimately 25-23 at the half. Monte Vista had opportunities to tie the game or take the lead but was 0-4 from the line in the final minute of the first half. The second half was much the same with the game deadlocked at 27-27 when Monte Vista used a 7-2 run to take its largest lead of the contest at 34-29 only to see Foothill took advantage of a pair of untimely turnovers to trail only 34-33 after three quarters. MV rebuilt its lead to 37-33 but the Falcons again tied it at 37-37 half way through the final segment. The tide finally turned for good in Monte Vista's favor when Dana Outcalt snatched an offensive rebound off a missed jumper from Bridget Haus and the possession ended with Erika Perez shaking off two defenders at the baseline for a lay in. This was followed by a pair of sorely needed made free throws from Nikki Sell and another driving lay-up from Erika Perez. The Falcons finally showed a crack in its armor in the waning minutes making three turnovers in four successive possessions handing Monte Vista an insurmountable 47-39 lead with 45 seconds left on the clock. A Foothill three pointer accounted for the final score of 47-42. Jade Montes finished with 12 points and was deservedly named Tournament MVP for outstanding all round play throughout the tournament. Taylor Partin who had 13 points along with 8 rebounds and Dana Outcalt who scored 8 points and grabbed 8 rebounds were both named to the All Tournament team. Captain Angelyn Brown was given the Sportsmanship award. The fifth starter Erika Perez had another truly outstanding game with a dozen of steals and deflections combined with 7 points which included the pair of critical driving baskets that essentially sealed the win for Monte Vista. The team is now 8-1 and looks forward to next week's Newark Memorial HS Tournament when they will open up against a good Moreau Catholic squad.
Monte Vista (JV) 51 - Mission San Jose 33
December 22, 2010 —
Since the inception of the MSJ tournament in 2007, the host team has won the championship each year. Coach Steve Cornell and Pat Nivens knew going in that this would be a tough semifinal contest given the traditional strength of the host team and clear home court advantage. The players, however, would have nothing of that racing out the gate with a fierce trapping defense and jumping ahead of the Warriors quickly by a score of 14-2. A three point basket by MSJ cut the lead to 14-5 and the teams traded baskets in the final minutes of the first quarter with Monte Vista holding an 18-10 lead. With 1st quarter time running down, guard Nikki Sell intercepted a pass, took a dribble and swished a long three point shot at the buzzer to hand the visitors a stunning 21-10 advantage that no one envisioned. Monte Vista kept the pressure on Mission San Jose in the second quarter and at one point led by 15 but a buzzer beating lay up by the host team's 6' 2" center trimming their halftime deficit to 11 at 30-19. The second half gave the defending champion and host little to celebrate as MV managed to build on several occasions an 18 points lead. Each time Mission attempted a rally with a three pointer, MV would respond with a like three point basket. Jade Montes was particularly lethal knocking down a couple of critical three's and a long two from the corners to lead all scorers with 12 points along with handling the ball and pressuring the opposing guards on defense. In the absence of a true center, Dana Outcalt had to heroically anchor the post position against not only an aggressive MSJ front line but their big center. Ms. Outcalt collected 9 points for her effort along with a bruised elbow and knee... To add depth to the paint, Taylor Partin was moved from the point position to forward where she displayed strength and rebounding ability possibly even to her own surprise. Taylor finished with 8 points for the evening. Captain Angelyn Brown continues to play well defensively but now accompanied by her improved offense scoring 8 points for the second consecutive evening. Of course, there is the ubiquitous Erika Perez who continues to amaze the coaches with her ability to cause turnovers either by direct steals or deflected passes. Her presence on the court alone created headaches for the opponents without even taking into consideration her scoring ability (6 points tonight.) With the victory, Monte Vista (7-1 has moved into the championship game tomorrow evening against a very good FOOTHILL squad.
Monte Vista (JV) 38 - Castro Valley 19
December 21, 2010 —
Taylor Partin hit a 15 foot jump shot off the first possession of the game followed by a three pointer from the right wing the next trip down and the rout was on. Monte Vista took a 12-2 first quarter lead, building it to 23-7 at the half on hot shooting and tough defense. The Trojans showed first signs of life at the beginning of the third quarter scoring the first 5 points of the half trimming MV's lead to 23-12 but that was as close as Castro Valley was going to get as Monte Vista ran off 6 straight points 4 of which came from captain Angelyn Brown who had another excellent game finishing with 8 for the evening. Taylor Partin led all scorers with 9 while Dana Outcalt added 7 along with 10 rebounds. Erica Perez contributed her usual hounding defense and 4 points. With its sixth straight victory, Monte Vista JV improves to 6-1 and moves into the tournament semifinals tomorrow against the winner of host Mission San Jose and Amador Valley.
Please Remember Varsity Game Wednesday Against Dublin Is At Monte Vista @6:00 pm !
December 19, 2010 —
Monte Vista (JV) 51 - Mills 32
December 20, 2010 —
Monte Vista jumped out to a 9-0 lead and never trailed in the opening game of the 16 team Mission San Jose Tournament as they built a 25-14 halftime lead against a scrappy Mills High squad that resulted in a rare negative turnover ratio for the Mustangs for the game (-10). MV turned up the offense and cruised in the second half as they added another 27 points on way to their highest offensive total of the year. A spectacular run of 8 straight points by power forward Bridget Haus mid-way through the 3rd quarter put away the Vikings for good. Center/forward Dana Outcalt led the team in scoring with 10 points and added 11 rebounds for another double-double, Bridget had a breakout game as she totaled 8 points and 7 rebounds and tied for the team lead in assists (4) and steals (3) for the game, the guard combo of Jade Montes and captain Angelyn Brown were highly productive as Jade poured in 8 points and Angelyn scored 5 while adding 4 assists and 3 steals, freshman guard Nikki Sells came off the bench to set personal season highs with 6 points and 4 rebounds, and forward Taylor Partin added six points as well. Erika Perez continued her thieving ways as she tied for the team lead with 3 steals. The 5-1 JV advance to round two of the tournament and will face Castro Valley on Tuesday night at 6 P.M.
Monte Vista (JV) 45 - Pittsburg 27
December 15, 2010 —
The last time Monte Vista played Pittsburg was three weeks ago at the Castlemont Tournament when the game was held in a cramped, dim gymnasium. This time, the game was played at the brand new, brightly lit, cavernous Pittsburg main gym which has a seating capacity of close to 3000. The outcome of the contest, however, remained the same as MV fought off the pesky Pirates to pull away in the fourth quarter for a relatively comfortable 18 points victory. The Lady Mustangs jumped off to a quick start to lead 14-7 after one quarter. Pittsburg kept the game within reach in the 2nd and 3rd quarter and trailed only 32-23 when MV ran off 8 straight points to start the 4th quarter and never looked back. Center/forward Dana Outcalt had a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds while guard Jade Montes re-acquired her scoring touch from last year to turn in a season best 12 points tying Dana for team high. Erika Perez had her hands literally in everything scoring 9 points along with 13 steals. The team recorded an astounding 41 steals for the game to offset the quicker host squad. Elyce Bayat knocked down a couple of pull-up jumpers in the second half and Nikki Sell converted a couple of turnovers into easy lay up baskets in the fourth quarter to help Monte Vista build the final margin. The 4-1 JV will play next week in the Mission San Jose Tournament.
Monte Vista (Varsity) 59 - Pittsburg 51
December 15, 2010 —
This was the first time since last season's West Coast Jamboree that Monte Vista played without starting center Alyssa Samia. Given the depth of the front line, coach Hirschman figured the Lady Mustangs should manage for one game. Everything went according to script until Kaylie Williams picked up her 4th and Taylor Fazio her 3rd personal foul in the 3rd quarter...Until that point, Pittsburg had not been within 12 points most of the contest and trailed by 16 on a couple of occasions each after freshman guard Rachel Tagle had knocked down a three. With Alyssa out, Jasmin with limited availability and both Kaylie and Taylor in foul trouble and on the bench, MV had to play with three guards and front court rotation of Sarah Jensen, Miranda Bidwell and Jen Casper. The group managed to keep a 10 point advantage for Monte Vista entering the final quarter but things started getting interesting when the Pirates started to apply full and half court pressure forcing some turnovers but mostly hurried shots. Twice Pittsburg cut the lead to 7 off three pointers and with less than three minutes left in the game, they trimmed their deficit to 6 at 50-44. But that was as close as the host team would get as Taylor Fazio closed the game out with a pair of baskets and two free throws finishing with a season high 14 points along with 13 rebounds. Kaylie Williams led the team with 15 points in spite of playing with 4 fouls most of the second half. Sara Jensen, who had to move from small forward to power forward and center proved her value by collecting 9 rebounds plus handing out 4 assists along with 6 points. Rachel Tagle finished with 9 points including a pair of three's. With the win, Monte Vista improves to 7-1 and will be off till next week when Dublin Gaels come to town.
Monte Vista (Varsity) 58 - Washington SF 38
December 11, 2010 —
George Washington HS from San Francisco presents a different challenge for Monte Vista. Primarily asian, the team is small but quick and aggressive to the ball. The game was close in the first quarter with Washington ahead at 5-4 and 7-6 but a three pointer from Angela Rego from the left wing and basket from Alyssa Samia gave MV a 10-7 lead at the end of the first quarter. Coach Ron Hirschman was determined to take advantage of the size mismatch and relentlessly pounded the ball into the paint. Center Alyssa Samia responded by scoring a career high 23 points including 8 inside baskets and 10 trips to the line along with 4 steals and 4 thunderous blocks. Washington emerged from the locker room with full court pressure forcing several early turnovers and trimming a 27-14 halftime deficit to 9 at 27-18. Monte Vista responded with 6 straight points including a fade away three from senior Nicole Oliviera who was bothered by the flu to seize a commanding 15 point advantage and Washington was never able to get closer than that margin. Captain Kaylie Williams was held to 2 points but pulled down a team leading 9 rebounds and dished out 5 assists along with an armful of scratches from the pesky defenders. Point guard Angela Rego continues her strong aggressive play on both ends of the court and Miranda Bidwell had her most productive game this season with 6 points. Monte Vista improves to 6-1 on the year and will next play at Pittsburg on Wednesday.
Moreau Catholic 44 - Monte Vista 42 (OT)
December 10, 2010 —
The team suffered its first loss of the season in heart breaking fashion in the semifinal game of the Terra Nova Tiger Tournament. Monte Vista trailed from the very start and managed only 12 point at the half to fall behind by 8 at 20-12. MV still trailed by 8 after three quarters when they mounted a furious rally to gain the lead at 37-35 with less than a minute left in regulation. Poor free throwing shooting and a critical turnover allowed the Mariners to tie and send the game into overtime. Monte Vista was playing for the win at 42-42 when another critical turnover gave the ball to Moreau Catholic with seconds left on the clock who scored on a running floater to gain the right to play in the championship game. Monte Vista will face Washington HS of San Francisco in the third place game.
Monte Vista (Varsity) 39 - Castilleja 24
December 9, 2010 —
Monte Vista improves to 5-0 by taking down last season's Division V power and Norcal Finalist Castilleja School employing mostly man to man defense including guard Rachel Tagle using her toughness against Castilleja's high scoring 6' center vonKapller who accounted for 19 of her team's 24 points including 7 in the first quarter and 13 at the half. MV never trailed in the contest and was ahead by 8 at 23-15 at the intermission then building the lead to 31-17 after three quarters by limiting Castilleja to only one basket. Nicole Oliviera led the Lady Mustangs with 10 points with Kaylie Williams adding 8. Alyssa Samia and Angela Rego both contributed 7 points in the win. The Lady Mustangs will face HAAL powerhouse Moreau Catholic in the semifinal tomorrow at 6:00 pm.
Monte Vista (JV) 39 - Rodriquez (JV) 28
December 7, 2010 —
The quick and athletic squad from Fairfield proved to be more than a handful compared to the recent foes of Pittsburg and Sonoma. Monte Vista promptly fell behind as they have no answer to Rodriquez's big post who scored at will using her size advantage. The visitor seized a 15-8 lead after one quarter and threatened to blow the game open when Steve and Pat's JV members decided to tighten their defense holding the free wheeling Rodriquez team to only 2 points in the second quarter while scoring 8 including two baskets by Jade Montes to trail only by 1 at the break. The second half did not start well as the visitors scored on their first three trips down to lead 22-16 when Taylor Partin knocked down the first of her two three's from the right wing to trim the deficit to 3. A turn around lay up by Dana Outcalt brought Monte Vista to within 1 and the momentum shifted for good in favor of MV as the Lady Mustangs would build a 28-23 lead at the end of the third quarter. Rodriquez got as close as 30-24 but Monte Vista would put the game away by breaking the visitors' full court press using the quickness of Erika Perez and well executed 3 on 1 and 3 on 2 fast breaks. Captain Angelyn Brown had an excellent all around game on both ends of the court and led all scorers with 10 points while Dana Outcalt had 9 and Taylor Partin added 8. Jade Montes finished with 6 points. The team will have a short break in the schedule and will next play the Pittsburg Pirates next Tuesday.
Monte Vista (Varsity) 60 - Rodriquez 24
December 7, 2010 —
After a lackluster practice yesterday according to Ron and Tony, the team responded with patience and tenacity against an athletic and quick team that typically gave Monte Vista trouble. The Lady Mustangs took a quick 4-0 lead to start the game en route to a 14-4 first quarter and 26-10 half time advantage capitalizing on repeated turnovers by the visitors. Rodriquez came out with full court pressure in the third quarter momentarily created panic in the MV back court and slicing the lead to 26-16. That, however, would be the closest Rodriquez was going to come as the guard combo of Nicole Oliviera, Angela Rego and Rachel Tagle would quickly adjust to the trap creating easy baskets on the other end. The big lead of 40-18 after three quarters allowed Ron to freely substitute, allowing minutes for every member of the squad. Center Taylor Fazio led the team with 12 points and 5 rebounds while captain Kaylie Williams had her first double-double of the season with 10 points and 13 boards. Point guard Angela Rego continues to impress the coaches with her hustle, quickness and ball handling skills but also showed her ability to help on the offensive side by scoring 10 points including a three pointer during the second quarter to turn back the Rodriquez rally. Freshman Lilly Wissinger saw her longest outing on the court in this young season and took advantage of the opportunity to collect 3 points including her first varsity basket. The team will have a day of practice tomorrow and then face Division V power Castilleja at the Terra Nova Tournament on Thursday.
MonteVista (JV) 50 - Pittsburgh (JV) 29
December 4, 2010 —
Monte Vista improves to 2-1 after defeating Pittsburg in the consolation final of the Castlemont Tournament. MV jumped out to a 12-4 lead after one quarter and took a 19-12 advantage into the half. The third and fourth quarter, however, belong to the Lady Mustangs as they took control of the contest by building a 15 point cushion after three off the offensive strength of Taylor Partin who had a career high of 16 points. Dana Outcalt continues to be a steady producer with 6 points including 4/4 from the free throw line. Erika Perez also contributed 6 points including the lone three pointer in the game from Monte Vista. In total, eleven of the thirteen MV players scored in this contest. Next up is at Rodriquez (Fairfield ) on Tuesday.
Coach Hirschman wins #400
December 4, 2010 —
Almost exactly 4 years ago to the day - against Rodriquez HS at home - came win #300. As we filed out of the Monte Vista gym, I told Ron I was looking forward to celebrating his 400th win. Coach Hirschman looked at me and just laughed. Fast forward four seasons and amazingly we are now starting a new quest for #500. Looking back, Tony's daughters, Steve's daughters, Pat's daughter and my daughter all came through these gym doors. In big and small ways, they all helped to mold Monte Vista girls basketball program into one of the very best. Under Ron Hirschman, the program competes with the tradition of honor and integrity. The cast may be different and there will be new heroes and contributors but the place and the script will remain the same...
Coach Hirschman Wins #300 !
In his 17th years at Monte Vista, Ron Hirschman now ranks with the like of Dan O'Shea of Pinole Valley and Gene Nakamura of Berkeley High in tenure and with his 300th victory, joins a small, elite fraternity of the winningest coaches in the state. Teams coached by Ron Hirschman at Monte Vista have made the NCS playoff the last 13 consecutive year and 15 of his 17 years of coaching. His teams also reached the NorCal regional championship twice, one game short of contending for the California Interscholastic Federation north state title in 1997. In the 2003-04 season, Monte Vista claimed the rare triple crown honor by capturing the EBAL title in frosh, JV and Varsity with 24, 20 and 22 wins respectively. A particularly distinctive hallmark of the Monte Vista Girls basketball programs is their high academic achievements alongside their successes on the court. MV's teams have won multiple North Coast Section Scholastic Awards for being one of the top three basketball academic programs in the vast NCS region which reaches the Oregon border. Nice going coach. We are looking forward to reaching 400 wins, starting tomorrow !!
MV (Varsity) 42 - Liberty 34
December 4, 2010 —
It was a seesaw first quarter with Liberty led by 6-5, 9-5, 9-7 and eventually 11-9. Monte Vista went ahead 13-12 early in the second quarter but turned the ball over on three straight possessions to help the Lady Lions ignite a 10-0 run and a 22-13 lead. With 2:30 left in the first half, Liberty was still ahead by 9 at 26-17 when MV scored on three back to back possessions while holding Liberty to no score to cut the halftime deficit to three at 26-23. By picking up defensive intensity and eliminating costly turnovers, Monte Vista was able to finally tie and subsequently went ahead at 29-28. Liberty made one final move off a baseline jumper to lead 30-29 but that was their last threat as the trapping zone defense from MV completely shut down Liberty's offense which only managed 2 point for the final quarter. Nicole Oliviera knocked down a crucial jumper from the right corner when the shot clock was down to 3 seconds to give Monte Vista a 36-32 lead then added a deep three from the same corner on the next trip down to pad the lead to 39-34. Freshman guard Madi Burroughs then calmly sank another three pointer from the left wing to stake Monte Vista the final victory margin and coach Hirschman's 400 career win. The varsity squad now improves to 3-0 for the season and will head into Fairfield to play Rodriquez on Tuesday. Alyssa Samia and Nicole Oliviera led the team with 9 points each while Kaylie Williams added 7.
Monte Vista (JV) 39 - Sonoma (JV) 10
December 3, 2010 —
Interviewing Steve Cornell after today's game was far easier than yesterday as the Lady Mustangs toke advantage of their relative quickness over Sonoma to claim victory #1 for the season. MV used full court pressure the entire contest and forced the opponent into numerous turnovers which were converted easily into points. Monte Vista(1-1) led 27-10 at the break and did not allow Sonoma any score in the second half. Center/forward Dana Outcalt had quite a day scoring 14 points and collecting 10 rebounds along with 4 steals. Bridget Haus assumed her new role as power forward by scoring 6 points while grabbing 4 rebounds along with the usual defensive "dirty work."
Monte Vista (Varsity) 50 - Petaluma 15
December 3, 2010 —
Considering it has only been one week since the scrimmage against Miramonte and 3 days since the debacle at James Logan, the transformation is just short of amazing. Using a fierce defense and hustle from up and down the lineup, Monte Vista created extreme difficulties for Petaluma to run their plays limiting the Trojans to only 15 points for the entire contest and none in the first quarter. The lopsided score allowed coach Hirschman to rest the seniors and tinker with the younger players. At one point in the fourth quarter, three freshmen and two sophomores were on the court at the same time while stretching the lead. Freshman guards Rachel Tagle and Madi Burroughs continued to show why they may well be the future stars at Monte Vista as the pair contributed a trio of three pointers and combined for 21 points with 14 from Ms. Tagle. Angela Rego had her second outstanding game in a row directing the flow of the offense and playing tough defense. Senior center Taylor Fazio had her second 8 point game while Sara Jensen nailed a three pointer along with a couple of superb assists that prompted coach Hirschman to summon the young lady to the sideline for a double high five...Monte Vista (2-0) will play tomorrow in the title game against Liberty at 2:30 pm.
Monte Vista (Varsity) 42 - Heritage 29
December 2, 2010 —
Head coach Ron Hirschman called this a "must win" game and the team responded. The offense remained sluggish but defense intensity picked up significantly compared to earlier scrimmage games against Miramonte and James Logan. Monte Vista held Heritage to single digit scoring in all four quarters en route to a hard fought but convincing win in the season opener at the Alhambra Bulldog Tournament. The victory advances Monte Vista into the semifinals against an always tough Petaluma squad. Alyssa Samia broke out of a mini slump with a double-double with team leading 12 points and 10 rebounds along with 3 assists and 3 blocked shots. Center Taylor Facio added 8 points and using her great length to grabbed 8 rebound. Captain Kaylie Williams still struggled to regain her form but managed to score 8 points including two big offensive rebounds and putbacks the second came at a critical moment off a missed shot to give Monte Vista a much needed 7 point cushion. MV led 18-12 at the half but Heritage came out of the break strong and closed the gap to 23-22 off a layup. After Monte Vista surged ahead on an 8-0 run to lead 31-22, the pesky ladies from Brentwood again staged a comeback at 31-27 including a three pointer. The game was not decided until inside the final 2 minutes when a Heritage intentional foul on Nicole Oliviera (8 points) gave MV two foul shots and possession and essentially the game. Point guard Angela Rego also had an excellent game playing defense and handling the press. Ms. Rego finished with 4 points, 3 assists and 2 steals.
Monte Vista JV @ Castlemont Tournament
December 2, 2010 —
The 2010-11 season got off to a highly unusual start on a rainy Thursday evening in Oakland when coach Steve Cornell was delayed at work and captain Angelyn Brown had to step in to become the first player coach in memory at MV... With coach Cornell on the phone and Angelyn calling out the lineup and plays, the JV squad managed to keep the game close by trailing only 9-4 when Steve arrived late in the first quarter. The team was dealt another blow when lightning fast guard Erika Perez had to sit out most of the game because of shortness of breath from the flu. Monte Vista found itself down by 9 at the half but came back to within 2 in the third quarter only to trail again in the fourth by as many as 12 points. The lady Mustangs mounted another comeback behind three points baskets from Taylor Partin and Jade Montes and was behind only 32-31 with less than a minute remained in the contest with the ball when Jade Montes' potential go ahead floater was cleaning blocked by Maria Carrillo's center who went on to win the game by the final score of 36-31. Monte Vista will next play Sonoma tomorrow at 4:00 pm.
MV at James Logan - Not Ready For Prime Time
November 30, 2010 —
The Foundation game re-confirmed coach Hirschman's assertion that the MV varsity team is far from ready for the season opener this Thursday against Heritage HS at the Alhambra Bulldog Tournament. The team again showed breakdowns on both the offensive and defensive end resulting in a sound 41-25 defeat in the hands of an aggressive and quick Logan squad. Freshman guard Rachel Tagle was a lone bright spot in an otherwise forgettable contest. Senior Nicole Oliviera led Monte Vista with 10 point.
JV Scrimmage Against Miramonte
November 27, 2010 —
The JV team dominated the scrimmage from the start taking a 16-4 lead into the second quarter. Every player contributed in both the offense and defense and for Erika Perez, she was simply a one man wrecking crew. Using her superior quickness and ability to anticipate the passes, she was able to generate 11 steals several leading directly to breakaway baskets. The six returning sophomores played well for the second week in a row as well as the five freshmen. The team appears to do fine for the time being without a true center...Next up is Thursday at the Castlemont Tournament in Oakland.
Varsity Scrimmage Against Miramonte
November 27, 2010 —
The scrimmage against a good, well prepared Miramonte squad quickly exposed the amount of work MV has to do to put itself in position to compete against the elites. The Matadors started fast hitting 6 of 7 of their first outside shots to dismantle Monte Vista's zone defense. Miramonte was ahead 8-0 before Alyssa Samia's reverse lay-up put the Mustangs on the board. The three-quarter court trap from the Mats also gave Monte Vista fits producing numerous turnovers from the guards and forward alike. The middle half of the game saw both teams used their entire roster and was closely contested. Miramonte then used repeated dribble and drive attacks in the 4th quarter forcing MV into numerous fouls and dominated the free-throw line. The one bright light was brief action on the court from Jasmin Dillworth who has been sidelined the better part of 2010 because of an ACL tear. The team has relatively little time to right the ship as they travel to James Logan on Tuesday for the annual Foundation Game.
New Season - JV Scrimmage Against Arroyo
November 20, 2010 —
The 2010-11 JV squad features seven returning players and five freshmen. The departure of center Paige Southmayd, forwards Jenna Cordesius, Jen Casper and guards Marissa Grant and Kristen Huey will definitely be missed. The new team is smaller but faster in no small part due to the arrival of super athletic Erika Perez. Part of the lost height at the post position is filled in by Dana Outcalt who is not only long but has three point range starkly demonstrated today against Arroyo. Sophomore guard Elyce Bayat was extremely active throughout the contest and was strong to the basket as well as displayed a soft touch with her mid-range jumpers. Bridget Haus, who was lost to an ACL injury last season, played with her trademark ferocity. The bulky knee brace may be cutting down her speed but did little to dampen her intensity as shown by her inside rebounding and scoring. Starting guard Callie Starn also shares similar philosophy while on the court showing coach Steve Cornell her reckless disregard of her body while diving for loose balls. In short, it was a good first scrimmage and gave cause for optimism for a successful season for both coach Cornell and coach Pat Nivens.
2010-11 Varsity Scrimmage against Arroyo
November 20, 2010 —
Senior guard Nicole Oliviera signaled clearly she will be having a great season by almost single handedly outscoring Arroyo. Nicole played with supreme confidence and scored with a variety of mid-range jumpers mixed in with an occasion three to lead the team with 21 points along with partial ball handling and press breaking duties. Freshman Rachel Tagle also played up to billing with strong ball handling skills and defense. Ms. Tagle also incidentally dropped in 13 points including several nice looking outside jumpers. The projected starting front line of Kaylie Williams, Alyssa Samia and Taylor Fasio took a back seat today to allow the varsity team to showcase their five new members ( Taylor Partin-3 points, Lilly Wissinger-3points, Madi Burroughs-5 points and Jen Casper-3 rebounds ) in a 63-34 win.
Monte Vista 56 - Livermore 33
February 12, 2010 —
There is usually no game that is considered a "MUST WIN" during the regular season. This evening's contest against the Cowboys was as close as it comes to a "MUST WIN" following Tuesday's 2 point loss to Cal High. A loss to Livermore would mean dropping into third place in EBAL, something Monte Vista had not known for many years. The game did not start well as the host Cowboys quickly took an 8-3 lead when Monte Vista went 1 of 7 in shooting to start the game. Momentum, however, would drastically shift later in the first quarter as the Lady Mustangs went on a 19-1 and eventually a 24-3 run to seize a 27-11 halftime advantage. A strong defense kept Livermore's offense scoreless for over 6 minutes and in single digit till the final seconds of the first half. The lead would grow to 40-18 in the third quarter before Livermore made one final 7-0 run, cutting the deficit to 40-25 after three quarters but would come no closer. Starting point guard Krystal Mizono suffered an Achilles tendon injury during the game and was replaced by back up guard Angela Rigo who showed great speed, ball handling skills and good shooting touch finishing with 10 points. Kaylie Williams led all scorers with 19 points plus 11 rebounds while Alex Smolen contributed 12. With the win, Monte Vista improves to 10-2 in league 19-5 overall.
Livermore (JV) 45 - Monte Vista 24
February 12, 2010 —
This is why coach Steve Cornell considers the JV team an absolute enigma. Three days after they demolished California High, the team took a giant step backwards and was thoroughly beaten by the Cowboys. The visitors was trailing only 4-2 when Livermore took a 10-0 run and jumped ahead after one quarter at 14-2. Monte Vista trailed 20-11 going into the second half but was blitzed by a devastating 17-3 third quarter that essentially put the game away. There was scant individual highlights with Jenn Casper led the team with 5 points. Nina Rondoni, however, had a season high 4 points.
Princeton (5-0) Plays Columbia (4-1) Tomorrow For Ivy League Lead
February 11, 2010 —
Former Monte Vista star Niveen Rasheed will lead her 19-2 Ivy League leading Princeton Tigers into snowy New York to take on second place Columbia Lions. Niveen's old MV teammate Erin Tao who is closing out her senior year at Columbia will be there to greet her. Niveen will square up against the nation's leading rebounder Julie Lomax at Dodge Center.
California 47 - Monte Vista 45
February 9, 2010 —
9 turnovers and 8 offensive rebounds allowed in eight minutes was a deadly recipe for a disaster and Monte Vista found themselves quickly in a jam falling behind 14-9 after one quarter and the second quarter was no better as the Grizzlies went up by 32-20 at halftime with every indication for a blowout. MV was able to stay as close as a dozen points was squarely the heroic of Alex Smolen who nailed a trio of three's as Monte Vista's offense was completely stifled by Cal High's quick zone defense. The Mustangs came out in the second half with a new attitude and slowly started to chip away at the deficit. Behind by 14 two minutes into the 2nd half, The Lady Mustangs closed to within 7 at 35-28 following a Krystal Mizono three and 37-30 at the end of 3 quarters. Two quick baskets from Kaylie Williams brought MV to within 3 points at 37-34 and again at 41-38. The comeback was at hand when Angela Rigo dropped in a three of her own from the top of the key and Alex Smolen's baseline driving basket tied the game at 43-43 with 2:30 left on the clock but a quick counter basket by Cal High and a Monte Vista turnover resulted in a breakaway basket put the visitors back in the hole again at 47-43. A putback cut the MV deficit to 47-45 but a critical turnover on the subsequent possession doomed the Mustangs who still had a shot to force overtime but the 18 foot shot from right wing clanked off the rim as the buzzer sounded. Alex Smolen led all scorers with 16 points with Kaylie Williams added 14.
Monte Vista (JV) 42 - California 26
February 9, 2010 —
The JV squad delivered coach Steve Cornell's 200th JV victory with a resounding 42-26 win over the California Grizzlies, avenging a five point loss earlier in the season. Monte Vista came out on fire and quickly took a 4-1 and eventually an 11-1 lead after one quarter. The lead grew to 15-1 and 17-2 in the second quarter and 24-8 by halftime. Olivia Romero had 6 first half points while Jenn Casper dropped in 8 of her team leading 10 points also in the first half including three soft 15 foot jumpers. With the lead at 30-10, Cal High made a mini run with 7 straight points to trim the deficit to 30-17 but the Lady Mustangs responded with their own 10-1 run to break the game wide open at 40-18. Paige Southmayd and Kristin Huey each had 4 points during the run. Paige ended with 9 points for the night while Kristin contributed 6. With the win, Monte Vista JV improves to 6-5 in EBAL and 14-9 overall.
Senior Night
February 5, 2010 —
February 5 marks the evening reserved to honor the two team captains and graduating seniors Krystal Mizono and Alex Smolen. Both players were members of the fabulous JV squad of 2006-07 and 2007-08 when they went 51-2. They were also members of the 29-3 2008-09 EBAL, North Coast Section and NorCal Division I Champion team. The two young ladies are on pace to win 100 games at Monte Vista for their career !
Monte Vista 49 - Foothill 40
February 5, 2010 —
Unlike the NCS and NorCal winning team from last season, every win this year was hard fought and this evening's contest was no exception. The extremely young but talented Falcons has NO senior on their squad and they have been paying the price to learn how to play the game by taking tough losses. There is, however, visible improvement since the first half of the season as they challenged the bigger and more experienced home team at every turn. Fell behind 9-0 to open the game, Foothill was looking at a possible quick blowout loss. They were, however, able to battle back primarily using outside shooting and closed the deficit to 25-20 at the break including five three's in the first half. Monte Vista extended the lead to 33-24, forcing a timeout by the Foothill coaches. A two pointer plus another three again trimmed the lead to 33-29. The Falcons were trailing 35-31 to start the 4th quarter when back to back baskets by Alyssa Samia plus a three point basket from Krystal Mizono allowed Monte Vista to rebuild a 10 point advantage at 42-32. The two teams essentially traded baskets in the final 4 minutes of the game ending with the host team taking a 9 point victory. Kaylie Williams, Krystal Mizono and Alyssa Samia all finished with 12 points while Nicole Oliveira played a strong game on both ends of the court and contributing 11 points. These four starters accounted for 47 of Monte Vista's 49 points total output. Megan Craig of the Falcon led all scorers with 24. With the win, MV improves to 18-4 for the season and 9-1 in EBAL.
Monte Vista (JV) 40 _ Foothill 37 (OT)
February 5, 2010 —
The Monte Vista JV team lost to Foothill last month 35-30 due primarily to abysmal 5 of 23 free throw shooting. This evening, the Lady Mustangs hit 8 of 13 from the line and was rewarded with a thrilling overtime victory at home in front of a small but enthusiastic crowd. The game did not start off well as Foothill jumped to a 10-6 first quarter lead but Monte Vista managed not to let the contest get out of hand by mounting a small 2nd quarter come back to trail only by a point at 16-15 at the half. The Lady Mustangs then took a 23-18 lead in the 3rd quarter but allowed Foothill to tie the game at 23-23 at the end of three quarter. MV led momentarily at 27-24 and was tied with Foothill at 27-27 when the Falcons knocked down a three point basket with less than 4 minutes remained in the game to go back ahead 30-27. This was when Taylor Partin nailed the first of her season high three treys to bring the host team back to a 30-30 tie. She then sank another deep three from the left corner to snatch the lead back at 33-30. With Monte Vista up 34-30 with less than a minute remaining, Foothill managed to score a basket to bring the game to within 2 at 34-32. A missed front end of a one and one allowed Foothill one last shot with 6 seconds left on the clock which they took advantage of by banking in a runner as time expired to force overtime. Overtime was just as exciting as Taylor Partin dropped in another three pointer from the corner to give Monte Vista a 37-34 lead A counter basket by Foothill trimmed the MV lead to one at 37-36. A 6 foot baseline floater from Jade Montes gave Monte Vista back a 3 point advantage which was cut to 39-37 with less than 30 seconds left. A free throw by Kristin Huey secured the 199th career win for coach Steve Cornell and brought Monte Vista back to .500 in EBAL at 5-5 while Foothill dropped to 7-3. MV currently stands at 13-9 on the season.
Monte Vista 58 - Granda 29
February 3, 2010 —
Alyssa Samia continues her recent strong performance by leading Monte Vista to a methodical victory at home against Granada. She scored 15 points and grabbed 8 rebounds in not much over 2 quarters of play, dominating on both the offensive and defensive end of the court. Nine out of ten players scored in the contest marked by 7 points from Natalie Reveto who doubled her season output in one game. Angela Rigo continues to show she has deep range by knocking down a pair of three pointers. With the win, Monte Vista remains on tract to achieve 20 victories for the season with 17 wins against 4 losses, 8-1 in EBAL and five games to go. Monte Vista moved up one spot to #19 this week in the San Francisco Chronicle Bay Area Metro top 20.
Monte Vista (JV) 42 - Granada 17
February 2, 2010 —
A relatively easy blowout win is the perfect remedy against the tough loss at Amador Valley on Friday. Monte Vista needed it and they got it at home this evening when the team put up one of its better performances this season in a 25 point victory over the visiting Matadors. The host team limited Granada to only 17 points, one of the lowest allowed in the 2009-2010 season. And 11 players scored - led by season high 14 points from Jenn Casper and 10 points from Callie Starn who is having a renaissance second half season. The Lady Mustangs improves to 12-9 on the season and within one game of .500 in EBAL at4-5.
Monte Vista 63 - Amador Valley 34
January 29, 2010 —
The team came into the game knowing they have to push hard to stay focused against an 0-7 but feisty league opponent. There was a lapse in the third quarter but Monte Vista showed why they are second in the league by otherwise dismantling the host Dons scoring a near season team high 62 points. Junior center Taylor Fazio scored an amazing 12 points in the 4th quarter to finish with a season high 18 points tying Kaylie Williams for team high. Kaylie also controlled the board on both ends by snaring 17 rebounds. Alyssa Samia contributed 12 points to give MV an unbeatable 48 points from the three center forward position. If counting the 6 points from Miranda Bidwell and Sara Jensen, the Lady Mustangs front line would account for 54 of the 62 points for the evening ! Monte Vista improves to 7-1 in EBAL and 16-4 overall. Next up will be Granada at home on Tuesday.
Amador Valley (JV) 59 - Monte Vista 27
January 29, 2010 —
Coach Cornell suffered his worst loss in years this evening against a very good Amador Valley team. Monte Vista was held to a season low 5 points for the first half and gave up a season high 22 points to the Dons in the fourth quarter. Jade Montes and Jenn Casper led the team with 6 points each while Marissa Grant continues to go the line even though she has not been taking advantage of the hard earned charity. Ms Grant finished with 5 points but was only 1 of 6 in free throw shooting. Callie Starn maintained her offensive surge adding 4 points in an otherwise dismal offensive evening for the visitors. MV is now 3-5 in EBAL and 11-9 overall.
Monte Vista 51 - San Ramon Valley 41
January 26, 2010 —
Following a spirited contest against league leading Carondolet, Monte Vista found itself trying to get up against rival San Ramon Valley who are clearly motivated to upset the favorite home team. MV's leading scorer Kaylie Williams again found herself in early foul trouble and ended up with a season low 4 points against her average of nearly 14 points a game. The rest of the team, however, stepped up to make up the deficit including Angela Rigo who saw her most extensive playing time this season and responded with a pair of three pointers and season high 8 points. SRV stayed close during most of the game trailing 10-6 after one and was within 2 points at 15-13 when Monte Vista went on a 9-2 run to open up a 9 point lead at the half. The advantage at one point grew to 17 but a late charge by the Wolves reduced the final margin to 10. Alyssa Samia, Alex Smolen and Krystal Mizono had 11, 9 & 7 points respectively for the game while Nicole Oliveira added 6. Freshman forward Sara Jensen followed up her strong game against Carondolet with 4 points and 4 rebounds. Monte Vista improves to 15-4 for the season and 6-1 in EBAL. The team currently ranks #10 in all northern California Division I by NorCalpreps.com, #11 by Contra Costa Times in the eastbay and #12 in the Bay Area Metro by San Francisco Chronicle. Next up is Amador Valley on the road on Friday.
Monte Vista (JV) 53 - San Ramon Valley 33
January 26, 2010 —
This early Tuesday contest turned out to be the easy game coach Cornell has been waiting for. The Lady Mustangs jumped on SRV early and never looked back. Callie Starn continues to improve on her offensive productivity following up her 6 point performance at home against Livermore with a season high 10 point to lead the team. Olivia Romero also had an outstanding game with 8 points, the most output since her season high 12 points at Castlemont. Angelyn Brown also tied her season high with 6 points, again accomplished against Castlemont earlier in the new year. With the victory, MV improves to 11-8 overall and 3-4 in EBAL.
Carondolet 56 - Monte Vista 44
January 22, 2010 —
Early game jittery, poor shooting and stifling trapping defensive pressure put Monte Vista into a deep 14-0 hole by the end of the first half. The scoring futility also marked the first time in over a decade that the team was shut out in a quarter. The Lady Mustangs was able to put up 10 points in the second quarter but the deficit grew to 22 as the host Carondolet was able to counter with 18 points many came in the form of steals and lay ups. The lone bright spot in the first half was the play of Taylor Fazio who was effective in the paint while starter Kaylie Williams was suffering the effect of an accidental elbow to the stomach and Alyssa Samia was in foul trouble. Taylor not only defended, rebounded but also accounted for 6 of MV's 10 first half points. She finished with a season high 10 points. The second half started much like the first with Carondolet stole the inbound and went in for an uncontested basket. A much needed Krystal Mizono 3 pointer cut the deficit to 38-14 and started a gradual run towards parity on the court. The Cougars was able to claim a slim 13-12 advantage for the remainder of the third quarter although still up by a sizable 25 points at 51-26. The fourth quarter, however was all Monte Vista's. Even though Carondolet has substituted most of their front line starters at the early part of the final segment, Monte Vista was also playing with their second rotation. MV's defense has turned the table on Carondolet's bench, limiting them to a season low 5 point while scoring 18. Part of that fourth quarter run was sparked by back to back three pointers by Sara Jensen who also played tough defense using her size. Angela Rigo showed why she has the making of the next great Monte Vista point guard with flashy ball handling and quick hands. She finished with three steals, 2 assists and a break away lay-up. Credit must also go to all three starting guards, namely Alex Smolen, Nicole Oliveira and Krystal Mizono who showed tremendous poise during the game while under intense pressure. Seldom in Monte Vista's history is a defeat taken with such pride. But tonight's 12 point loss against virtually the same Carondolet team from last year must be viewed as a success and a preview of what to come in the future when one considers Carondolet's margin of victory at home last season against our State Finalist team with Niveen Rasheed was 10...
Carondolet (JV) 48 - Monte Vista (JV) 30
January 22, 2010 —
Monte Vista fell behind 15-0 in the early going but mounted a furious second comeback to trim the half time deficit to 24-15. Jenn Casper had 6 points in the second quarter and finished with 8 for the game. A three pointer by Jenna Cordesius from the left wing early in the fourth quarter brought Monte Vista to the closest they have come since the first quarter at 38-28 and gave hope that the Lady 'Stangs may have a chance to catch the host team. Continued turnover woes, however, allowed the Cougars to go on a 10-2 run to close out the otherwise closely contested game. Jade Montes led MV with 11 points and officially leads the team in scoring for the season.
Preview on This Friday's Away Game against Carondolet
January 21, 2010 —
Monte Vista has two more wins and one less loss than the Cougars. That's where the edge on paper ends. Carondolet played a tough schedule with wins over state powers such as Bishop O'Dowd, Hanford, St. Joseph of Santa Maria and La Jolla Country Day. Both Monte Vista and Carondolet had lost to Berkeley, MV by 22 and Carondolet by 7, the latter at the Martin Luther King game at Cal Monday. The Cougars, which is the overwhelming favorite to win the EBAL is also at 5-0 in league. Both Monte Vista and Carondolet allowed just over 30 points a game to their league opponents but the Cougars outscore their opponents by 50 points a game while MV managed less than 20 per win. Monte Vista struggled to beat Livermore at home 47-33 while Carondolet destroyed the Cowboys 94-29 in their prior meeting. Carondolet also has four D-1 College caliber players in their starting rotation spearheaded by 6' 2" forward Erica Payne who is rated #1 among all juniors in northern California. As a comparison, our own Kaylie Williams is rated #19 in the Norcal top 40. Senior shooting guard Ricki Radonovich has signed with Santa Clara and 6' 3" senior center Erin Boettcher will play next season at New Mexico. Potentially the best player of the group may be sophomore 5' 10" guard Hannah Huffman. Monte Vista, without Jasmine Dilworth for the rest of the season will have to play their absolute best to stay close. Come early to Carondolet and make a lot of noise. Don't forget, there is also going to be a great JV contest before the varsity game that should pitch some friends against friends...
Monte Vista 47 - Livermore 33
January 19, 2010 —
The first quarter lived up to the billing of a tight contest with the score tied at 7-7 and 11-11. The host Monte Vista finally broke through for a 16-13 first quarter lead after a late 5-2 spurt. 10 of those first quarter 16 points came from senior Captain Alex Smolen which included a pair of three's to open the game. Monte Vista's hallmark defense took control in the second quarter limiting the Cowboys to only 3 points taking a 26-16 lead into the locker room. Not all were good, however, as MV squandered numerous opportunities to seize a larger lead, leaving the door open for Livermore to stage a comeback. The second half indeed turned out to be a struggle as Kaylie Williams picked up her third foul early in the third quarter and her fourth early in the final quarter, keeping MV's top scorer and rebounder on the bench during significant portion of the second half. Livermore trimmed a 12 point deficit to 7 on two occasions but could get no closer as their outside shooting was fortunately off target. The low scoring affair came down to free throws and Krystal Mizono and Kaylie Williams were a combined perfect 13-13, essentially slamming the doors on the visitors. Krystal finished with 11 points while Alex Smolen had 12. Kaylie Williams added 8 and Alyssa Samia contributed 7 along with 10 rebounds 5 on the offensive end. Monte Vista improves to 14-3 for the season and a perfect 5-0 in EBAL play. On the schedule, however, is Carondolet on Friday...
Monte Vista (JV) 45 - Livermore 41
January 19, 2010 —
Livermore Hit a three pointer one minute into the contest giving the visitors a quick 7-0 and later 8-1 lead. Monte Vista, however, responded with a its own 7-2 run capped by a three point basket from captain Jenna Cordesius to trim the defecit to 10-8. But Livermore was able to stretch their advantage to 19-11 with MV managed to stay close partly on the strength of Callie Starn's 6 first half points as well as long range shooting from Taylor Partin who contributed a three pointer of her own late in the first half ending with Livermore ahead 23-18. Another three point basket by Livermore early in the third quarter gave the Cowboys their second 8 point lead at 26-18 but momentum shift would dominate the third quarter as Monte Vista went on a 14-6 run highlighted by two steals and breakaway baskets from the ultra quick Marissa Grant to tie the game at 32-32. This was followed by Taylor Partin's second three pointer of the contest, giving the home team their first lead at 35-32. The third quarter ended with the host team barely holding onto a slim 35-34 lead. The tight contest would extend into the fourth quarter with livermore tying the score at 37-37 and 39-39. MV would go ahead 40-39 but continued poor free throw shooting prevented them from building on the lead. Finally five out of six made free throws from Paige Southmayd would secure MV the badly needed win, improving its record to 10-7 and 2-3 in league. Taylor Partin led all scorers with a season high 11 points while Olivier Romero added 6.
Preview of MV - Livermore
January 17, 2010 —
Livermore is a program on the rise. Coach Gaza has turn this once EBAL doormat into a winner. The Cowboys are 10-5 on the season. More importantly, they are 3-1 in league play with wins over Amador Valley, San Ramon Valley and Foothill. Their only loss was to Carondolet last week. This is a team with good size and speed and may be the toughest opponent in EBAL outside of the Cougars of Carondolet. To continue the Monte Vista winning streak which is at eight, Kaylie Williams will have to stay out of foul trouble and the rest of the team will have to rebound better than shown against Cal High.
Monte Vista 49 - Cal 45 (OT)
January 15, 2010 —
With the score at 19-14 in the second quarter, Monte Vista went on a 10-0 run to close out the half at 29-14 with Alyssa Samia scoring 12 of the 29 points along with 7 rebounds. It would appear that the game was well in hand but the Grizzlies had a different idea as Cal opened the second half with a 12-4 run taking advantage of Monte Vista's inability to rebound ultimately trimming the deficit to 37-30 at the end of the third quarter. Krystal Mizono knocked down a three point basket from the top of the key at the early moments of the fourth quarter to briefly extend MV's advantage to 10 at 40-30. Monte Vista, however, would go scoreless for 4 full minutes while Cal High's Vashirin, who led all scorers with 27, scored 8 consecutive points to bring the game to a 2 point affair at 40-38. Kaylie Williams would give Monte Vista a short lived 42-38 cushion on a 13 foot jumper before fouling out only to see Cal closed the gap to 42-41. A turnover gave Cal the ball with 26 seconds left and Vashirin drove through Monte Vista's zone defense and was fouled while going to the hoop with 2.8 seconds left on the clock. Two made free throws would give Cal a stirring comeback and major upset but #11 missed the first although connected on the second to force overtime. Without Kaylie Williams, the MV offense was in disarray and continued failure to rebound made the prospect of winning their 8th consecutive game grim. This was especially true when the Grizzlies seized a 45-42 lead with just over a minute left in overtime. Fortune, however, would change quickly in Monte Vista's favor as senior captain Alex Smolen swished a three pointer from the deep left corner to tie the contest giving Monte Vista new life followed immediately by a steal and lay up by Nicole Oliviera to give the home team a lead they would not relinquish. Cal's last chance vanished as the ball was stolen by Krystal Mizono who then calmly sank a pair of free throws to seal the hard fought win improving Monte Vista to 13-3 and tying Carondolet at the top of EBAL at 4-0. Krystal would finish with 12 points to share team high.
Cal (JV) 35 - Monte Vista 30
January 15, 2010 —
Playing without Paige Southmayd was a huge handicap both in terms of defense, rebounds and inside scoring but what doomed Monte Vista (9-7, 1-3) in a close contest was again poor free throw shooting for the second consecutive game. The Lady 'Stangs were 5 for 23 in a 5 point loss at Foothill and was 5 for 21 in today's defeat. Similar to the previous loss, MV was in the game till the final moments. Trailing 28-23 in the fourth quarter, Taylor Partin connected on a three pointer and Marissa Grant picked off a pass on the next play and went in for a lay up to even the game at 28-28 with MV eventually led 30-29 with less than four minutes left in the contest from a pair of rare made free throws by Angelyn Brown. Monte Vista, unfortunately would not score again missing their final 4 free throws while Cal was 4 of 5 down the stretch. Marissa Grant finished with a season high 8 points to lead the team while Taylor Partin added 6 and Callie Starn contributed 4 points.
Monte Vista 57 - Foothill 40
January 12, 2010 —
It was obvious from the tip that it wasn't going to be an easy game as Foothill kept up with Monte Vista blow by blow taking an 8-6 lead off the first of Megan Craig's trio of three pointers. A three by Alex Smolen gave MV back the lead which grew to 12-8 only to see the Falcons retake the lead with 5 straight points again including a three. Monte Vista was able to take a 16-13 lead after one quarter but was unable to shake the home team in the second quarter. As a matter of fact, Foothill regained the advantage momentarily at 23-22 only to trail by the tiniest margin of 26-25 at the half. Monte Vista extended the lead to 32-27 in the third quarter after a pullup basket from Kaylie Williams only to see the Falcons tied it at 32-32 from another three pointer from Megan Craig. Coach Hirschman called a time out and installed a rover to trail #2. The strategy was obviously successful as Ms. Craig would not score again in the contest. Back to back three point baskets by a red hot Alex Smolen plus a lay up from Alyssa Samia all within a minute gave MV a quick 40-32 lead from where they would not look back. Reserve guard Natalie Reveto put the icing on the victory by swishing a three pointer from the right wing just before the buzzer, her first of the season. Alex Smolen finished with a career high 18 points tying Kaylie Williams for game high. Alyssa Samia also had a terrific offensive game finished with a season best 15 points. Monte Vista improves to 3-0 in EBAL and 12-3 overall.
Foothill (JV) 35 - Monte Vista (JV) 30
January 12, 2010 —
Based on pre-season results, Foothill is believed to be among the elite EBAL squads. The MV Mustangs, on the other hand, has been struggling with inconsistency, especially on the offensive end. The game unfolded in ways coach Steve Cornell did not expect. The defense held the powerful Falcon to only 17 first half points while getting them into foul trouble. Monte Vista went to the line 13 times against only twice for the host - but was able to connect only on 2, a fact that would come back to haunt the Lady 'Stangs. Trailing 17-14 at the half, Monte Vista was able to over take Foothill two minutes into the third quarter at 20-19 and led by three points on two occasions. Accurate outside shooting, however, gave the Falcon a slim 27-26 lead going into the final quarter. The game stayed close until a three pointer and a rebound and putback gave Foothill its largest lead at 6. Full court pressure at the final minute gave Monte Vista multiple opportunities to cut into the deficit but the visitors were unable to find the basket going 0-7 to close out the game. The loss dropped MV to 1-2 in EBAL play and 9-6 overall. Next game will be at home against California on Friday.
Monte Vista 46 - Granada 30
January 8, 2010 —
Granada High School had proven over the years to be a difficult place for visitors to win and coach Hirschman was mindful of it. Monte Vista was also without starting forward Jasmine Dilworth for a second consecutive game because of her knee injury. Granada took a quick 2-0 lead but that would be their first and last as the Lady Mustangs scored the next 7 points to grab a 7-2 advantage. The game was close at 7-5 with 9 seconds left on the quarter clock when Alex Smolen banked in a 25 footer from the left wing to give the visitors a 10-5 lead after one. Control of the offensive board allowed Monte Vista multiple second and third chance baskets resulting in a 16-8 second quarter advantage and a 26-13 lead at the half. Granada evened the rebounding in the second half but Monte Vista still managed to built a commanding 30-14 lead midway into the third quarter. The lead, however, was trimmed to 30-20 but a pull-up jumper from Kaylie Williams plus a killer three pointer from Krystal Mizono, her third in the game restored the comfortable advantage. Kaylie finished with 13 to lead the scoring while Alex Smolen had 11. Alyssa Samia added 9 points plus 9 rebounds, 6 on the offensive end. Monte Vista improves to 11-3 with their 6th wins in a row and 2-0 in EBAL. Foothill away is next on the schedule.
Monte Vista (JV) 36 - Granada 26
January 8, 2010 —
Following a disheartening loss at home to Amador Valley, the JV team showed both desire and hunger against Granada taking an early lead and never allowed the Matadors to climb back into the contest. MV was ahead 10-6 after one quarter, then exploded for 15 points in the second quarter to take a 25-15 lead into the locker with Jenna Cordesius and Paige Southmays both contributed 6 points. The lead grew to 14 in the third quarter but a 6-0 run by Granada narrowed the gap to 8. A three point basket by Taylor Partin from the right wing quickly put an end to the rally and Granada was not able to mount any threat after that. Cut lip and all, Jenn Casper returned to the starting lineup and scored 6 points, tying for game high while Jade Montes added 5 while Marissa Grant contributed 4. MV improves to 9-5 on the season and 1-1 in EBAL play.
Monte Vista 52 - Amador Valley 28
January 5, 2010 —
Monte Vista came out of the gate running scoring the first 8 points of the game to take a 16-4 commanding first quarter lead spearheaded by freshman forward Sarah Jensen who showcased her shooting by hitting a pair of three pointers to lead all first quarter scorers with 9. Amador Valley showed their only threat late in the second quarter when they cut a 15 point deficit to 11 with the the final 4 points of the half. The home team, however, was not going to allow its league opening night be spoiled as they seized control again with a 16-7 third quarter to go ahead 42-22 including a couple of baskets by another freshman Miranda Bidwell. Kaylie Williams again led the team with 14 points and Alyssa Samia added 8 along with 3 steals and 8 rebounds. The team improves to 10-3 on the year and will now travel to face a formidable foe in Granada on Friday.
Amador Valley (JV) 44 - MV 39
January 5, 2010 —
If there are any silver linings in tonight's season opener loss, they are the fact that the team did not give up and that Kristin Huey almost single handedly pulled the team out of the deep hole with a career high 12 points, all in the second half including a three pointer. The two squads were mired in a low scoring struggle with MV ahead 7-6 when Amador Valley went on an inexplicable run when every shot they put up went in while Monte Vista went into a complete scoring freeze. When it was over, the Dons were ahead 29-10, a stunning 24-3 run. Monte Vista began their come back at the waning seconds of the first half when they scored the final 4 points and closed the gap to 29-14. The second half saw a reversal of fortune with Monte Vista put on a 18-8 run to climb within 5 at 37-32 after three quarters. They were within 4 points in the fourth quarter on several occasions but was ultimately unable to completely overcome the one time 19 point deficit. Paige Southmayd, as usual, was a beast in the paint, contributing 9 points along with 15 rebounds while Jenna Cordesius added 6.
Monte Vista 46 - Castlemont 40
January 2, 2010 —
Playing for the first time this season without Kaylie Williams, the Lady Mustangs nevertheless jumped out to a 10-0 lead and was ahead 20-6 mid way through the second quarter and 25-12 at the half. Things started to unravel towards the end of the first half when Alyssa Samia had to stay on the bench because of foul trouble and Jasmine Dilworth who had missed the previous three games due to a foot stress reaction twisted her left knee and had to leave the game. That effectively removed the entire Monte Vista starting front line and Castlemont took advantage mercilessly and cut the lead to 33-32 at the end of the third quarter including a 14-2 run. Situation got even more precarious when captain Alex Smolen who was having a fine game hitting a trio of three's up to that point was stepped on by Castlemont's center and had to come out of the game. The guard tandem of Nicole Oliveira and Krystal Mizona had to withstanding full court pressure by the Knights but managed to keep the game under control. Alex Smolen returned to the game late in the fourth quarter and promptly nailed another three pointer to give MV a 38-35 lead after Castlemont had just tied the game at 35-35. The three point lead, however, did not hold up as Castlemont closed the score to 40-38 and ultimately tied MV at 40-40. This was when Krystal Mizono hit her third three pointer of the day from the deep right corner to push the MV lead back up to three from there Castlemont would not threaten again. Alex Smole finished with a season high of 14 points to lead the team while Krystal Mizono finished with 9. Back up center Taylor Fazio again played an excellent game starting for the injured Kaylie Williams scoring 7 points and grabbing 7 rebounds. Nicole Oliveira continues her strong defense along with scoring 6.
Monte Vista (JV) 49 - Castlemont 27
January 2, 2010 —
This is probably the most balanced offensive game of the season. Against a depleted Castlemont team, Monte Vista was able to utilize the entire bench and fresh legs against a tired corp of 5 player for the Knights. MV jumped out to a 14-1 lead in the first quarter en route to a relatively easy 22 point victory. Olivia Romero had a season high 12 points to lead the team. Monte Vista, however, had four players each with 6 points including Jade Montes, Angelyn Brown, >B>Callie Starn and Paige Southmays. Guard Taylor Partin added 4 points and Jenna Cordesius contributed 3. The Junior varsity team, which improves to 8-4 on the season, now awaits the start of the EBAL league campaign on Tuesday against Amador Valley.
Monte Vista 43 - Antioch 41
December 30, 2009 —
With Alyssa Samia and Jasmine Dilworth both unavailable due to injury, 6' back up center Taylor Fazio was pressed into the starting role and showed for the second day in a row why she deserves playing time. Her length, court vision and shooting range were pivotal in Monte Vista's first West Coast Jamboree title. Taylor finished with 4 points, 5 rebounds along with a steal, a block shot and an assist. On a day when her shots were not falling, Kaylie Williams still managed to put up 21 points to lead all scorers. Freshman guard Angela Rigo also demonstrated for a second day why she is so appealing as the point guard of the future. Her quickness was clearly evident at yesterday's contest against a quick MSJ team and was on display again today against the Antioch Panthers, particularly their super swift #10. Alex Smolen also quietly had an excellent game with 7 points and 8 rebounds. One of her baskets was a soft, 19 footer over an on-rushing defender as the shot clock was winding down in the third quarter that gave Monte Vista a 2 point lead. The game was tied at 9 after one with Monte Vista taking the slimmest 22-21 lead into the locker room at halftime compliment of a 70 foot three pointer by Antioch at the buzzer. The score was deadlocked at 30 after three quarters with Monte Vista trailing at one point 35-32 in the fourth quarter when the host Panthers banked in yet another three point basket. The Lady Mustangs cut the deficit to 35-34 off a Sarah Jensen 16 foot basket and finally retook the lead 36-35 with two minutes left in the contest. Unlike yesterday, better free throw shooting, the last pair by Kaylie Williuams with 6 seconds left in the contest sealed the game and made the last second driving basket from the Panthers meaningless.
Monte Vista (JV) 44 - Moreau Catholic 42 (OT)
Monte Vista has a huge size advantage over a tiny Moreau Catholic team. Center Jenn Casper was able to utilize her size to dominate the paint giving Monte Vista early leads of 10-6 and 19-14 at the end of the first quarter and at the half. Monte Vista, however, missed the opportunity to put the opponent away while it had the chance as the Mariners methodically cut into the Monte Vista lead in the second half trailing only 29-25 after three segments. The game became a tight contest in the fourth quarter. With the game tied at 39-39, Monte Vista held the ball for the final shot but a driving floater by Jade Montes was off the mark and MV had to withstand a missed last shot by Moreau to go into overtime. Returning to strategy of working the ball to Jenn Casper which gave MV the early lead, the Lady Mustangs was able to seize control in OT while limiting the opposition to no basket in the overtime. Jenn Casper, who was elected to the All Tournament Team, finished with 11 points sharing team lead with Jade Montes who also had 11 points. Olivia Romero contributed a season high 7 points along with 4 from Elyce Bayat who had a strong tournament.
Notre Dame (JV) 36 - Monte Vista (JV) 21
December 29, 2009 —
Unlike the last time the two teams met, Monte Vista took an immediate lead and was ahead by five after one quarter at 11-6. A mountain of forced and unforced turnovers sank the second and third quarter as the team managed a season low of 1 and 2 points respectively in the 2nd and third quarter turning the lead into an 8 point deficit at 23-15. While the game is still within reach, the fourth quarter brought little improvement as the team continued to make turnovers ending with a disappointing 15 point defeat. The 6-4 JV will take on Moreau Catholic in tomorrow's 3rd place game.
Monte Vista (JV) 37 - Arroyo 10
December 28, 2009 —
Without Paige Southmayd, the team took on a completely different look. Instead of relying on her dominant inside presence, the JV squad has become more balanced on offense against a clearly undermanned Arroyo team at the opening game of the Newark Memorial HS Tournament. Elyce Bayat had a long awaited breakout game sharing team high of 6 points with Taylor Partin. Jade Montes added 5 points while Angelyn Brown, Olivia Romero, Kristin Huey and Jenn Casper all had 4. Monte Vista jumped out to a 9-0 first quarter lead en route to a commanding 25-2 advantage at the half before throttling back, cruising to the season's largest victory margin at 27. Next up in the semifinal game, however, is the tough Notre Dame Belmont team that the team lost to in the Mission San Jose Tournament.
Monte Vista 42 - Mission San Jose 38
Monte Vista (7-3) moves into the Championship game of the West Coast Jamboree against the Antioch Panthers by upending the smaller but quicker Mission San Jose Lady Warriors this evening. MV fell behind 10-5 after one quarter but the defense stymied MSJ in the second quarter to take a 17-15 halftime advantage which it built up to 25-19 in the third quarter limiting Mission SJ to only four freethrows in the quarter. The defensive struggle turned into a track meet in the final quarter with Monte Vista ahead by 9 points on two occasions, the first on a 'nothing but net' three pointer from the left wing by Alex Smolen as the 30 seconds shot clock expired. The Lady Mustangs, however, left the door open by converting only 4 out of 12 freethrows in the final 3 minutes, allowing Mission San Jose to close the gap to 3 points although no closer. Nicole Oliveira led the team with a season high 12 point along with her usual stellar defense. Kaylie Williams added 11 points and 10 rebounds.
Monte Vista 58 - Valley (Sacramento) 53
December 28, 2009 —
J. Morris, the quick guard from Valley High School gave Monte Vista all it could handle and kept the visitors from Sacramento in the game with 27 points, 14 of them in the fourth quarter. The bigger Lady Mustangs led 14-5, 26-13 and 44-29 at the end of each of the first three quarters but had trouble handling the full court pressure sprung by the Vikings and the 16 turnovers in the second half (28 for the game) allowed Valley to cut the big deficit to 48-44 with 4 minutes left in the game. A 15 foot basket and 1 of 2 free throws by Taylor Fazio gave Monte Vista back a 10 point lead at 56-46 only to see it trimmed to four again at 57-53 thanks to a couple of three point baskets by Morris with less than a minute remaining in the contest. Valley, however, was unable to get any closer as time expired. Kaylie Williams led MV with 19 points with Alyssa Samia adding 13. Taylor Fazio finished with 7 points while Miranda Bidwell contributed 6. Monte Vista will face Mission San Jose tomorrow at 5:30 PM in the semifinals.
Home For The Holidays
December 25, 2009 —
Dani, X, Amil, Niveen, Kendyl and Coco are all back for Christmas and gathered to cheer for Monte Vista during the game against Dublin. Dani is a senior at Carondolet, Alexandria is at Cal Poly, Amil at UC Davis, Niveen at Princeton, Kendyl at University of Colorado and Coco at the LA School of fashion Design.
Monte Vista (JV) 42 - James Logan 37
December 23, 2009 —
The JV team improves to 5-3 with a nail bitting win over James Logan. MV led the entire contest and was up by as many as 12 points in the second half at 34-22 when it went completely cold. Logan was able to cut the lead to 34-32 but never able to seize the lead. Jade Montes was unstoppable in scoring a career high 13 points to lead the team. Jenn Casper had another strong outing with 10 points with Paige Southmayd adding 6. Monte Vista will face Arroyo in the opening game of the Newark Memorial High School Tournament at 9:00 AM Monday morning.
Dublin 50 - Monte Vista 45
December 22, 2009 —
There had been few occasions in Ron Hirschman's coaching career when a loss was considered a success. The 5 points defeat in the hands of the Gaels fell into that category as the extremely young Lady Mustangs over came the initial jittery and played one of their better games against a very good Dublin team that would surely be a favorite to win the DFAL. Monte Vista had 10 turnovers in the opening quarter and fell behing 11-2, 16-5 and 18-7 just to climb back in the contest with a 15-7 run to close the half trailing only 25-22. The final basket at the buzzer was knocked down by freshman forward Sarah Jensen who finished with 4 points along with an excellent overall game. MV tied the contest at 25-25 off a three point basket from Krystal Mizono and later at 27-27 at which point Dublin ran off 6 straight points including a pair of steals and breakaway lay ups. The deficit would prove difficult to overcome as Monte Vista on several occasions came within 4 but could not get closer. Krystal finished the evening with 9 points with a trio of three pointers. Senior Alex Smolen also nailed a pair of three point baskets, the last cutting the deficit to 40-36 with four minutes left in the game. AlyssaSamia led the team in scoring with 12 points. Freshman forward Jasmine Dilworth missed her first start of the season with a foot injury. Her absence was made up by the season debut of Taylor Fazio who played substantial minutes and contributed 4 rebounds, 1 asist along with 2 points.
Monte Vista (JV) 43 - Mills 40
December 22, 2009 —
This game was a tale of two halves. Mills applied full court pressure during the first two quarters and the Lady Mustangs had difficulties responding resulted in multiple turnovers and yet another big deficit of 24-16. Mills, however, decided to withdraw the press which turned out to be a bad decision as MV turned in an 18 point quarter including a 10-0 run to seize a lead they would not relinquish. The win, nevertheless, was not secured until the final buzzer as a string of missed free throws kept Mills within striking distance in the closing seconds. With center Paige Southmayd in early foul trouble, co-captain Jenna Cordesius was moved into her old forward position which proved to be more suited to her game as she responded with a season high 12 points. Jenn Casper also had an outstanding game tying Jenna for team high with 12 points. Point guard Jade Montes continues her consistant output with 7 points as Paige Southmayd added 6 and Taylor Partin contributed 5. Monte Vista improves to 4-3 and will next face James Logan tomorrow at 3 PM.
Notre Dame (JV) 31 - Monte Vista (JV) 23
December 21, 2009 —
The roller coaster season continues for the JV team. After a top to bottom good game against Gunn, Monte Vista again stumbled against a strong opponent - falling behind early, did everything possible to climb out of the hole and fell short at the end. Notre Dame's zone defense was design to collapse on Paige Southmayd who fought gallantly to snatch 13 rebounds and scored 6 points but ultimately could not carry the team to victory. Jenn Casper added 5 and Angelyn Brown and Jade Montes each contributed 4. Monte Vista will likely face Mills High School tomorrow at 4:30 PM.
Monte Vista (JV) 54 - Gunn 18
December 19, 2009 —
The Monte Vista JV team and coach Steve Cornell & Pat Nivens had to sit on a hard fought loss to Sonoma followed by a disappointing loss to Rodriquez for 11 days with no way of finding out the true heart of this year's squad. The team took the court this afternoon in the first round of the Mission San Jose Tournament against an unknown foe Gunn High School from the Central Coast Section and quickly showed every one in the gym that this team will contend for the title. The Lady Mustangs used full court pressure to create multiple turnovers en route to an early 13-0 lead. The team eventually settled for a relatively slim 23-11 halftime advantage but could take solace they held Gunn to only a single basket in the half and played everyone by the end of the first quarter. The defense tightened in the 3rd quarter, shutting out the opponent while delivering 17 points led by center Paige Southmayd who had 12 rebounds 3 blocks and 3 steals along with a team high 13 points. Fellow post Jenn Casper added 10 points including 6 straight to start the contest. Jade Montes continued her recent surge scoring 8 points six of which came off steals. To complete the team effort, Callie Starn and Charlotte Sedlock had 6 and 4 points respectively, all were first time baskets while Olivia Romero matched her season high with 6 points. Taylor Partin who just joined the team was immediately comfortable adding instant ball handling depth along with 2 points. Kristin Huey and Angelyn Brown had 3 and 2 points, rounding out the scoring. MV will next face the old nemesis Notre Dame Belmont at the Round of Eight Monday at 7:30 PM.
Monte Vista 58 - St. Patrick St. Vincent 34
December 12, 2009 —
For the second consecutive game, every active player got on the floor as Monte Vista improves to 5-2 with a convincing victory over a smaller and undermanned St. Patrick - St. Vincent team. The game was closest at 9-7 at which point the Lady Mustangs ran off with 6 straight points for a 15-7 first quarter lead and eventually built a 30-14 halftime advantage. Kaylie Williams stayed out of foul trouble and controlled the paint with a career high 16 rebounds plus 15 points while center Alyssa Samia added 14 points and 7 rebounds. Nicole Oliveira put forth another strong outing with 9 points and 5 steals while freshman forward Miranda Bidwell backed up her excellent outing against Lompoc with another strong performance with 6 points spelling Jasmine Dilworth who had to sit out most of the contest due to a nose bleed. Back up freshman point guard Angela Rigo saw her most extensive playing time this season and demonstrated why she has the tools to be the future 1-guard for Monte Vista. The team will now have a 9 day break before a tough away game with the Dublin Gaels.
Monte Vista 57 - Lompoc 32
December 11, 2009 —
Monte Vista rebounded from a disheartening 1 point loss the evening before with a 26 point victory in the second game of the Pinole Valley HS Tournament. Coach Hirschman utilized the entire team with his free substitutions led by Alex Smolen and Jasmine Dilworth each with 12 points. Freshman forward Miranda Bidwell also contributed a season high 8 points including her first varsity three pointer. MV jumped out to a 21-5 first quarter lead off three quick inside baskets from Dilworth and never looked back. The team improves to 4-2 and will face St.Patrick-St.Vincent in tomorrow's third game.
Aragon 50 - Monte Vista 49
December 10, 2009 —
Unable to reduce turnovers ultimately proved to be the down fall of the Lady Mustangs as the team took a tough one point loss at the Pinole Valley HS Tournament. Trailing by two with 0.9 second left on the clock, Kaylie Williams calmly drained a pair of free throws to send the game into overtime at 40-40. Fell behind at 40-45, Aragon's center fouled out of the contest which opened up the inside with MV scoring 8 consecutive points the last three on a three pointer by Krystal Mizono. Aragon, however, answered with a three point play next trip down to knot the game at 48-48. Kaylie Williams hit one of two free throws to give Monte Vista back a one point advantage which was short lived as Aragon's point guard was fouled driving to the basket, The pair of free throws with 5 seconds left was the difference in an otherwise tight, entertaining but error filled contest. Monte Vista's three post players accounted for 41 of the team's 50 points led by Kaylie Williams's 15 points. Alyssa Samia had 14 points and freshman Jasmine Dilworth added a career best 12 points.
Monte Vista 44 - Roadriquez 43
December 8, 2009 —
Alex Smolen scored a season low 1 point for the game but what a point that was ! It came with 7.8 second left in a 43-43 game with Monte Vista desperately trying to hang on after blowing a 41-33 lead half way into the fourth quarter. Alex was fouled at mid court and went to the line and nailed the all important front end of an one & one. She then missed the second shot but managed to grab the rebound and ran out the clock as the Lady Mustang escaped with a nail biter at the season home opener. Ms Smolen also handed out 6 assists along with an astounding 9 steals. Of course Monte Vista would not even be in position to win the game on Alex Smolen's last second heroic had it not received a monster game from Kaylie Williams who scored her back to back career best 24 points along with 14 rebounds to prove she is a legitimate D-1 college prospect. Kaylie dropped in 18 of those 24 points in the first half to keep Monte Vista ahead the entire contest. The lead was 25-21 at intermission and eventually grew to 41-33 on the strength of a pair of three pointers by Krystal Mizono who added a difficult floater in heavy traffic to give Monte Vista back the lead after Rodriquez tied the score at 41-41. Freshman Jasmine Dilworth contributed 5 points but provided important rebounds and defense on Rodriquez's fame 6'2" center Khristina Hunter who was held to a manageable 17 points. Monte Vista improves to 3-1 and set to play Thursday against Aragon High School at the Pinole Valley HS Tournament.
Rodriquez (JV) 44 - MV (JV) 33
December 9, 2009 —
The injury bug continues to haunt The Monte Vista JV squad now adding Olivia Romero to the list with a finger injury sustained in practice. With Bridget Haus also out with a knee injury, Captain Jenna Cordesius had to make an early return with her fractured digits. The quick and aggressive Rodriquez JV team gave Monte Vista significant difficulties with their man to man defense much like the Sonoma Lady Dragons MV faced Saturday at the Castlemont Tournament. Numerous turnovers made it difficult for the home team to score, particularly in the second half. After trailing 19-14 going into the break, the Lady Mustangs fell behind by double digits virtually the entire second half never mounting any serious threat against the visitors. Paige Southmayd continues to be a one man wracking crew scoring 11 points and collecting 8 rebounds. Jade Montes had her second straight strong scoring game with 7 and both Marissa Grant and Jenn Casper added 6 points.
Varsity - Alhambra Tournament
JV Castlemont Tournament
Monte Vista 57 - Healdsberg 32
December 5, 2009 —
Rebounding from a tough loss to Berkeley, the Monte Vista Lady Mustangs took third place in the Alhambra Bulldog Tournament with a solid 25 points win over Healdsberg. Kaylie Williams who had a tough game against the Yellow Jackets turned in a career high 19 points along with 12 rebounds. Center Alyssa Samia came up with her third double digit outing with 12 points including 6/7 from the line. With Jasmine Dilworth in foul trouble the whole game, fellow freshman Sarah Jensen competently filled in at forward with 4 points, 4 rebounds and 2 assists. Nicole Oliveira had her best scoring performance as a varsity player with 9 points while senior guard/forward Alex Smolen added 7 points and 5 rebounds. Monte Vista (2-1) next faces Rodriquez HS on Tuesday as season home opener.
Sonoma (JV) 28 - Monte Vista (JV) 22
December 5, 2009 —
Monte Vista JV (2-1) matched up against a tough sophomore and junior only team from Sonoma high school this evening in the championship game of the Castlemont Tournament in Oakland. In the absence of Coach Steve Cornell, assistant coach Pat Niven was at the helm and the Lady Mustangs put together a tough man to man first half defense and held the high power Sonoma Dragons to only three points per quarter and seized a 12-6 advantage at the half. Marissa Grant kept Sonoma's most formidable #5 to only 2 points at the break by denying her the basketball. Jade Montes had 6 first half points and finished with 8 for the game to lead the team including a couple of tough, heavily contested jump shots. Sonoma opened the second half with a 5-0 run to close the gap to one at 12-11. Jenn Casper's bank shot put MV back up by three at 14-11 but four quick points from the Dragons gave Sonoma the first lead in the game at 15-14. Monte Vista, however, answered with a putback by Jade Montes and a long two by Angelyn Brown to reclaim the lead after three quarters at 18-15. Difficulties with inbound plays and turnover under pressure doomed the Lady Mustangs as the Dragons put on a 9-0 run to open up a 6 point lead at 26-18 including the only three pointer for the game. A pair of free throws from Marissa Grant trimmed the deficit to 26-22 but the team could get no closer after that to take its first loss of the season. Jade Montes, Jenn Casper and Paige Southmayd who scored only 4 points but grabbed 10 rebounds, tied up four jump balls and intimidated opponents with her size and strength were all named to the ALL TOURNAY TEAM. The only bad news from an otherwise fun tournament is the right knee injury suffered by Bridget Haus during the first quarter of the contest who was hurt while scoring a driving basket. The loss of Bridget is significant as she is the team's first player off the bench as well as possibly the toughest member of the squad.
Berkeley 55 - Monte Vista 32
December 4, 2009 —
As expected, Berkeley presented the young Monte Vista team with great challenges including superior strength, quickness and general athleticism. The swarming Yellow Jackets pressured MV into turnover after turnover and out rebounded the Lady Mustangs by a ratio of 3:1, especially on the offensive end. Their guards also hit five three pointers against the Monte Vista zone and the team converted 15 of 17 from the free throw line. The result was a convincing victory that was a bit closer than the final score indicated. Early in the fourth quarter, a three point basket from Krystal Mizono cut the deficit to 43-32 but that was the closest Monte Vista was to get as Berkeley ran off the next 12 point to put the game away comfortably. Alyssa Samia led Monte Vista with 13 point while Jasmine Dilworth added 7. Kaylie Williams was in foul trouble early and had to sit out most of the first half. She finished with 5 points. The team now awaits either Healdsburg or Petaluma in tomorrow's 3rd place game at 1:00 PM.
Monte Vista (Varsity) 69 - Benicia 27
December 3, 2009 —
MV spotted Benicia a 5-0 lead but woke up to take a 18-7 lead after one and 35-12 lead at halftime en route to a 69-27 victory. Four players scored in double digits led by Kaylie Williams with a career high 18 points followed by Alyssa Samia and Jasmine Dilworth each with 14 and Alex Smolen with 11.
Monte Vista (JV) 36 - San Rafael 19
December 3, 2009 —
The San Rafael Bulldogs applied full court pressure the entire contest and created major confusion on the young Monte Vista squad which struggled to maintain control and run their plays. Twin posts Jenn Casper and Paige Southmayd used their size advantage to keep the Lady Mustangs ahead most of the first quarter. As a matter of fact, Jenn Casper scored the first 6 points for MV which held a short lived 4-0 lead. Most of the first half, however, was a defensive battle with both teams committing numerous turnovers and neither able to capitalize on the opportunities. The halftime score of 16-15 with MV up by one pretty much told the story. The third quarter, however, saw the Mustangs pulled off a 16-0 run while shutting out their opponent punctuated by back to back inside baskets from both Paige Southmayd and Jenn Casper followed by a stolen inbound pass and reverse layup by Paige Southmayd who led the scoring with 10 points while Jenn Casper was close behind with 9. Lightning quick point guard Marisa Grant and forward Bridget Haus each added 5 points. Monte Vista will face host Castlemont in tomorrow evening's semifinal contest.
Visit By Old Friends !!
November 28, 2009 —
Last years players Nicole Vigar and Kendyl Bachelor returned home for the Thanksgiving Holiday and dropped in to watch the scrimmage against Pinole Valley High School.
Pinole Valley HS scrimmage
November 28, 2009 —
Miramonte 51 - Monte Vista 40
November 24, 2009 —
Coach Ron Hirschman knew early on this year would be a challenge with five freshmen on the squad and no returning starter. The Foundation game essentially confirmed his concerns, particularly the difficulties against pressure defense and defense against a polished big post player. Monte Vista led most of the first half and went into the locker room with a 19-15 lead on the strength of Alyssa Samia's 11 first half points and generally good defense. MV was still ahead 31-28 middle of the third quarter when the full court pressure by Miramonte caused multiple turnovers. The Mats went on a 12-0 run with Gonzaga bound Stephanie Golden led the way with 8 points during the stretch to lead 40-31. Alex Smolen's three pointer cut the deficit to 6 but that was the closest the Lady Mustangs could come. One bright spot aside from Alyssa Samia was the performance of Nicole Oliveira who not only scored 10 points but played tenacious defense throughout the contest. Co-captain Kaylie Williams was in foul trouble most of the evening and finished with 5 points and 7 rebounds.
Monte Vista (JV) 40 - Miramonte 18
November 24, 2009 —
Balanced production highlighted the Foundation game for the JV squad which easily handled the Matadors at Miramonte HS. Center Paige Southmayd led the team with 9 points despite stating after the contest 'I need a lot of work in my game.' Team captain Jenna Cordesius suffered a serious hand injury but scored 7 points in the first half before exiting. Jenn Casper had 6 points while Angelyn Brown and Olivia Romero each contributed 4. Monte Vista led the entire way and was ahead 21-8 at halftime.
Scrimmage At Washington HS
November 21, 2009 —
No matter how deep the entering freshman class is, replacing all five starters will not be easy and Coach Hirschman knows it. Monte Vista embarked on its NCS and State Regional Title defense against a tough Division I foe and came away with a hard fought 42-38 unofficial victory with five freshmen on its roster. Playing without graduated star forward Niveen Rasheed presented a noticeable change to both the offense and defense although on Saturday, Alyssa Samia responded with 10 points while Kaylie Williams pulled down 12 rebounds to partially offset the loss. Alex Smolen also added a pair of three pointers to continue where she left off last season. Tuesday's Foundation Game against Miramontes and their GONZAGA bound center Stephanie Golden will give some gauge on where this year's team is as Monte Vista took a decisive victory last season at home with Niveen dominated both ends of the court.
Scrimmage Against Washington HS
November 21, 2009 —
No matter how many times a play was run in practice, it could never truly simulate game speed. The first quarter of the scrimmage at Washington HS gave Coach Cornell's team, which is filled with freshman newcomers, a taste of what it's like in a real game when the speed is ten times faster and the defenders are all around ready to put a hand in your face and push you out of the paint. The JV squad looked out of sync for the better part of a quarter and trailed 10-7 before it settled and went on a 21-0 run through the next two and a half quarters to take a commanding 28-10 lead, eventually closing the contest out with a final, unofficial score of 35-16.
The team has two more practices to work out the kinks before the Foundation Game at Miramontes on Tuesday.
Niveen Rasheed - Ivy League Rookie of The Week
November 21, 2009 —
After two games as starting shooting guard for Princeton, former Monte Vista star Niveen Rasheed leads the Tigers in scoring, rebound, assists and steal...
The Journey Completed - What a Ride !
March 22, 2009 —
So Poly won 57-33. They are an excellent team, a national power. The final score, however, does not at all reflect how close the game was for better than two quarters and how the call made 2 seconds before the half against Niveen Rasheed was the difference. Regardless, Monte Vista showed the incredible toughness and determination that made this team the best ever in the history of the school. The 2008-09 North Coast Section and CIF Northern Regional Champions.
Monte Vista is NORCAL Division I Champion !
March 14, 2009 —
Embassy Suites Sacramento is a lovely hotel on the river and the cooked to order breakfast from the grill was terrific. Head coach Ron Hirschman, however, did not eat. It is probably a good guess he also didn't sleep well. It was not easy to get twelve young ladies to gather at breakfast at 7:30 am but they were all there on time. For the young ladies, this was to be an exciting day but not necessarily much more. For coach, this would be the day he returned to ARCO after a twelve year absence and if it all worked out, it would be a personal landmark, a large feather on an already illustrious career cap. A recognition long overdue.
The drive to ARCO was brief but the check-in process tedious and security was tight. The NorCal Finals was a BIG DEAL ! Little needed to be said to the girls as they filed out into the bright lights of a 19,000 seat arena where LeBron James played barely 14 hours ago. This is homecourt for Kennedy Sacramento even though technically, Monte Vista is the home team with the #1 seed. Kennedy was here last year as NorCal Finalist and they appeared calm with a business as usual attitude.
The game tipped off on time and MV was visibly tight. Neither side was able to score in the first 2 minutes. The size of the arena and depth perception issue affected the outside shooting of both squads. Kennedy drew first blood on a foul shot but the Lady Mustangs went on a 6-0 run to lead 6-1 and 8-3 but Kennedy pulled even with a long three pointer at the first quarter buzzer at 8-8. The Lady Mustangs answered back with another 10-0 run in the early second quarter to push ahead 18-8 but the local team was not about to fold as Kennedy fought back to close the gap at 20-14 at intermission. Niveen Rasheed was held to only 2 points by constant double teaming and MV had trouble keeping Kennedy's Big #32 Butler from the paint who scored 8 inside points and at the same time pushed Amil Amin into foul trouble. Dani Rabago, however, stepped up huge by scoring 10 points in the first half none bigger than an offensive rebound and putback basket that stopped Kennedy's 6-0 run. In spite of the close score, everyone connected to Monte Vista knew Niveen would erupt offensively sooner or later but until then, the game was a nail biter with Monte Vista unable to score in the early going of the 3rd quarter against a tough man to man defense while Kennedy connected on a two pointer to trim their deficit to only 4 at 20-16. The spread would stay at 6 for the third period at 28-22 as neither team could control the offensive end. The tide finally turned early in the final segment when good ball movement created an open look for Alex Smolen who calmly drained a three from the right wing to give MV a 9 popint advantage and broke open an otherwise low scoring defensive struggle. Niveen added 9 hard earned points in the second half to finish with 11 but grabbed 10 rebounds and had 4 steals and 4 assists in addition to the usual suffocating defense. Four offensive rebounds and perfection from the line by Alexandria Whalen ended any hope of an upset by Kennedy who were limited to 0 point in the fourth quarter until a desperation three at the final buzzer. The final score of 42-25 sets a NorCal Finals record of fewest points allowed !
We Are Going To ARCO ! Monte Vista 68 - Lincoln 39
March 12, 2009 —
Both teams scored a basket in the opening minute of the NorCal semi final game. The small but quick Lincoln team then took a 6-2 and eventually 12-6 lead the latter on the strength of back to back three pointers. Just when the spectators started to wonder if this could be the beginning of an upset, Monte Vista went on a 53-8 tear to take a commanding 59-20 lead by the end of the third quarter. The bench was cleared and everyone from MV got in the last local contest as all future games in the state tournament will be held at the 19,000 seat ARCO arena. Niveen Rasheed was instrumental in breaking Lincoln's press along with scoring 15 of her game high 19 points in the first half. She also finished with 9 rebounds, 7 assists and 4 steals. Alexandria Whalen was virtually unstoppable with 13 points in a little more than a half. Dani Rabago also had 13 points along with 8 rebounds while Amil Amin added 9. The Lady Mustangs will face Kennedy HS of Sacramento, last years NorCal finalist to Berkeley, in Saturday's NorCal Final. Kennedy surprised Deer Valley this evening 44-40 in overtime.
Monte Vista 53 - Sheldon 27
March 10, 2009 —
The game following the historic NCS Championship victory was potentially a downer. With an Athletic Sheldon team visiting from Sacramento, there were plenty of reasons for Coach Ron Hirschman to be concerned. While the game was played without visible emotion, the outcome remained the same. Even with Niveen Rasheed on the bench due to two early fouls, Monte Vista was able to secure a 14-4 and 23-9 leads at the end of the 1st quarter and at the half on the strength of the defense and Alexandria Whalen's 13 points. Niveen returned in the 3rd quarter and the lead was quickly increased to 40-15 at the end of three and the victory virtually secured. Niveen finished with a triple double including 19 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists. The Lady Mustangs will now face Lincoln High School from San Francisco on Thursday for the right to play at the NorCal championship game at ARCO arena.
By George, we did it ! Monte Vista Is 2008-09 North Coast Section Champion !!
Monte Vista 57 - Deer Valley 40 !
Erin Swete
Starting JV guard Erin Swete suffered a serious knee injury in the championship game of the Newark Memorial HS Tournament. This was the only downer in an otherwise very good tournament. We wish Erin a speedy recovery and looking forward to having her rejoin her teammates on the basketball court.
Senior Day is always difficult for it is usually the final regular season home game and many graduating players may never again set foot on the court on which they have spent a big part of their young lives. This year is particularly hard on the coaches as it represents one of the most bountiful classes in Monte Vista's girls basketball history having brought the program back to back to back 20 plus wins seasons and three consecutive EBAL titles. This class has also not lost a home EBAL game since 2006, when these young ladies were freshmen. Amil Amin, Niveen Rasheed, Nicole Vigar and Alexandria Whalen are all rare four year varsity players with both Ms. Whalen and Rasheed carry the supreme honor of four year varsity starters. Christi Beeman follows her sister's footsteps with three letters and will leave Monte Vista with the most combined JV-Varsity victories at 23-3, 27-3, 25-3 and ???. Kendyl Bachelor only saw varsity action one year but anchored two of Monte Vista's best ever JV squads with 25-1 and 25-1 record. Niveen Rasheed, whose #24 is permanently retired, will finish with the school record in rebounds and steals along with over 1,600 points.
Monte Vista Girls - Number 1 seed in North Coast Section !
February 22, 2009 —
The North Coast Section selection committee honored the success of the Monte Vista team by awarding us the all important #1 seed on the merit of our record and strength of schedule. MV will receive a first round bye and will play the winner of California and James Logan on Friday with the boys.
Monte Vista 64 - Granada 29
The North Coast Section (NCS) was correct in its seeding as the #1 seed Monte Vista will meet the #2 seed Deer Valley this Saturday for the section championship at St. Mary's College. Deer Valley eliminated defending NorCal Champion Berkeley from the playoff with a convincing 62-50 win at home while Monte Vista took care of upset minded #5 Granada with a 64-29 victory. The win is MV's third over the Matadors this season and earned the Lady Mustangs an automatic berth to the NorCal Regional Tournament regardless of outcome of Saturday's contest. Niveen Rasheed was hampered by fouls in the first half and Granada stayed within striking distance trailing only 28-16 at the break but Dani Rabago hit back to back three pointers to open the third quarter and the rout was on. Niveen finished with a almost routine 23 points while Alexandria Whalen added 13 including a pair of three's as well. Monte Vista improves to 25-2 on the year.
Monte Vista 60 - James Logan 24
February 27, 2009 —
James Logan stayed with Monte Vista for 6 minutes, trailing only 13-9, when the Lady Mustangs went on a 24-1 run primarily from 20 forced turnovers to lead 37-10 at the break. The visitors were introduced to the athletic prowess of Niveen Rasheed who dominated the first half with 21 points before finishing the game with 24 points along with 11 rebounds and 8 assists. The third quarter was nearly as lopsided when the lead grew to 56-19 when coach Hirschman cleared the bench. In addition to Niveen's 21 first half points, Alex Smolen showed why she is the team's leading 3-point shooter by nailing a trio of first half three's two were buzzer beaters at the end of the first and second quarter. Alex finished with four 3-pointers and 12 points. MV now awaits the winner of tomorrow's game between Granada and Newark Memorial in Wednesday's semi final game. #2 Deer Valley HS beat #7 San Ramon Valley tonight 57-29 and will face #3 Berkeley in the other semi final.
Monte Vista 63 - San Ramon Valley 30
February 21, 2009 —
The final 2008-09 regular season was played in front of a pack house at Dougherty Valley HS that witnessed the conclusion of regular season play from some of the finest players ever to don a Monte Vista varsity basketball jersey. As expected, MV jumped out to a commanding 22-8 first quarter lead but saw the Wolves fought back in the second quarter to trail 34-16 at the half. A dominant 18-4 third quarter gave the Lady Mustangs a 52-20 advantage with the game closed on an even fourth quarter. Niveen Rasheed finished the game with 21 points followed by Dani Rabago with 12. Sophomore center Alyssa Samia had an excellent game with 9 points and 6 rebounds mostly in the fourth quarter. Monte Vista finished the regular season at 13-1 in EBAL and 23-2 for the season. The team will gather tomorrow at Danny's to wait for the North Coast Section seeding outcome.
Monte Vista (JV) 45 - San Ramon Valley 30
February 20, 2009 —
The drama was not spared in the final game of the 2008-09 season. The favorite Monte Vista trailed 7-6 after one quarter, bounced back to take a 21-16 lead into the locker room only to give up 6 straight points and trailed 22-21 and later 25-24 in the third quarter before both the offense and defense put it together for a 21-5 run to turn a tight contest into a rout. Taylor Fazio continues her dominance in the paint this season by scoring 17 points and snatching 15 rebounds. Jenna Cordesius and Jessica Gephardt each contributed 6 points while Natalie Gallo and Kristin Huey added 4 each. Coach Steve Cornell's JV squad finished the season 11-3 in EBAL play and 19-7 for the season.
Monte Vista (Varsity) 75 - Amador Valley 33
February 18, 2009 —
On an emtional night, Niveen Rasheed went out to show the home crowd one more time why she may be the all time best player at Monte Vista by recoding a rare triple double including scoring 22 points in the first half, 33 for the game, 11 steals, 10 rebounds and 5 assists. Amil Amin added 13 points, Alexandra Whalen contributed 9 with junior Dani Rabago adding 7. The MV squad can seal a tie for the EBAL title with a road victory against San Ramon Valley on Saturday.
Monte Vista (JV) 34 - Amador Valley 29
February 18, 2009 —
For a quarter, it appeared the ills from the second half of the Carondelet game carried over to the Amador Valley contest as the MV girls fell behind miserable 15-6 and eventually by as many as 18-6 before waking up to trim the deficit to 7 at the half at 19-12 by outscoring the Dons 6-1. Monte Vista cut Amador Valley's lead to 22-21 at the end of the 3rd quarter and bolted ahead to stay in the fourth primarily on the strength of center Taylor Fazio's 10 points in the quarter. Taylor ended up with 20 of the team's 34 points with Jessica Gephardt adding 5 and Kristin Huey 4. Monte Vista improves to 10-3 in EBAL and 18-7 overall.
Carondelet 60 - Monte Vista (Varsity) 50
February 13, 2009 —
Mitch Stephens of the San Francisco Chronicle called this game a "battle of State Powers" between Monte Vista and Carondelet. Going in, MV knew there was no room for error if they were to upset Carondelet again, this time on their home court. The game did not start out well as Monte Vista fell behind 6-0 quickly and Nicole Vigar picked up a pair of fouls within 3 minutes and had to sit. For the second game in a row, sophomore forward Kaylie Williams had to step in and again played admirably, particularly on the defensive end. Monte Vista was able to score the next 7 points and took the lead at the 2 minute mark, eventually taking a 14-12 advantage into the second quarter. Foul trouble continued to plague the Lady Mustangs with Amil Amin and Alexandria Whalen both picked up two fouls in the second quarter and had to come out of the contest. At this point, the game was a dog fight with 8 changes in lead but when star Niveen Rasheed picked up her third foul before the half and had to sit, things began to go Carondelet's way. The Cougars turned a 3 point deficit at 24-21 quickly into a 31-27 lead at the half. A three point basket at the opening possession gave Carondelet their largest lead up to that point at 34-27 but Monte Vista was able to trim it to 34-31 and a missed breakaway layup could have cut the deficit to one. Instead, the Cougars scored the next 4 points to retake a 7 point lead at 38-31 which they maintained into the beginning of the fourth quarter at 42-34. Two three point baskets by Rebecca Radonovich brought Carondelet their largest lead at 12 but Niveen Rasheed put on a one man show by scoring 10 unassisted fourth quarter points to keep MV in striking distance but cold shooting prevented Monte Vista from cutting into the lead hence ending a 12 game win streak. Niveen finished with a game leading 24 points while Dani Rabago added 11. The team will take the weekend off and refocus on the remaining game against Amador Valley and San Ramon Valley before beginning of the playoff run.
Carondelet (JV) 49 - Monte Vista 33
February 13, 2009 —
Every Monte Vista JV fan recognizes the importance of Taylor Fazio, primarily because of her scoring, rebounding and shot blocking prowess. On Friday, the fans also saw the extreme value of Taylor against full court pressure as she and Jessica Gebhardt teamed up beautifully to render Carondelet's press completely ineffective in the first half allowing MV to build an 11 point lead at the half at 27-16 with Taylor Fazio scoring 14 of the 27 points. The dream of sweeping all three contests from Carondelet unraveled quickly when Ms. Fazio picked up her 3rd and 4th foul in rapid succession and had to leave the game. The Cougars scored 8 straight points to trim the deficit to 27-24 before Kristin Huey gave MV back a 5 point lead with a 15 footer. The wheels than completely came off for Monte Vista as 4 consecutive turnovers including inability to inbound under full court pressure ignited a 25-2 run for the Cougars who turned a potential disaster into a rout in under two quarters. Both Taylor Fazio and Jessica Gephardt failed to score in the second half, the first time this has happened this season. The Monte Vista JV now drops to 9-3 in EBAL play and 17-7 for the season.
Monte Vista (Varsity) 55 - Livermore 22
February 11, 2009 —
The visiting Lady Cowboys again gave Monte Vista a hard fought battle by steadfastly refusing to get blown out. Livermore stayed within 15 points for the entire first half when Niveen Rasheed had to sit because of foul trouble and was within 20 points in the third when Niveen erupted for 16 second half points including 11 in the fourth quarter. Ms. Rasheed finished with 21 points along with 14 rebounds, 7 assists and 5 steals all for barely two quarters of play. When Monte Vista was struggling without their leader, Dani Rabago stepped with with a series of deadly jump shots that essentially prevented Livermore from cutting their deficit to single digit. Ms. Rabago collected 16 points for the game. Center Amil Amin had to sit out the game to rest her injured big toe and her starting position was admirably filled by sophomore forward Kaylie Williams. Senior guard Kendyl Bachelor contributed a season best 5 points in a strong fourth quarter. MV is now 21-1 overall and 11-0 in league play.
Monte Vista (JV) 44 - Livermore 20
February 11, 2009 —
Monte Vista routed Livermore at home this evening with unexpected ease to avenge last month's heartbreaking overtime loss to remain within a game of the league lead setting up a big showdown against Carondelet this Friday. MV's defense was stellar limiting Livermore to four single digit quarters. Scoring was led by Taylor Fazio with 13 points followed by 9 points from Sara Purlee who had just returned from a wrist injury that had cost her service for two games. Jessica Gephardt finished with 8 along with Kristin Huey with 4. Monte Vista improves to 17-6 on the season and 9-2 in EBAL.
Camp at Gallo's
February 8, 2009 —
The entire varsity squad plus most of the JV players showed up for a fundraiser camp with 7th and 8th graders along with the coaches. The gym was graciously provided by Mr. Bob Gallo whose daughter Natalie is a member of the JV team.
Breakfast at Beeman's
February 7, 2009 —
Monte Vista (Varsity) 67 - California 24
February 6, 2009 —
For the first time this season, Monte Vista trailed in a league contest when the Grizzles took a 4-0 lead to open the game. The game stayed close for 5 minutes with MV only holding a slim 7-6 lead when the Lady Mustangs erupted and went on a 34-7 run to lead 41-13 at the half and eventually coast home with a 41 point win. Nicole Vigar did her usual yeoman's job on defense but added back to back to back breakaway steals in the 2nd quarter to demoralize the visitors. Niveen Rasheed led the balanced scoring with 15 points while Amil Amin added 11, Dani Rabago 10, and Krystal Misono with 8. Nicole Oliveira saw her most extensive playing time and contributed 5 points. Monte Vista improves to 20-1 on the year with a 10-0 EBAL record. The team will entertain Livermore at home on Wednesday before traveling to face Carodelet on Friday.
Monte Vista (JV) 45 - California 41 ( OT )
February 6, 2009 —
The two best players on the JV squad were both stricken with the flu and coach Cornell had to use a patch work team to face the quick and determined Grizzles at home. Losing center Taylor Fazio severely affected MV's ability to rebound and in the paint scoring. Team captain Jessica Gebhardt, however, stepped up despite of her fever and single-handedly kept Monte Vista in the game. The Lady Mustang had built a 25-15 lead in the third quarter and appeared to have the game in control when Cal High mounted a major come back aided by its control of the offensive board finally pulling even at 33-33 on a long three pointer. MV retook the lead on a free throw 34-33 but the Grizzles grabbed the lead with 1:21 left on a putback basket at 35-34. Jenna Cordesius made one of two from the foul line to tie the game at 35-35 and Monte Vista turned back two offensive possessions from Cal High and actually had three shots to win the game in regulation with less than 20 seconds to go but failed to convert. A crucial 12 foot basket in overtime by Angelyn Brown who finished with a career best 8 points, big rebounds from Natalie Gallo and 4 of 5 free throws by Jess Gebhardt finally closed out the game, giving Monte Vista an 8-2 league record and 16-6 overall going into next week's showdown with Livermore and Carondelet to decide the league champion. Jessica Gebhardt finished with a season high 20 points. Jenna Cordesius also came up strong by scoring 10 points matching her season high.
Monte Vista (Varsity) 59 - Foothill 40
February 4, 2009 —
Monte Vista took a 12-0 lead after one quarter extending it to 17-0 before Foothill finally got on the board. The lead was at 47-20 after three quarters and the bench was again cleared with MV eventually cruising to a 19 point victory. The game witnessed another outstanding performance by Niveen Rasheed who had 17 points along with 7 steals. Senior guard Alexandria 'X' Whalen had one of her best games of the season with 14 points. With the win, MV improves to 9-0 in league play and 19-1 for the season. The Lady Mustangs will host Livermore on Friday.
Monte Vista (JV) 53 - Foothill 39
February 4, 2009 —
A virtual replay of the last meeting at MV, the Lady Falcons led after one quarter and came back from a 17-11 deficit to within a point at 19-18 at the half. The game remained close in the third quarter with the game within one at 23-22 and 25-24. Monte Vista, however, outscored Foothill 6-2 to close out the quarter with a 31-26 advantage. Taylor Fazio, who has been dominant lately, scored on three consecutive possessions to give the visitors a 39-28 lead which grew to 16 points late in the fourth segment. Taylor Fazio finished the game with a career best 21 points on 10 baskets with Jenna Cordesius adding 9. Kristen Huey who was given a surprise start by coach Cornell contributed 6 points along with Natalie Roveto. Monte Vista improves to 7-2 in EBAL and 15-6 for the season.
Monte Vista (Varsity) 64 - Granada 36
January 31, 2009 —
Granada gave Monte Vista their toughest challenge in league outside Carondelet when they played at Monte Vista and coach Ron Hirschman was determined not to let the Matadors stay close in this contest. Granada stayed competitive for a minute or two with the score at 4-2 and 6-4. But MV then ran off 17 straight unanswered points and built a commanding 23-4 lead at the end of the 1st quarter and 40-16 at the half. Granada's standout guard Katie Thrall was held to only 5 points while MV was able to substitute liberally halfway through the 3rd quarter when the game was clearly under control. Niveen Rasheed had another big half with 17 points finishing 21 for the game after playing sparingly in the second half. Amil Amin continues her resurgence with another double digit scoring game with 11 plus 4 block shots. Monte Vista improves to 8-0 in EBAL and 18-1 overall.
Monte Vista (JV) 48 - Granada 44
January 30, 2009 —
Monte Vista pulled to within a half game of league leading Carondelet at 6-2 by defeating the Matadors on their home court thus avenging the bitter overtime loss at home earlier in the month. MV led each of the first three quarters although Granada stayed within striking distance the entire time and finally made their move late in the fourth quarter when they took the lead at 44-43 with less than 30 seconds left on the clock. Taylor Fazio, however, was fouled in the very next possession and calmly sank a pair of free throws to give Monte Vista back the lead at 45-44. Natalie Roveto then sealed the victory by first hitting one of two free throws, then stole the inbound and fed Natalie Gallo for the insurance basket at the buzzer. Taylor Fazio finished with 17 points along with 15 rebounds while Jessica Gebhardt contributed her workman-like 11 points along with much needed ball handling while Sara Purlee continued her recent strong play by adding 7 points. Monte Vista improves to 14-6 for the season.
Monte Vista (JV) 41 - San Ramon Valley 33
January 28, 2009 —
'A win is a win' could not be more appropriate for this rival game at home. Monte Vista jumped out to a 13-7 first quarter advantage, building it to 15-7 at the opening moment of the second quarter but was shut out by the Wolves the rest of the half. SRV took the opportunity to trim the deficit to 15-14. Coach Steve was so distraught he declined to call any play in the third quarter only to see his team rebuild a 6 point lead at 28-22. The fourth quarter started well for MV who quickly extended its lead to 40-26 but had to hang on for a 41-33 win after yielding 7 straight points to the Wolves to close out the contest. Taylor Fazio led all scorers with 14 while Sara Purlee had one of her best offensive games with 9 points. Jessica Gebhardt also had 9 points along with 6 assists. Monte Vista improves to 13-6 overall and 5-2 in league play.
Monte Vista (Varsity) 56 - San Ramon Valley 16
January 27, 2009 —
This was one of those rare occasions when the girls and boys team play back to back on the same court against rival San Ramon Valley. The result was a sold out gym rocking for three straight hours. Using full court pressure, MV forced 5 turnovers in the first minutes of the contest and jumped out to a stunning 18-0 lead in the first quarter with Niveen Rasheed single handedly outscored SRV with 21 first half points finishing with 23 for the night. The early, unchallenged big lead, unfortunately, appeared to take the fire out of the Lady 'Stangs who went on to play a relatively uninspired game. The bench, on the other hand, was the beneficiary of a large lead and continued to play stout defense while Alyssa Samia came through with a strong outing scoring 9 points and pulling down 7 rebounds. Monte Vista, the 15th ranked team in California, improves to 7-0 in EBAL and 17-1 overall while SRV drops to 4-3 in League and 10-8 for the season.
Monte Vista (Varsity) 80 - Amador Valley 34
January 23, 2009 —
There was some concern the Lady Mustangs may have a case of the letdown after Wednesday's huge win over Carondelet. The worries, however, was unfounded as Monte Vista dominated the host team and sent the regular starters to an early shower. Amador Valley stayed close for about five minutes when the score was 14-11. MV then went on a 10-2 run to close out the quarter ahead 24-13 followed by a 17-1 second quarter to put any doubt on the outcome to bed. Niveen Rasheed, as usual, led all scorers with 24 along with 12 rebounds followed by 12 points from Amil Amin who has had a renaissance in her offensive game scoring double digits in three consecutive contests. Krystal Misono had her best scoring game this season hitting 3 out of 4 three point attempts to register 9 points while Kaylie Williams added 6 points and 8 rebounds.Alyssa Samia also contributed 6 points and 6 rebounds as a preview of next season's team.
Monte Vista improves to 6-0 in EBAL and 16-1 overall. With its 70-46 win over San Ramon Valley this evening, Carondelet broke the league tie and moves into sole possession of 2nd place at 5-1 while SRV drops to 4-2.
Monte Vista (JV) 31 - Amador Valley 29
January 23, 2009 —
Natalie Roveto kept up her recent torrid scoring pace with a season high 13 points and Monte Vista needed every one of them as they squeaked by host Amador Valley 31-29 after leading by as many as 8 points in the first half. Taylor Fazio had 10 points while Jessica Gebhardt added 6. The Lady Stangs is now 4-2 in EBAL and 12-6 for the season. Next up is San Ramon Valley on Wednesday at 7:00 pm.
Monte Vista (Varsity) 53 - Carondelet 42
January 21, 2009 —
The well anticipated showdown between two of the best teams in northern California unfolded in an excited packed gym under playoff atmosphere. Carondelet, the San Francisco Chronicle 2nd ranked metro team, had won the tough LaJolla Country Day tournament in San Diego in December and had two victories over Archbishop Mitty which had earlier handed Monte Vista their only loss of the season. The game was also attended by coaches from Santa Clara and Princeton along with multiple members of the media and numerous alumni players and parents. Coach Ron Hirschman has always pride himself in defense and Monte Vista started the game in like fashion with smothering defense on the potent Carondelet guards and forwards holding the Cougars to a season low 12 first half points. Not a shot was uncontested and every rebound battled. On the offensive side, Niveen Rasheed again showed why she is one of the very best players in northern California by putting up 17 points in the first half including 10 in the second quarter. Carondelet simply had no answer for her athletic abilities. The lead at halftime was a stunning 33-12 which surprised even the stoutest MV supporters. The Mustangs held the advantage in the first 4 minutes of the third quarter with a lead of 42-21 but then went scoreless for nearly 8 minutes. With Niveen on the sideline with 4 fouls, Carondelet was able to trim the deficit to 42-31 and later 48-41 but a huge three pointer by Amil Amin put Monte Vista back up by 10 and two free throws by Kaylie Williams essentially iced the game. Niveen Rasheed finished with 22 points to lead all scorers along with 11 rebounds and Amil Amin added 10. Alexandria Whalen contributed 8 points while Dani Rabago held the Cougars' leading scorer Ricky Radonovich to 8 points all came late in the contest. Nicole Vigar played her usual tough defense keeping highly touted Erica Payne completely off the offensive basket with only 5 points. Monte Vista improves to 15-1 and 5-0 in EBAL.
Monte Vista (JV) 39 - Carondelet 38
January 21, 2009 —
Five days after one of the toughest losses for coach Steve Cornell, his team redeems itself by upsetting Carondelet at home in dramatic fashion. After calling a time out with 5.4 seconds left on the clock, MV worked the ball to Jessica Gebhardt who missed a floater from the right baseline but Taylor Fazio grabbed the offensive rebound and was fouled with 0.5 seconds remaining. Taylor, who is the team's best free throw shooter, calmly stepped to the line and swished the shot to give Monte Vista the huge victory. The game started off well for the Lady 'Stangs who played with great intensity. The squad jumped out to a surprising 14-6 first quarter lead and eventually stretched the lead to 21-6 mid way through the second quarter. The team then went ice cold and allowed the Cougars to score the next 10 points including a three right before half time to cut the lead to 21-16. The second half continued with MV still stuck in a scoring drought with Carondelet pulling even at 21-21 on a three point play. MV then scored the next 6 points to push ahead 27-21 only to see Carondelet ran off with 7 straight including a three to allow the Cougars to leapfrog Monte Vista 28-27 for the only time in the game. The momentum swings continued as the Mustangs regained control with 8 straight points of their own stretching into the fourth quarter. MV led at 35-28 and later 37-31 but turnovers and spotty defense allowed Carondelet to tie the game at 38-38 leading up the final heroic by Ms Fazio. Taylor finished the game with 11 points and 12 rebounds while Jessica Gebhardt and Natalie Roveto each added 10 points. New team member Nikki St. Laurent contributed a season high 4 points in the win. Monte Vista improves to 11-6 and 3-2 in league. Next up is Amador Valley.
Monte Vista 69 - Livermore 47
January 16, 2009 —
As expected, Livermore was deadly from outside the three point arc as the Cowboys showed why they are the only team to have led Carondelet after one quarter by nailing nine three pointers against Monte Vista. MV, however, never trailed in the contest on the strength of Niveen Rasheed who scored a season high 25 points and pulled down 17 rebounds, 10 on the offensive side. Amil Amin also broke out of her season long slump by scoring 16 points while Alexandria Whalen added 9. The Mustangs now await the show down with Carondelet next Wednesday while improving their record to 14-1, 4-0
Livermore (JV) 53 - Monte Vista 48 OT
January 16, 2009 —
Coach Steve Cornell calls this his more disheartening loss in years after squandering commanding leads with the game winding down and the win apparently in hand. MV led 22-15 at the half and 32-26 after three quarters. As a matter of fact, Monte Vista was leading 42-37 with under a minute left with the ball. In stead of using the clock, the ball was turned over after an ill advised shot, allowing Livermore to score and cut MV's lead to three. The Lady Stangs still had a 3 point lead with 6 seconds left but the Cowboys nailed a last second three pointer to send the game into overtime and Monte Vista never recovered from there. After back to back 25-1 seasons and 24 consecutive league wins, Monte Vista is now 10-6 and 2-2 in league while Livermore improves to 4-0. Jessica Gebhardt had another outstanding offensive game with 16 points and 7 assists but missed on both free throws late in the game that might have given Monte Vista an insurmountable lead. Taylor Fazio and Natalie Roveto each added 8 points.
Monte Vista ( Varsity ) 69 - California High 28
January 14, 2009 —
The new California High coaching staff threw one of its best teams in recent years at Monte Vista and was competitive for most of the first quarter trailing only 10-7 when the visiting Mustangs reeled off 25 consecutive points led by the incomparable Niveen Rasheed who had 16 points in the first half along with 8 rebounds. Niveen finished with 20 points, 8 assists and 4 steals in just under 3 quarters of work. California High did not go away quietly as they mounted a small run in the beginning of the third quarter to trim Monte Vista's lead to 41-23 but the Mustangs answered back with a 17-0 run of their own to effectively put the game out of reach. Alexandria 'X' Whalen had one of her best offensive games this season with 15 points while Dani Rabago added 14. MV improves to 13-1 on the season and 3-0 in EBAL. Livermore is next on the schedule prior to the big, much anticipated showdown with Carondelet.
Monte Vista (JV) 52 - Cal 44
January 14, 2009 —
The Monte Vista JV team continues to baffle coach Steve Cornell with its inability to put together a complete game. The team opened the contest with an uninspiring first quarter, trailing the underdog Grizzlies 14-10 amongst a partisan Cal High crowd. The Lady 'Stang, however, bounced back on cue with an impressive second quarter when it scored 18 points while limiting Cal High to only 7, turning a 4 point first quarter deficit into a 7 point half time lead. The lead grew to 12 in the third quarter on three occasions but the team had 5 minutes of collapse in the fourth quarter allowing the host team to come within 5 twice. MV, nevertheless, closed out the game on a couple of Taylor Fazio's baskets. Taylor finished with a season high 17 points. Natalie Gallo also had a season high 11 points along with 6 points from Sarah Purlee . An unexpected offensive contributor was Angelyn Brown who scored 5 points including her first three pointer of the season. Monte Vista is now 10-5 for the season and 2-1 in EBAL. Next up is Livermore.
Monte Vista (Varsity) 61 - Foothill 35
January 9, 2009 —
Niveen Rasheed held the ball for a last shot near halftime and easily nailed a 15 footer with 6 seconds left on the clock then picked the ball clean off the Foothill point guard for a lay in at the buzzer. That was an example of the absolute dominance she had against the Foothill Falcons scoring 16 points and grabbing 10 rebounds along with 4 assists and 4 steals in the first half alone as Monte Vista built a 14 point first quarter and 19 point first half lead. The lead exploded to 54-17 after three quarters when coach Hirschman emptied the bench. Dani Rabago had 11 points and Alex Smollen added a pair of three pointers. Amil Amin had 10 rebounds along with 6 points after a hand injury limited her playing against Granada. Monte Vista improves to 12-1 for the year and will travel to California on Wednesday.
Monte Vista (JV) 40 - Foothill 23
January 9, 2009 —
For two and a half quarters, coach Steve Cornell was living a nightmare. After dropping the season opener to Granada Wednesday evening, the JV squad appeared to be embarking on another upset loss to underdog Foothill. An early 5-0 lead disappeared when the Lady 'Stangs started playing uninspired basketball ultimately allowing the Falcons to come back and eventually taking a 16-14 lead into the locker room. The game was tied at 18-18 3 minutes into the third quarter when MV sudden woke up and scored the next 8 points in rapid succession and finished the 3rd quarter outscoring Foothill 17-4. Foothill was limited to 3 points in the fourth quarter and never managed to mount any come back. Jess Gebhardt had another big game scoring 17 points to lead all players. Taylor Fazio added 8 points and 12 rebounds. Monte Vista JV improves to 9-5 on the year and 1-1 in league. Next up is California in San Ramon.
Monte Vista (Varsity) 46 - Granada 33
January 7, 2009 —
Most pundits expect the EBAL title to belong to either Monte Vista or Carondelet. They are hence forgetting a very good Granada team capable of upsetting the favorites on any given night. The 2008-09 season opener pitched MV against the Matadors at home and Granada showed why they should not be under-estimated by battling the Lady 'Stangs from opening tip till the very end. Monte Vista built a hard fought 8 point lead after one quarter at 14-6 but was unable to pull ahead further with Granada trimming the deficit to 16-12 and 18-14 in the first half and stayed within 10 points for much of the second half. Niveen Rasheed again was the difference. She not only put on a tight clamp on Granada's best player Katie Thralls but also dominated the score board by putting down 19 in an otherwise low scoring affair. The game was not secured until Alex Smollen knocked down her second three of the evening to widen the lead to 13. Dani Rabago and Alexandria Whalen both had strong game defensively as well as contributing 9 and 8 points respectively. The 11-1 Mustangs will host Foothill this Friday.
Granada (JV) 40 - Monte Vista 33
January 7, 2009 —
After four straight victories, Monte Vista (8-5) stumbled at home against a good Granada squad. The game was close early with the Matadors led 13-12 after one quarter and the teams tied 20-20 at the half. Jessica Gebhardt was virtually unstoppable scoring 10 points in the first quarter to keep MV within striking distance. Defensive lapses by MV allowed Granada to seize control of the game in the fourth building its biggest lead to 35-28. Jessica Gehardt dropped in a three pointer with 2:30 left in the game to bring Monte Vista to within 4 at 35-31. Three successive possessions without scoring doomed the home team as Granada clinched its victory from the free throw line when Monte Vista was forced to foul. Ms. Gebhardt finished with a season high 19 points while Taylor Fazio added 6.
Monte Vista (Varsity) 71 - Castlemont 37
January 4, 2009 —
Monte Vista rebounded from the loss to Mitty and interrupted game against Wilcox by pounding Castlemont, avenging a bitter defeat last season at Castlemont. MV jumped out to a 15-5 and 36-17 lead and never looked back. Niveen Rasheed again put in a workman-like 19 point performance in under three quarters of play along with 10 rebounds and 5 assists. Alyssa Samia scored 8, all in the second half. This was her highest offensive output since her 12 points performance in the season opener against College Park. Center Amil Amin and forward Kaylie Williams both had an outstanding game scoring 8 and 7 points respectively each also pulled down multiple offensive and defensive rebounds. In all, 11 out of 12 players scored for Monte Vista which improves to 10-1 for the season. Granada now awaits on Wednesday in both teams' season opener.
Monte Vista (JV) 29 - Castlemont 26
January 3, 2009 —
It was far from pretty but a win is a win. The Monte Vista JV squad slugged out a fast pace although low scoring win against the Knights to improve to 8-4. This is the team's fourth straight victory since the loss at home to Campolindo. MV won the first three quarters albeit barely to lead 26-21. The Lady Mustangs managed only 3 points in the fourth quarter including three blown layups but Castlemont connected on only 1 basket out of the last 13 shots to essentially hand Monte Vista the win. Jessica Gehardt led MV with 7 points and Jenna Cordesius had 6. Both Elli Hatton and Taylor Fazio contributed 4 points. League play begins on Wednesday against Granada.
Monte Vista (JV) 41 - Notre Dame Belmont 38
December 31, 2008 —
Trailing by 8 points following back to back ND three's with less than 5 minutes left in the game, Monte Vista fought back and won the Newark Memorial HS Tournament in a stirring come back on the strength of Jessica Gehardt's performance. Ms Gehardt scored a season high 18 points and was awarded the well deserved Tournament MVP. Taylor Fazio was name to the All Tournament Team again along with teammate Natalie Roveto. MV (7-4) has now won three consecutive games following a disheartening loss at home to Campolindo.
Archbishop Mitty 57 - Monte Vista 48
December 30, 2008 —
Mitty handed Monte Vista its first loss of the season in the semi final of the New Year Tournament. The Monarch was 7 of 9 from the three point arc in the first half essentially shooting Monte Vista out of its zone thus opening the inside for their huge 6'4", 6'4", 6'3" and 6'2" front line. Mitty led by 13 at the half and was ahead by as many as 16 in the fourth at 44-28 when MV put on a 13-4 run including a three from the right corner by Alex Smolen followed by a reverse lay up from Niveen Rasheed to trim Mitty's lead to 7 at 48-41. MV had two opportunities to cut the lead further but failed to connect on consecutive three point shots. Mitty defended Niveen by constantly trailing her with a guard and double team each time she crossed mid court. In spite of the designed defense against her, Niveen still managed to lead all scorers with 17 points along with 9 rebounds. Dani Rabago kept MV in the hunt by nailing a career high four three's while Alex Smolen finished with a season high 9 points. The 9-1 Mustangs will face another tough foe in Wilcox HS tomorrow at 5PM in the 3rd place game.
Monte Vista (JV) 43 - Arroyo 17
December 30, 2008 —
The Monte Vista JV squad (6-4 won the semi final game at the Newark Memorial HS Tournament over Arroyo rather handily to advance into tomorrow's championship game against an old foe from the West Catholic Athletic League - Notre Dame Belmont. Jessica Gehardt again led Monte Vista in scoring with 12 points. This is her 6th consecutive double digit scoring game complemented by 10 points from Taylor Fazio, 8 points from Natalie Roveto and 5 points from Jenna Cordesius.
Monte Vista (Varsity) 61 - Davis Senior 19
December 28, 2008 —
The opening game of the Archbishop Mitty Tournament pitches #4 seed Monte Vista with Niveen Rasheed against #5 seed Davis Senior High and its 6'1" star shooting guard Nikol Allison. The game was a low scoring affair in the first quarter with MV edged ahead 12-7 after one quarter. Monte Vista couldn't take advantage of Davis' cold shooting, managing only a 19-9 lead late in the second quarter when Niveen Rasheed again showed why she is the premier player in northern California by scoring 8 consecutive points in rapid succession sandwiching a basket by Alexandria Whalen to give the Lady Mustangs a 29-9 cushion. The lead grew to 35-10 at the half and 55-16 after 3 quarters even with liberal substitutions. Niveen finished with 18 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists and 5 steals. Dani Rabago continues her exceptional performance this breakout season by scoring 12 to complement Whalen's 10 points. The win places Monte Vista (9-0) into the semi final game against host and perennial power house Mitty (7-3) on Monday.
Monte Vista (JV) 45 - Castro Valley 37
December 28, 2008 —
The JV shook off the rust from a long holiday break to defeat Castro Valley to move into the semi final round of the Newark Memorial HS Tournament. Monte Vista actually trailed 10-4 after one quarter, led by 21-16 at the half and barely ahead 31-28 after 3 quarters but seize control at the final segment for an 8 point victory. Natalie Gallo had a terrific game with 9 points including 3 for 3 from the free throw line. Jessica Gehardt led the team with 10 along with Jenna Cordesius and Taylor Fazio each contributing 9 points. Natalie Roveto rounded out the scoring with 8. Monte Vista improves to 5-4 on the year.
Monte Vista (Varsity) 66 - South High (Torrence) 46
December 24, 2008 —
A small, quick team with a big post from southern California gave Monte Vista all it could handle for over two and a half quarters. Sharp outside shooting from their point guard and dominant center play created unexpected match up problems for the Lady Mustangs for the first time this season. The 6'1" left handed post scored 10 points in the first quarter along with 5 offensive rebounds while the little guard nailed a pair of first half three's to keep South High in the game despite an otherwise overwhelming size advantage for Monte Vista. The game was tied at 2-2, 6-6 and 21-21 with MV eventually took a hard fought 29-25 lead into the break. South High trimmed the lead to 29-27 in the opening seconds of the 3rd quarter but MV scored the next 4 points to open up their largest lead in the game at 33-27. The lead grew to 12 after 3 quarters primary on the shooting of Dani Rebago and immense athleticism of Niveen Rasheed who on two back to back South High possessions stole the ball right out of the opposing gaurd's dribble and went in for lay ups while being fouled each time. Monte Vista survived a frantic full court press by the squad from Torrence in the fourth quarter and converted the final 11 free throws to turn a close contest into a semi blowout. Niveen Rasheed again led the game with 21 points while Dani Rabagohad her second 18 point games in three days, matchinh her season high. Monte Vista will take its 8-0 record into this weekend's Mitty Tournament where regionally ranked teams from Archbishop Mitty, Wilcox and Oakridge await.
Monte Vista (Varsity) 48 - Colony HS (Alaska) 30
December 22, 2008 —
This was a much anticipated meeting between MV and the defending Alaska State Champions in the upper bracket of the Las Vegas Invitation Tournament. Colony HS is skilled and well coached and had shown earlier in the tournament why they won their State title by dismantling solid teams with their movement, passing and sharp shooting. The game was a struggle early on with the first quarter tied a 8-8 and Monte Vista leading 15-14 with less than a minute to go in the half. 5 quick points gave MV a 20-14 cushion at the half with most of the third quarter at the same margin until Niveen Rasheed showed why she is one of the best players in northern California by taking over the game with 8 consecutive points mostly while double teamed, effectively putting away the contest. Niveen finished with a game high 25 points and 11 rebounds. MV will face South Torrence HS from Los Angeles in the finals tomorrow afternoon.
Monte Vista (Varsity) 56 - Denver East HS 28
December 22, 2008 —
A young but highly athletic Denver team got caught by surprise and never able to recover from a large early deficit. MV disrupted Denver East by its relentless pressure defense and was able to build on its early large lead even when Niveen Rasheed had to sit out the entire 2nd quarter due to foul trouble. This was a game Dani Rabago showed why she will lead this team after the current fabulous senior class graduates by scoring 18 points in just over a half including 6 of 9 from the field and 4 of 4 from the line. Kendyl Bachelorand christi Beeman saw their most extensive playing time each scoring 4 points. Niveen played barely 2 quarters with foul trouble but still managed 12 points.
MV (Varsity) 82 - Shadow Ridge 46
December 21, 2008 —
MV's full court pressure led to a 12-0 lead to open the game and a 21-9 advantage after one quarter. Shadow Creek fell behind by as many as 22 points at 38-16 but hit three consecutive three's to cut the half time deficit to 38-25. The Lady 'Stangs came out on fire in the second half scoring 24 points in the third segment and safely putting the game out of reach. Four players reached double figure in scoring led by Niveen Rasheed's 19. "X" Whalen had 13, Dani Rabago added 11 while Kaylie Williams came off the bench to score 10. Monte Vista will be playing DENVER EAST Monday morning in the round of 8.
Campolindo 37 - Monte Vista (JV) 35
December 18, 2008 —
After an outstanding weekend at the Carondelet Tournament, Monte Vista (4-4) had a major letdown, losing at home to Campolindo in an unusual stand alone 7:00 PM JV contest. The Lady 'Stangs were leading 11-7 after the first quarter when the offense turned ice cold and managed only 2 points in the 2nd segment after missing multiple lay ups and easy point blank baskets. The deficit grew to 29-23 after another listless 3rd quarter but MV rallied and actually pulled ahead at 32-31 late in the 4th with the ball. A turnover resulted in an easy Campolindo basket and a lead they would not relinquish. Monte Vista had 3 shot attempts in the waning seconds to send the game into overtime but was unable to convert. Jessica Gehardt again led the team with 13 points but was able to hit only 3 of 8 from the line. This is her third consecutive double digit scoring game. Taylor Fazio had 11 points and 9 rebounds while Jenna Cordesius added 8.
Anina Middleton's Homecoming
December 15, 2008 —
Monte Vista's co-Captain for 2007-08 Anina Middleton is returning to the Bay Area with Chapman College and will be playing at Holy Names College in Oakland on Thursday, December 18 at 5:30 PM and Friday, December 19 at California Maritime Academy at 7:00 PM !
Monte Vista (JV) 45 - Carondelet 37
December 13, 2008 —
A preview of new rivalry unfolded this afternoon as Carondelet, host of the Tournament, took on last season's EBAL champion Monte Vista in a tightly contested game in front of an enthusiastic crowd. The Cougars, using their pressure man defense took a quick 7-2 lead in the first quarter including a three from the right wing announcing early of their outside shooting threat. Monte Vista responded with a 7-0 run to take the lead at 9-7. In spite of being out rebounded in the 2nd quarter, MV built a 16-11 lead only to see Carondelet closed the gap to 18-17. A three point basket by the Cougars' point guard at the buzzer gave the host a 20-18 lead into the half. The game was tied at 20-20, 22-22 and 25-25 but Carondelet managed to keep their 2 point lead going into the 4th quarter at 27-25. Trailing 31-34 with less than 4 minutes left in the game, Jessica Gehardt took control of the game by driving through the lane for a contested lay up, followed by penetration and dish to Jenna Cordesius for another lay up to give Monte Vista a 35-34 lead. Sara Purlee hit a long two and on the next trip down, nailed a three from the left wing to give Monte Vista a commanding 41-35 lead with just over a minute remaining in the game. A put back basket by Jessica Gehardt and two free throws by Erin Swete completed the 8 point victory. Jessica Gehardt finished with a team leading 11 points after a 17 point outburst the evening before while Center Taylor Fazio put together another dominant performance with 10 points, 12 rebounds and 4 blocks. Jenna Cordesius scored a season high 10 points along with 8 rebounds and Sara Purlee added 6. Monte Vista improves to 4-3 on the season and will face another tough foe in Campolindo at home on Wednesday. Please note Game time will be at 7:30 PM.
Monte Vista (JV) 31 - Berkeley 25
December 13, 2008 —
The Monte Vista JV squad bounced back from a pair of tough back to back losses to Dublin and Sacred Heart Cathedral earlier in the week by playing one of their best games of the young season in defeating a smaller but more athletic Berkeley team hence setting themselves up for a long anticipated showdown with new EBAL foe Carondelet. Varsity head coach Ron Hirschman along with assistant coach Pat Nivens were on the sideline for coach Cornell who had to be away for family matters. The Lady 'Stangs played aggressive defense throughout the low scoring contest jumping out to an 11-5 first quarter lead and was leading 14-7 in the second quarter when Berkeley's full court press netted consecutive MV turnovers and an 8-0 run for the Yellow Jackets giving Berkeley their only lead of the evening at 15-14. Coach Hirschman called a timeout and Monte Vista responded by scoring the next 6 points ending the half ahead 20-17. A defensive struggle marked the second half with MV extending the lead to 24-19 after three ultimately winning by 6. Jessica Gehardt had another fantastic game leading all scorer with 17 points including 5 of 6 from the foul line as Berkeley was forced to foul. More importantly, she was the ball handler in breaking Berkeley's press along with being a key rebounder on both ends of the court. Taylor Fazio played virtually the entire game and was the key reason why the Yellow Jackets were unable to put up any offensive numbers by blocking a career high 8 shots and grabbing 13 rebounds along with scoring 6 points. Jenna Cordesius contributed 7 points including 3 of 4 from the line.
Monte Vista (Varsity) 63 - Dublin 54
December 11, 2008 —
After three relatively easy contests at the Alhambra Tournament, Monte Vista finally met their match when NorCal's 13th ranked Dublin High School came to Danville and gave the Lady Mustangs all they could handle. The aggressive and quick Gaels pressured MV all game long forcing the home team to expend much energy just to bring the ball past mid court. A barrage of three's and a last second putback basket gave Dublin a 27-24 lead at the half after the two team exchanged leads 4 times in the first half. Dublin took their biggest lead at 31-26 during the first minutes of the second half but three pointers by Alex Smolen, Dani Rabago and Alexandria 'X' Whalen gave Monte Vista their first lead since 19-18 at 36-35 which they built a 42-37 lead going into the 4th quarter. The lead twice grew to 10 in the final segment but Dublin would battle back each time to 6 but could come no closer. Niveen Rasheed, plagued by foul trouble the entire game, had to sit out virtually the entire 2nd quarter. She was further troubled by a knee injury suffered while chasing down a loose ball during the contest. With that, she still managed 17 points along with 9 rebounds and 4 assists and 4 steals. Dani Rabago and 'X' both finished with 13 points with Dani hitting 8 of 12 from the line most came at the closing minutes of the game when the Gaels had to foul to get the ball back. Kaylee Williams had an excellent game coming off the bench to score 7 points, played solid defense and grabbed 6 rebounds. Amil AMin added 8 points, all in the first half. Monte Vista improves to 4-0 for the season and now will idle till the Las Vegas Tournament.
Dublin 47 - Monte Vista (JV) 39
December 11, 2008 —
Trailing 16-9 going into the second half and 24-17 going into the 4th quarter, Monte Vista mounted a huge come back by putting up 19 points in the final quarter with Jessica Gehardt leading the way with 15 points, all in the second half. The game was tied at 32-32 with less than a minute to play in regulation when MV went ahead for the very first time at 34-32. Dublin tied the game at 34-34 with a pair of free throws and failed to win the game outright at regulation when they missed a pair of free throws with no time left on the clock. Monte Vista scored the first basket in overtime to lead 36-34 but the Gaels went on a 13-0 run off four MV turnovers to put the game away. Jessica Gehardt's three pointer in the final seconds pulled Monte Vista to within 8 but time expired without the game getting any closer.
Monte Vista (Varsity) 58 - Petaluma 38
December 7, 2008 —
Petaluma came out on fire knocking down four of their first five shots to take a 9-6 lead but the full court pressure from Monte Vista (3-0) forced three straight turnovers resulting in a 10 point MV run and a 16-9 lead. Petaluma, however,went on their own 7-1 run to trim the deficit to 1 at 17-16 only to see Monte Vista made their second 10-0 run to close out the half with a 27-16 advantage. A combination of full court pressure and modified 2-3 zone in the second half stymied the well coached Petaluma offense which only managed 6 points in the crucial 3rd quarter during which Monte Vista extended its lead to a commanding 45-22. Princeton bound Niveen Rasheed was all over the court offensively and defensively thoroughly demoralizing the Petaluma squad. Niveen ended the evening with 19 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists along with a half dozen steals and countless deflections. Dani Rabago and Alexandra Whalen each added 8 points while Amil Amin contributed 7. Krystal Misono connected her first varsity three point basket and undoubtedly with many more to come while Alex Smolen's three pointer in the first half extends her team lead in three point basket made. Niveen Rasheed was name tournament MVP with Amil Amin and Alex Smolen named to the All Tournament Squad. For the third consecutive contest, all 12 members on the varsity squad logged minutes on the court.
Monte Vista (Varsity) 52 - Antioch 16
December 6, 2008 —
Like the game against Miramonte, the MV press overwhelmed an otherwise good Antioch team which at one point led 5-4. The pressure defense forced 32 turnovers and the Lady Mustangs went on a 45-2 run to lead 49-7 after three quarters. Niveen Rasheed was utterly intimidating pulling down 10 steals (9 in the first half) along with 20 points in barely over a half of play. All 12 players logged minutes in the game with Kendyl Bachelor making her first varsity basket on a 15 foot baseline swish. Alex Smolen showed why she may be Monte Vista's new shooter by quietly nailing a pair of three's on top of her two treys from yesterday's game against College Park. Alex finished with 9 points. Monte Vista will play Petaluma in the Championship game at 5:30 PM tomorrow.
Monte Vista (Varsity) 65 - College Park 44
December 5, 2008 —
Opening day jittery showed as Monte Vista played with unusual sloppiness against a small but surprisingly quick College Park team. Size and pressure defense, however, enabled MV to take a comfortable 41-19 lead into the half and coasted home with a 21 point victory. Alyssa Samia, who led the JV squad in scoring last season, opened her varsity career with a 12 point game including multiple offensive rebounds and putback baskets. Niveen Rasheed played only portion of the contest scoring 13 points and grabbing 10 rebounds. Amil Amin added 10 along with 8 points from Alexandria 'X' Whalen. Alex Smolen added a pair of three's and Kaylie Williams contributed 8 points spelling Amil at forward.
Scrimmage at Pinole Valley
November 29, 2008 —
Monte Vista faced a quicker and more aggressive Pinole Valley team in their second scrimmage of the season featuring 6'2" Cal bound Denisha Stallworth. The Lady Mustang held their own in a spirited contest against the ACCAL foe which has been a Division II power over the past half dozen years.
Monte Vista 52 - Miramonte 20
November 26, 2008 —
The 2008-09 Monte Vista women basketball team opened the season with an impressive win over DFAL powerhouse Miramonte at the annual Foundation game held this year at Monte Vista. The Matadors graduated several key players and the young back court was no match against the Lady Mustangs' man to man pressure defense. MV forced 8 turnovers and scored the first 10 points and led 22-5 after one quarter and 35-11 at the half. The lead grew to 50-11 after three with coach Hirschman freely using the entire bench. Niveen Rasheed was at the top of her game handing out 4 steals in the first quarter alone and essentially scoring at will. Miramonte's 6'3" center Stephanie Golden was held tightly in check scoring only 6 points till late in the 4th quarter. The game also marked the varsity debut of Kendall Bachelor, Alex Smolen, Krystal Misono, Alyssa Samia and Nicole Olivera.
Foundation Game
The 2008-09 season unofficially starts on Tuesday when the Lady Mustangs will take on the Green & Silver Miramonte Matadors at Monte Vista. MV returns four of five starters from last seasons 25-3 team and are poised to take on the DFAL and NCS DIII power from Orinda. The Matadors graduated a pair of Division I players to the College ranks in Sara Burns and Katie Batlin as well as excellent shooter in Katie Evans. 6'4" Junior Center Stephanie Golden, however, will test Monte Vista's defense in the paint. Should be a great game and evening with the Boys to follow against Serra. Our very own Niveen Rasheed will begin her 4th and final season before heading to play Division I basketball in college.
Monte Vista Varsity - Washington Scrimmage
JV Opens Preseason Against Washington
November 21, 2008 —
Coach Steve Cornell debuts with his essentially all new 2008-09 squad after two consecutive 25-1 league championship seasons. Is a third title in the cards ? Stay tuned...
First Week Of Practice
November 17, 2008 —
The varsity squad just finished an intense first week of practice in preparation for the up coming Foundation Game against Miramonte on 11/25/08.
Coach Hirschman also announced for the first time in his 20 year reign, there will be NO frosh team due to low turnout. Coach Cornell's JV team, however, will be fully replenished by a strong crop of players from Coach Nivens' league champion frosh team of 07-08 despite losing virtually his entire 25-1 starting line up to Varsity.
Neveen's Recruitment
November 11, 2008 —
Niveen has just been accepted to Princeton where she has been the subject of hot recruitment by the Tigers' coaching staff. Her choices now also include Boston College from the ACC who has lately entered into the recruitment war for her service. Santa Clara from the WCC, Washington & Oregon from the Pac-10, as well as UC Santa Barbara from the Mountain West all remain viable considerations. Ms. Rasheed has decided to pass on early signing to better evaluate her options as additional offer may come in the next few weeks.
Foundation Game
The originally scheduled Foundation Game with Fairfield HS has been disallowed by the San Joaquin Section. Our new opponent will be the four times defending DFAL champions and DIII power Miramonte. The game will be a double header with the Boy's Foundation Game to follow on November 25 (Tuesday). Game time will be announced at a later date.
All players who are interested in becoming a member of one of the most successful women's high school basketball programs in the Bay Area are invited to come to our Open Gym held on Tuesdays and Thursdays after school from 3:30 to 5:00 pm at the Stone Valley Middle School gym. We are currently looking for players for our defending champions Frosh team coached by Pat Nivens. Both freshmen and sophomores are eligible. We are also seeking tryout players for the two times, undefeated, defending league champions JV squad coached by Steve Cornell. This team went 25-1 the past two seasons and 23-3 before that. Their only two losses the past two seasons were at the hands of St. Mary's Stockton and Sacred Heart Cathedral - USA Today's #3 and #1 ranked teams in the nation. The top rated Varsity is by invitation only from head coach Ron Hirschman.
October 1, 2008 —
Niveen Rasheed had the making of a star player since her freshman year at Monte Vista. By last season, she has firmly established herself as the best player in this area and one of the best players in northern California. The summer spent with her AAU club team brought her national attention making her one of the most recruited players in the state. We will follow Niveen with great anticipation and interest throughout this up coming season which promises to be doubly exciting with powerhouse Carondolet now a part of the EBAL.
2008 Summer Basketball
Many MV players participated in spring and summer AAU tournaments under various club teams along with open gym type games at Las Pasitas College.
All NorCal Finals Photos are in Kodak Gallery. These are in four albums due to the number of pictures. They chronicle the beginning to the end of a fabulous day...
Tony, we did it ! Ron did it !!!
Varsity Year-end Banquet
March 17, 2008 —
More pictures to be placed on Kodak Gallery tonight.
Off season Basketball - AAU Try Out
March 4, 2008 —
The East Bay Xplosion (EBX) is holding high school tryouts at Chabot College the next two Sundays (3/9 & 3/16) from noon to 3 pm. They are forming 4 teams three will be heading to the End of the Trail Tournament in Oregon City, the best tournament on the west coast attended by hundreds of the top college coaches. The fourth team will play qualifying tournaments within California to earn an at large spot. Tournaments start end of March and the season goes through end of July, the NCAA college viewing period. Tryout is free. Just bring game and water. All levels welcome. For more information, please call (209) 380 5440 or check out website at www.leaguelineup.com/ebx
Niveen Rasheed - Back to Back - EBAL League MVP
Anina Middleton - EBAL All League First Team Selection
Amil Amin - EBAL All League First Team Selection
It was perhaps the best playoff game in all of NCS. A game - the old cliche goes - no one deserves to lose. The Yellowjackets won the game and moves on to face Deer Valley in the championship game and NorCal Tournament while Monte Vista, one of the best teams in Division I, saw its wonderful season came to an end and 5 seniors closed out their career, like so many before them, at the floor of the Berkeley gym. This game, nevertheless, is different from most previous losses. This was a GAME. No one knew who was to represent the section in the state tournament until there was 15 seconds left on the clock. Until 39 minutes and 45 seconds had expired in this marathon 40 minute contest. Look at it this way, MV held Berkeley to a season low 20 points in the first half and MV held Berkeley to only 5 offensive rebounds in the entire game including overtimes. #25 Airika Warren had 19 points for the Jackets but she had to work for every one of them. Niveen Rasheed played 39 plus minutes and left everything on the court. She handled the press, she scored, she rebounded, she defended and she sank both free throws with 0.3 seconds left in regulation under incredible pressure and a back drop of screaming Berkeley fans. Nothing but net for both shots. Ice water in her veins. Anina Middleton, playing her final game in a Monte Vista uniform, knocked down 14 points and had 5 steals, grabbed rebounds and played tough defense. Time after time, when Niveen was double teamed, she would make Berkeley pay by nailing jumpers or taking the ball to the hoop. We will miss her so very much next year. Then there was "X". Her outside shot wasn't there but she came through a sea of defenders with her finger roll baskets, a reverse lay up when there was absolutely no room and a pair of free throws toward the end of regulation to bring Monte Vista within 2 and allowed Niveen's subsequent heroics...Of course, the not so little freshman, MV's "secret weapon", was unveiled in the form of Kaylie Williams who not only fearlessly battled the Berkeley posts eyeballs to eyeballs, she also pulled down 12 rebounds and added 5 big points including a fade away 10 foot jumper in the 4th quarter with shot clock winding down that was part of the 12-2 run that wiped out a 10 point deficit. So this was not just "another" loss to Berkeley. This game served notice - watch out for next year...
Berkeley 58 - Monte Vista 55 ( Double Overtime )
February 28, 2008 —
There were 5 ties and 6 lead changes over the final 8 minutes and the game was not decided until 39 minutes and 50 seconds had expired in the 40 minutes double overtime thriller when Jasmin Perkins intercepted a Monte Vista pass and went in for the deciding basket. Full story to follow...
United We Stand...
February 27, 2008 —
Tomorrow marks one of those rare occasions when Monte Vista will go into the NCS semifinal game as a distinct underdog against Berkeley High, the winner of 8 out of the last 10 NCS titles. The pundits gave us little chance of getting by the Yellowjackets based on past performances. This year, however, may just be different...A win will guarantee MV a spot in NorCal, the State Regional Tournament - the first step to a State Championship. With it is at least two more games for our graduating seniors. A win will also mark the first time Monte Vista has beaten Berkeley since the 1997-98 season.
North Coast Section Playoff : (#3) Monte Vista 49 -- (#11) Newark Memorial 41
February 23, 2008 —
In past years, when Monte Vista did not play its best in the playoff, it was usually a loss and end of season. The Mustangs were not at their best this evening against the #11 seed Newark Memorial and still managed to advance due to the heroics of Niveen Rasheed. In front of a standing room only packed gym, MV scored the first 4 points and went completely cold going 3 of 15 from the floor to trail 10-7 at the end of one quarter. They managed to pull ahead in the 2nd quarter but could not build any distance between themselves and the stubborn Cougars. The 3 point half time lead for Monte Vista remained the largest MV advantage most of the 3rd quarter but when #43 from Newark Memorial hit her 5th 3 pointer, the underdog Cougars had their largest lead in the second half at 33-30 just before the end of the 3rd period. Niveen Rasheed muscled in a basket off an offensive rebound to close the gap with MV going into the 4th quarter trailing by 1 at 33-32. Niveen had, at that stage, essentially carried the entire offensive load having scored all Monte Vista's 12 points in the quarter. Help came in the form of 3 baskets by Dani Rabago in the last quarter and the defense was finally able to prevent anymore long basket by the hot shooting Newark Memorial guards. Niveen Rasheed sank 3 of 4 from the free throw line in the final minute to close out the visitors and help the host team avoid the upset bid. Niveen finished with 25 points to lead all scorers with Dani Rabago adding 8. The 25-2 Mustangs will now travel to Berkeley to face the #2 seed Yellow Jackets on Wednesday who had beaten Granada by a score of 54-39.
Monte Vista v Newark Memorial on Friday...
February 20, 2008 —
By virtue of their 59-54 upset win over #6 Arroyo, #11 Newark Memorial has earn the right to face #3 Monte Vista on Friday. This will be a double header with our boys who revenged a loss to SRV last week. Game time should be 6:30 pm with the boys' game at 8:30 pm against #4 San Leandro. This may be a sell out, so come early !
North Coast Section Playoff...
February 18, 2008 —
The chase for the state title begins next week. Monte Vista is seeded #3 by the closed door seeding committee in NCS Division I. The Mustangs will have a bye and will face the winner of #6 Arroyo and #11 Newark Memorial on Friday at home. This may be a double header with the boys if they win their round 1 contest against San Ramon Valley.
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Three more Seniors in Their Younger Days...
February 17, 2008 —
They are slightly under disguise...
Recognize Someone ??
February 17, 2008 —
There are familiar faces here of course. This is the Frosh team of 2005. Many were later on the JV squad with Steve and 2 are current members of the graduating senior varsity team. Another is now performing our pre-game National Anthem !!
SENIOR NIGHT...
February 16, 2008 —
Monte Vista 52 - San Ramon Valley 31
February 16, 2008 —
The 5 graduating seniors started the game and played evenly with the San Ramon team for 4 minutes before handing the court to the regular starters. The game was close at 10-9 after one quarter but MV opened up a 30-17 lead by halftime thanks in no small part to 6 points from Niveen Rasheed in the 2nd quarter who finished with 18 and a pair of 3 pointers from Anina Middleton who had 10 points for the game. Forward Amil Amin also had 10 points while Nicole Vigar and Alexandria 'X' Whalen each contributed 4. The win gave Monte Vista an undefeated 12-0 league record and 24-2 for the season. It also handed the program its first sweep of league titles ( Frosh, JV & Varsity ) since 2004.
Monte Vista(JV) 53 - San Ramon Valley 20
February 16, 2008 —
The JV girls took care of business on Seniors Night by defeating cross town rival San Ramon Valley to go undefeated and complete a sweep of EBAL opponents for the second straight season. Two consecutive 25-1 seasons stand as a proud Monte Vista record for JV. Alyssa Samia closed out of her strong freshman campaign by scoring 19 points to lead all scorer with Alex Smolen adding 14. Jacqui Petersen finished with 5 including a 3 pointer in the first quarter while Taylor Fazio contributed 6.
Monte Vista (Frosh) 39 - San Ramon Valley 32
February 16, 2008 —
The Frosh team made coach Pat Nevins a very happy man by outlasting the San Ramon Valley Wolves to gain at least a tie for the EBAL league crown pending outcome of Amador Valley's last game. The title constitutes the final part of the "Triple Crown" as both the JV and varsity have already clinched their league championship. Natalie Roveto had a great game particularly on the offensive end with 14 points. Lauren Vujovich did her usual damage with 12 points and Jenna Cordesius added 7. After a somewhat shaky start, the Frosh team is now running on all cylinders. They have won 6 games in a role and finished with a season best 10 games above .500 at 16-6.
Monte Vista (Varsity) 58 - Foothill 33
February 14, 2008 —
The Lady Mustangs were relentless ahainst the Foothill Falcons on their way to the 50th win in 55 games spanning two seasons. The trapping defense was simply overpowering as the Foothill guards struggled to get the ball past mid court. There was a hint of the feared letdown as Foothill scored on their two trips down court for a 4-0 lead but Monte Vista quickly put that notion aside as their countered with 14 un-answered points within the next 5 minutes. The Falcons stayed close on a couple of Woodson's baskets at 22-12 but MV used another run of 13-0 to effectively put the game away off 4 consecutive forced turnovers. Niveen Rasheed was unstoppable as usual scoring 19 points by halftime while senior Anina Middleton continued her torrid scoring by going 5 of 6 from outside in the first half including two 3 pointers. NR and AM finished with 23 and 14 points respectively playing each just over a half. Niveen Rasheed also added 9 rebounds and 7 steals while Anina Middleton had 6 rebounds and 4 steals. Monte Vista (23-2, 11-0) is now one win against San Ramon Valley away from a first ever perfect EBAL season. Those that have been watching MV basketball for a while, however, will remember the 2004 upset of Monte Vista by SRV that spoiled an otherwise fabulous 11-1 season. So it will be a big game on Friday - SENIOR NIGHT !!
Monte Vista (JV) 49 - Foothill 21
February 14, 2008 —
The problem that comes with being so good is that at times, it is difficult to get motivated against a weaker opponent. Wednesday afternoon was such an occasion. Monte Vista JV has already wrapped up league championship and well on their way to another undefeated EBAL season. The team played sluggishly throughout the first half scoring only 22 points at the half. In spite of the low output, they were not at all threatened as the defense held Foothill to only 4 points for 2 quarters including a shutout for quarter #2. The offense came alive in the 3rd quarter and the lead was quickly kicked up to 30 points when coach Steve Cornell brought in the 2nd line and ended up still winning comfortable by 28. Alyssa Samia led the field with 14 points plus 14 rebounds as Monte Vista improves to ( 24-1, 12-0 ). Friday's game will be emotional as some players will be playing their final game while others will move onto Varsity. Steve's cupboard, however, will not be bare as a strong core will surely remain and a good group of players will come up from Frosh that will provide foundation for another strong run.
Monte Vista (Frosh) 44 - Foothill 31
February 14, 2008 —
Coach Pat Nivens's short bench was already stressed by Lauren Vujovich's nagging knee injury further compounded during the Foothill game by Katy Tomalenas' newly developed hip pain. With two hobbling starters, Monte Vista managed to overcome an 8-6 deficit after one quarter to pull progressively away for a 13 point win. The game, however, was more difficult than the prior contest at Foothill when the Mustangs won by 30 points. There was balanced scoring from the MV players with 10 points each from Natalie Roveto and Katy Tomalenas and 9 points from Lauren Vujovich and 8 from Erin Swete who again demonstrated superior quickness and field vision in addition to ball handling skills. Jenna Cordesius added 4 points while Hannah Kang and Katrina Chun both got into the scoring column. The Frosh is now at a season best 8 games above .500 ( 14-6, 6-1 ) looking to go for at least a share of the league title on friday gagainst a tough SRV frosh squad.
Monte Vista (Varsity) 63 - Amador Valley 46
February 12, 2008 —
Amador Valley thought the way to beat Monte Vista was to stop Niveen Rasheed. On paper, they appeared to have accomplished that as Niveen scored only 13 points, 5 below her EBAL average. What the Dons did not prepare for was the all round game from senior guard Anina Middleton who had 15 points, grabbed 8 rebounds and had 4 steals. Then there was Dani Rabago who started for injured Alexandria "X" Whalen. Dani handled point duty capably along side Niveen and repeatedly knocked down open jumpers when the Amador defense double teamed Niveen. Ms. Rabago finished with 12 points. As for Niveen Rasheed, her 13 points all came at crucial moments including a back breaker 3 at the top of the arc when Amador Valley had cut the MV lead to 8 in the 3rd quarter. Then there were the 7 rebounds, 5 off the offensive board and the 7 steals that simply terrified the opponent. Barely able to run on Saturday, "X" nevertheless played a substantial number of minutes and scored 6 points including one driving floater for a basket into heavy traffic. Amador was paced by Makayla Lyles who had 18 points but had to earned each one as she was guarded all night alternately by bigger defenders including Amil Amin, Niveen Rasheed, "X" and Nicole Vigar. With the 16 point victory, Monte Vista has gone undefeated on the road and wrapped up their 3rd EBAL title in 5 years shooting for the chance to go undefeated for the league season. The team, however, must guard against potential letdown with Foothill coming to town on Wednesday.
Monte Vista (JV) 56 - Amador Valley 30
February 12, 2008 —
Monte Vista came out of the gate fast and quickly built a 15-4 lead including long 3 pointers from Krystal Mizono and Alex Smolen. Amador Valley momentarily snatched the momentum in the middle of the 2nd quarter using an 8-3 mini run to cut the deficit to 18-12. That was to be the closest they were to come to the Mustangs' lead as MV responded with their own 9-0 run to close out the half ahead by 15. Leading by 19 going into the 4th quarter, Monte Vista made another 7-0 run to go up 49-23 and put out any hope of a close finish. Krystal Mizono finished with a game leading 16 points followed by Alyssa Samia who had 10 points and 13 rebounds. Arielle Hall-King had her second strong game in a row with 9 points and 8 rebounds. Freshman guard Nicole Olivera played perhaps her best all around game with 8 points and 4 assists 2 of which came on long lead passes for fastbreak lay ups. With the win, the JV team improves to a program leading 23-1 and on pace for another undefeated EBAL season. Including last season, the JV squad has won 48 of the last 50 games played !!
Monte Vista (Frosh) 40 - Amador Valley 30
February 12, 2008 —
Underdog Monte Vista showed early they were not going to let this game slip away like last time the two teams met in Danville. Lauren Vujovich scored Mv's first 6 points and the two squads were deadlocked at 8-8 after a quarter. The Dons went up 12-8 on two quick baskets in the second quarter but the Lady Mustangs answered with a 10-1 run over the last 6 minutes of the segment turning a 4 point deficit into a 5 point lead at the half. Keeping Katy Tomalenas out of foul trouble was critical as she provided tough interior defense and rebounds along with 9 points. The early second half saw Monte Vista extended its lead to 10 and eventually to 13 on two occasions. Amador Valley could not trim the lead to below 7 and full court pressure was handled without difficult by the MV guard/forward trio of Erin Swete, Natalie Roveto and Lauren Vujovich who eventually finished with 14 points despite her knee injury suffered 2 weeks ago. Natalie Roveto had a strong game including converting on a pair of tough breakaways. She ended up with 10 points.Jenna Cordesius finished with 4 points while Erin Swete added 3. The team is now 13-6 and a pair of wins against Foothill and San Ramon Valley will lock up at least a tie for the league title.
CoCo is Not giving anyone a clear path to the Hoop...
February 10, 2008 —
Over the Back ??
Just like the good old days...
February 10, 2008 —
Former assistant head coach Tony Arndt visited from the southland during the MV-Livermore game.
Monte Vista (Varsity) 67 -- Livermore 26
February 6, 2008 —
Senior center Ellen Campbell did not let a deep cut on her nose affect her game. After the bleeding had stopped and wound was taped up in the locker room, Ms. Campbell returned to the floor and scored 7 points in the 4th quarter to lead the Mustangs to a 67-26 win over undermanned Livermore at home. She finished with a season high 9 points. Morgane Dulfer had her first varsity start and responded with 6 points, 8 rebounds and 2 assists. Niveen Rasheed hit a career best 4 three pointers for 22 points in just over a half of work. She now leads the EBAL in scoring. Amil Amin added 9 while Christi Beeman and Crystal Florida contributed 6 and 5 points respectively. Monte Vista improves to 21-2 on the year and 9-0 in league.
Monte Vista (JV) 52 - Livermore 30
February 6, 2008 —
Coach Steve Cornell's team had its toughest game of the season three weeks ago against the same Livermore Cowboys team at Livermore when he had to will his team out a 4 point deficit with less than 3 minutes to go for a thrilling 4 point victory to preserve his win streak. Livermore put up a strong fight again on the Monte Vista floor, at least for a half, when it came back from 10 points down after one to cut the lead to 22-15 at the half. The 3rd quarter started tight with spread at only 24-17 3 minutes into the 2nd half. Then the long awaited "explosion" finally came when Alex Smolen hit 1 of 2 free throws, then dropped in a long three pointer followed by a put back from Arielle Hall-King in 3 quick possessions to put MV up by 13. Livermore scored to cut the lead to 30-19 but Monte Vista then went on another 10-2 run to put the game effectively out of reach at 40-21 with Arielle Hall-King scoring 7 of the 10 MV points in the run. Arielle finished with a season high 11 points all of which came in the 2nd half. Alex Smolen also had a big game finished with a team leading 14 points. Alyssa Samia continues to control the paint finishing with 7 points and 11 rebounds while Taylor Fazio added 8 rebounds along with 6 points. Sara Purlee showed why Steve Cornell thinks she may be his best long range shooter next season when she drained a long three. Krystal Mizono also added a three and 5 points. Shaiela Y. continues to play well scoring 4 points in back up point guard duty.
Monte Vista (Frosh) 30 - Castro Valley 24
February 6, 2008 —
Coach Pat Nivens was missing his starter Jenna Cordesius due to illness and his team managed only 2 points each in the 2nd and 3rd quarter. That generally equates a defeat but Monte Vista managed to stay close by playing strong defense, not unlike the varsity game against Granada. Trailing by 4 entering the final segment, the Lady Mustangs went into full court pressure resulted in multiple forced turnovers. The stagnant offense also responded by erupting for 18 points with Erin Swete repeatedly penetrating the Castro Valley defense using her quickness and vision for easy assists. The turn-around enabled the MV Frosh team to earn their 4th consecutive victory with room to spare. Lauren Vujovich led the team in scoring for the 15th time with 14 points while Elli Hatton and Erin Swete each added 5. Katy Tomalenas scored 4 points along with 10 rebounds. The 12-6 Frosh team will entertain Dougherty Valley's JV squad on Fridays in a cross division contest.
Monte Vista (Varsity) 58 - California 39
February 2, 2008 —
The team carried over the intimidating defensive intensity from the Granada game but added the missing offensive punch resulting in a one-sided first half ending with a 36-8 lead. California was unable to have any good look at the basket the entire first 2 quarters converting a grand total of three baskets. Niveen Rasheed was her usual dominant self scoring 15 points in the first half along with 8 rebounds. She ended up with 21 points after giving way to the bench early in the 3rd quarter when the lead grew to 33.
Dani Rabago had her first Monte Vista varsity start substituting for Alexandria 'X' Whalen who sprained her ankle against Granada. Amil Amin scored 9 and Anina Middleton added 7 including a pair of 3 pointers. Coach Hirschman was able to play the bench essentially the entire 2nd half watching Christi Beeman and Kaylie Williams each had 5 points while Morgane Dulfer added 4. Monte Vista is now 8-0 in EBAL with a 2 game lead over 2nd place Amador Valley and 4 game lead over 3rd place San Ramon Valley and Foothill. Season record now stands at 20-2, giving Ron his first back to back 20 win season in a decade and 3rd in 5 years.
Monte Vista (JV) 63 - Cal High 21
February 1, 2008 —
One of the problems with scoring too many points or limiting your opponent to too few points is the fact that "running clock" will go into effect when the score differential reaches 40. Monte Vista lost substantial court time for their players when the running clock was initiated early in 4th quarter when the lead was pushed beyond 40. Center Alyssa Samia led the team with 11 points followed by Alex Smolen with 10. Neither played much in the second half. Arielle King-Hall scored a season high 8 points followed by Krystal Mizono & Taylor Fazio with 7 and Nicole Olivera with 6. Sara Purlee rejoined the team last Tuesday against Granada and scored 4 points. She had 6 points against Cal High tonight, which is, of course, a season high !
Monte Vista (Frosh) 50 - Cal High 21
February 1, 2008 —
The freshmen are on a roll winning their third consecutive outing and improving their league record to 4-1. The undermanned Cal High fell behind 15-1 after one quarter and was unable to recover from the deficit. Coach Pat Nivens substituted liberally and still was able to build leads of 23-8 at the half and 33-12 after 3 quarters. Natalie Roveto broke out of her slump with 11 points and point guard Erin Swete was right behind with 10 including a three point play at the buzzer. Lauren Vujovich again led all scorer with 16 while Katy Tomalenas added 6. Katrina Chun had 4 points and Corinne Brunckurst contributed 3. The Frosh team will now have non-league games next week against Castro Valley and the Dougherty Valley JV.
Monte Vista (Varsity) 40 - Granada 32
January 30, 2008 —
When your offense was held to a multi-year low 12 points at the half against a good opponent at a hostile venue and when Niveen Rasheed only had 4 points to show for her effort, the prospect of coming out of the contest a winner appeared bleak. But good teams always find a way to win. In this case for Monte Vista, it was a suffocating defense. Trailing by a ridiculous score of 15-12 at intermission, the Lady Mustangs allowed the Matadors only 17 more points for the rest of the game. At 19-14 in favor of Granada, Amil Amin connected on the 1st of two free throws but missed the second only to see Niveen grabbed the offensive rebound and scored on a scoop shot with her body behind the backboard for an effective 3-point play to bring MV to 19-17. Monte Vista would tie the game the next trip down and would build 23-19 and 25-21 leads only to see Granada cut it each time to a single point, the last on a 3 pointer from Thrall who had 16 points for Granada. A couple of pull-up jumpers from Niveen and a big long three from Anina Middleton gave Monte Vista their biggest lead at 32-24 only to see Granada trim it to 34-30 off a steal and lay-up. A 15 footer from Anina with 1:35 left gave Monte Vista back a 6 point lead only to see a defensive lapse gave way to an easy inbound basket for Granada. Leading 36-32 with time running out, Granada started fouling and Niveen calmly sank all 6 of her free throws to close out the contest. The defense never gave Thrall or the rest of the Matadors a good look at the basket the last 4 trips down ending with Thrall firing up an air ball on one and had her shot blocked on another.
Niveen ended up with 20 points along with 15 rebounds and 6 steals to lead the team. Alexandria Whalen had 8 points including a crucial runner off the glass at the buzzer that cut Granada's lead lead to 3 at intermission. Anina Middleton contributed 7 points and Nicole Vigar while held to no score pulled down a huge offensive board off Anina's missed one on one in the 4th quarter to give Monte Vista another chance at the line along with killing a full 25 seconds off the clock. With the victory, the Lady 'Stangs improves to 19-2 and 7-0 in league play. Next up is Friday against California at home.
Monte Vista (JV) 47 - Granada 26
January 30, 2008 —
Steven Cornell's fabulous JV squad improves to 19-1 and 8-0 in league with a relatively easy win at Granada and looks to have a great chance to repeat last season's 25-1 overall and 12-0 undefeated league record. Monte Vista came out of the gate on fire and quickly took a 17-2 lead in the first quarter, essentially ending any chance of a Granada upset. Kendyl Bachelor who distributed the ball unselfishly the entire season finally had an opportunity to showcase her offensive skills finishing with a season high 12 points with Alex Smolen and Krystal Mizono adding 9 and 7 points respectively including a couple of three's from Krystal.
Huge Game Against Granada Tomorrow...
January 28, 2008 —
Who would have guessed the importance of the game at Granada tomorrow prior to start of league season? As the season progressed, Granada has proven to be as tough, perhaps tougher than Amador Valley having beaten them two weeks ago in an overtime contest. The rule of the EBAL gives the NCS seeding preference to the winner of the last head to head game if there is a tie for league title and the teams are 1-1 in head to head competition. This places tremendous pressure on the team that has the league lead in the first half to continue to win the second half league games. Granada will bring its partisan crowd and will try everything to maximize their home court advantage. Their victory over Amador Valley, close loss to Carondolet last week and Saturday's win over Westmore at the Acalanes Shootout all point to their abilities. This is the third of the MV's long road series and will be a serious test for the Lady Mustangs. A win will put MV clearly in the driver's seat for the league title while a loss will throw the league standing back into chaos.
Monte Vista (Varsity) 56 - San Ramon Valley 41
January 26, 2008 —
Monte Vista took the opening tip and quickly built a 13-2 lead in the first quarter forcing Coach Delanoy to spend a time out to regroup. SRV closed the quarter trailing only 17-9. A 7-2 run at the beginning of the 2nd quarter, however, gave the Lady Mustangs a 24-11 lead and it appeared a rout might be on. What makes rival games fun to watch is the fact that generally no team can completely run away from the other and this one was no exception. San Ramon Valley took advantage of Monte Vista's inability to convert point blank shots to cut the deficit to 8 at the half despite being out rebounded on both ends and suffered twice as many turnovers as the Mustangs. The 3rd quarter was what San Ramon Valley had been looking for. Monte Vista started to turn the ball over under full court pressure and San Ramon Valley started to pound the ball inside with success. When Monte Vista tightened the zone defense in the 4th quarter, Mary Kay Tengler responded by hitting two long three pointers the 2nd tied the game at 33-33 3 minutes into the final segment, stunning the large crowd of Monte Vista supporters. Anina Middleton saw to that the tie would not last as she hit a quick 18 footer next trip down to give MV back the lead which was quickly built back up to 10 with baskets from Nicole Vigar, Amil Amin and Niveen Rasheed who was essentially unstoppable. Amil finished with 12 points while Niveen collected 26 including 9 of 13 from the line along with 13 rebounds 10 of which were on the offensive end and 5 steals. Anina ended up with 12 for the game. With the victory, Monte Vista finished the first half of league season undefeated at 6-0 with a 2 game lead on its closest rival Amador Valley and 3 on San Ramon Valley. MV will take its 18-2 record into historically hostile Granada for another tough road game Tuesday.
Monte Vista (JV) 48 - San Ramon Valley 22
January 26, 2008 —
San Ramon Valley played tough against Livermore losing only by 12 last week and Monte Vista barely got by Livermore when they met last time at Livermore. By deduction, the contest between MV and SRV should be tight but the JV Lady 'Stangs completely dominated the Wolves taking a 17-4 and 30-10 lead into the locker room. The lead was extended to 26 after 3 quarters at 44-18 when Steve Cornell emptied his bench with the team cruising to another easy victory and took another step towards defending his EBAL title and possibly another undefeated league season. Alyssa Samia again led the team with 14 points while Krystal Mizono added 10. The JV squad is now 18-1 and 7-0 in EBAL.
Monte Vista (Frosh) 48 - San Ramon Valley 40
January 26, 2008 —
Freshman forward Lauren Vujovich had 10 baskets which is the highest number of 2 pointers scored by a Monte Vista player at any level in over 5 years en-route to a 23 points evening as coach Pat Niven's team improves to 10-7 and 3-1 in EBAL. The contest was tight the entire way with MV holding onto a modest 5 points lead at the half extending to 8 after 3 quarters. Elli Hatten had a strong offensive game with 8 points and Natalie Roveto added 7 including a buzzer beating 3 pointer.
Tomorrow evening's game against SRV (13-5, 3-2) is huge not only because it is a key rival contest but it comes as the middle of a tough consecutive back to back to back away games that include Foothill, San Ramon Valley and Granada. A win will give Monte Vista a 2 game cushion into the 2nd half of the EBAL schedule. SRV features big forwards in Yarnald who had 18 points yesterday gaainst Livermore and Bonderer who surprising did not start for San Ramon but ended up with 12 points and a fistful of rebounds anyway. Point guard Tengler is at times wild but very tough driving into the lane and dish. This is going to be a great Friday contest at the end of Finals Week that should see a packed house at San Ramon Valley High School.
Monte Vista (Varsity) 50 - Foothill 34
January 23, 2008 —
Head Coach Ron Hirschman had plenty of reasons to be worried about this evening's game. It was against an underdog, it was to be played at Foothill where Monte Vista historically had tough games and it followed an emotional win against Amador Valley on Friday. The game did not start well. After an early 4-0 deficit, the Falcons had stormed back to take a 13-8 1st quarter lead including a buzzer beating lay up by Marikah Woodson. This took place while Neveen Rasheed was in the locker room nursing a nose bleed. Foothill extended the lead to 15-8 in the 2nd quarter when Christi Beeman hit back to back jumpers to cut the lead to 15-12. From there MV would tie the game at 15-15 at which time Beeman would nail another outside shot to give Monte Vista their first lead since the early moments of the game at 17-15. MV's advantage would reach 24-17 at half time and 14 points on several occasions in the 3rd quarter. A pair of three pointers by Foothill would trim the deficit to 8 and eventually as close as 5 points at 37-32. The Falcons, however, would get no closer as key baskets from Nicole Vigar and Amil Amin gave Monte Vista enough cushion to cruise home with a 16 point victory. Monte Vista, with the win, improves to 17-2 and 5-0 in EBAL and will travel to San Ramon Valley to take on the Wolves on Friday.
Monte Vista (JV) 57 - Foothill 29
January 22, 2008 —
The Falcons stayed close for a half quarter tying MV 7-7 when the Lady Mustangs went on a 6-0 run to close the quarter ahead 13-7. The 2nd quarter belonged entirely to Monte Vista during which Steve Cornell's team outscored Foothill 16-4 to seize a commanding 29-11 lead at halftime. MV opened the 3rd quarter with the same intensity and outscored the Falcons 18-9 essentially putting to rest any chance of a Foothill come back. Taylor Fazio led the team with 13 points while Alex Smolen has 12 points including a pair of 3's. Alyssa Samia was in early trouble but still managed to chip in 11 points after sitting out most the first half with 2 fouls. Arielle Hall-King contributed a season best 8 points while Nicole Olivera added 7 points. The JV team improves to 17-1, 6-0 and will take on rival San Ramon Valley on Friday.
Monte Vista (Frosh) 46 - Foothill 21
January 23, 2008 —
Erin Swete had a magnificent outing against Foothill scoring a season best 15 points - 9 of which came in the decisive 3rd quarter when Monte Vista outscored Foothill by 19-3. She also had 4 steals 3 of them led to breakaway lay-ups. Erin also handled the ball flawlessly allowing Lauren Vujovich to move more freely into the post position where she continues to lead the team in rebound in addition to scoring. Lauren had 11 points this evening and pulled down 10 rebounds while Natalie Roveto contributed 8. Hannah Kang, who had 1 basket the entire season, scored 4 points. Pat's team is now 8-6 and 2-1 in league. San Ramon Valley will await the Lady 'Stangs at home on Friday.
Varsity Photo Shoot...
January 20, 2008 —
All team & individual ( non-official ) photos are in Kodak Gallery.
Monte Vista (Varsity) 50 - Amador Valley 38
January 19, 2008 —
Amador Valley was leading 6-4 early in the first quarter when Anina Middleton buried a three pointer from the top of the key to give Monte Vista a lead they would not relinquish. The Lady Mustangs was ahead by 5 after one period and extended the lead to 11 at the half with a big 20 point 2nd quarter. Consecutive baskets by Amil AMin in the middle of the 3rd quarter gave Monte Vista its biggest margin at 41-26 but MV would go cold from that point lasting well into the 4th quarter. When Niveen Rasheed hit the front end of an one and one at the 4:30 mark of the 4th quarter, it was the first point for MV in over 6 minutes during which Amador Valley had trimmed the lead from 15 down to 10 and eventually to 8. Offensive rebounds and tight defense made up for the low output and Amador Valley was never able to bring the gap below 8 points. Amil Amin had a huge game with 19 points tying her season high set previously against Rodriquez HC plus 10 rebounds. Niveen Rasheed was limited to "only" 13 points but played the entire 32 minutes and her defense was responsible for limiting EBAL leading scorer Mykala Lyles to only 7 points following her 34 points game 10 days earlier. Dani Rabago had another strong game with 8 points and played well on both the offensive and defensive end. Monte Vista now improves to 16-2 overall and 4-0 in EBAL play with an important showdown game against 3-1 Foothill on Tuesday at Foothill. A victory will give MV a 2 game cushion on all their EBAL opponents.
Monte Vista (JV) 41 - Amador Valley 36
January 19, 2008 —
Amador Valley had no answer for Alyssa Samia who had 9 of her 15 points in the first quarter to help Monte Vista build a 10 points 1st quarter lead. The lead was extended to 13 early in the 2nd quarter only to see the Dons systematically cut it to 4 at half time. The second half was tightly contested and low scoring. Monte Vista never trailed in this game but was unable to distant itself by more than 7 points. Alex Smolen had 7 and Krystal Mizono added 6 points to pace the Lady Mustangs. Jacqui Petersen also came off the bench to hit 2 big baskets at crucial part of the game. Steve Cornell's team is now 15-1 for the season and 4-0 in EBAL league standing. For the last 42 games spanning two seasons, the Monte Vista JV team is an amazing 40-2!
Amador Valley (Frosh) 37 - Monte Vista (Frosh) 30
January 19, 2008 —
The frosh team held an 8 point 1st quarter and 3 point half time lead but eventually went down to the Dons by 7. Jenna Cordesius had the early hot hand including 6 in the 1st quarter to finish with 10 points. This was her first double digit scoring game this season. Lauren Vujovich led the team in scoring for the 10th time out of 13 games with 12 points but was forced to sit out most of the 4th quarter with foul trouble. Erin Swete and Katy Tomalenas each had 4 points for the contest. The Frosh team is now 7-6 for the season and 1-1 in league play and will travel to Foothill to face the Falcons on Tuesday.
January 18, 2008 —
Photos for the shoot-a-thon and both the JV-Dougherty Valley and Frosh-Campolindo game are now in Kodak Gallery.
Monte Vista (Frosh) 45 - Castro Valley 34
January 18, 2008 —
The Monte Vista frosh team traveled to Castro Valley HS for an unusual 7:00 pm game in mid week. The frosh only contest was tight from the tip off with the host hanging onto a slim 9-8 lead after 1 quarter. Monte Vista took the 2nd quarter by the same slim margin, outscoring CV 11-10 to deadlock the score 19-19 at the half. The close game was broken open in the 3rd period when Katy Tomalenas connected on three consecutive baskets while the defense limited Castro Valley to only 15 points in the entire second half. Erin Swete started at point for the first time this season and combined with Natalie Roveto for 10 points while forward Lauren Vujovich again led the team with 17 while Katy Tomalenas finished with 9 points. Forward Jenna Cordesius also contributed 7 points in a balanced scoring output for the starters. MV improves to 7-5 and will await Amador Valley in a huge Friday evening game at Monte Vista.
Monte Vista (JV) 46 - Dougherty Valley 33
January 16, 2008 —
This is the only year Dougherty Valley HS will be playing in the EBAL. At the re-alignment next season, they will move to the DFAL where schools like Miramontes, Acalanes, Campolindo and Northgate compete. Their JV team, however, will become DV's varsity squad comes next season and has shown it may be ready to move to the next level by beating some of the better JV competitions this season including the Livermore team that gave Monte Vista all they could handle last Friday. This well anticipated game played out according to script in the first half with Dougherty Valley using their quickness and offensive rebounding ability to grab an 8-7 first quarter lead. The seesaw battle reached half time with MV taking back a single point lead at 18-17 into the locker room. Adjustment by Coach Steve Cornell and tightening of his defense changed the complexion of the contest in the 3rd quarter. MV used a 12-0 run to take a 30-17 advantage only to see Dougherty Valley trimmed it to 8 to close out the 3rd quarter. Monte Vista took a 15 point lead in the 4th quarter from where they would go on to win 46-33. The Monte Vista JV team is now 15-1 overall and 4-0 in EBAL play.
Campolindo (Frosh) 51 - Monte Vista (Frosh) 31
January 16, 2008 —
Monte Vista found out why Campolindo is 15-2 and has beaten every EBAL opponent they faced this season including Amador Valley. They have size in the middle and speed on the outside. The game, however, was competitive to the end with the Lady Mustangs finally figured out in the second half how to defend their big post who scored 18 points with 12 in the first half. Lauren Vujovich led MV with 9 points followed by 8 points from Katy Tomalenas who also held the duty of rebounding and screening out Campo's big forwards. Jenna Cordesius contributed 6 points while Natalie Roveto added 4. Erin Swete again played well at the point position
showing good court vision, ball handling skills and ability to penetrate. Next up is tomorrow evening against HAAL foe Castro Valley at Castro Valley.
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The Big Social...2008 Shoot-a-thon
January 13, 2008 —
The 2008 Monte Vista Women's Basketball Shoot-a-thon fund-raiser was well attended by players and family. Over 3,000 free throws were attempted and nearly 2,000 were made by players from all three teams. The parents-daughter shooting contest was hotly contested with Lauren Vujuvich and her Dad Gary winning the Frosh division while Alex Smolen taking advantage of her ringer "parent" - Mr. Kuiper edged out the Mizono's for the JV division title while Christi Beeman and her Dad Chris took the varsity and overall title. The parent versus players game afterwards was hilarious as a bunch of middle age parents and coaches took serious health risks to oppose the game ready youngsters. Several points became starkly clear after the contest: 1. Athleticism being hereditary is way over blown 2. For more "mature" people, it is better to listen to you body and not your mind 3. When you are tired, to hell with defense 4. There are good reasons why Ibuprofen and Tylenol remain best sellers judging from how gingerly many parents left the gym at the end of the day. Other observed notes: Running shoes make lousy basketball shoes as parents were slipping and sliding on the hardwood; Mr. Williams must be a quarterback in his younger days as he fired over a half dozen 90 feet passes from one end of the court to the other; mothers are fierce competitors judging from the play of Mrs. Middleton, Mrs Beeman and Mrs. Scott; players egged coach Pat to dunk 2 days after he had his back spasm at the Cal game; Mr. Vigar went down more times than one could count but never failed to bounce back up; hitting Mr. Samia is like hitting an 18 wheeler; Mr. Rabago still have left over skills from his playing day at St. Mary's College; Mr. Olivera flat still can play; coach Steve Cornell took 5 bags of left over ice home allegedly for Stef's knee. We all know they are for his knees; Shaiela's dad was the only casualty with an ankle/foot sprain but he cheerfully said 'the X-Ray and doctor's visit are free.' Go Monte Vista !
?? JV Team Photo
January 12, 2008 —
Frosh Team Photo
January 12, 2008 —
These are the team and individual pictures we took while the official photographer was in between shots. They are now posted on the Kodak Gallery. You can either directly order prints from Kodak or email me (Hox97@aol.com) and I can send them to you. The official photographs will be available at the end of the season.
Monte Vista (Varsity) 66 - Livermore 25
January 12, 2008 —
Ron Hirschman's team played probably its best defensive game this season holding a potent Livermore team to only 5 field goals and 25 points total including 1 point in the first and 2 points in the 3rd quarter. This came on the heel of Livermore's surprisingly close game against Amador Valley. With one of the University of Oregon coaches in the stand, Niveen Rasheed quietly dropped in 16 points and pulled down 8 rebounds along with 4 assists. Freshman forward Kaylie Williams had a breakout game scoring 10 points, collected 6 rebounds and blocked the only shot in the contest. Anina Middleton scored 9 points while Christi Beeman added 7 and Sam St. Laurent contributed a pair of baskets. The 15-2, 3-0 Lady Mustangs will now have to wait a full week to the first showdown of the season when Amador Valley comes to town on Friday.
Monte Vista (JV) 42 - Livermore 38
January 12, 2008 —
With 21 seconds left in the game and Monte Vista hanging onto the slimmest 40-38 lead, Krystal Mizono calmly stepped to the line and sank both the front and back end of an one on one to give Monte Vista a two possessions lead they would not surrender. The stout Livermore squad took advantage of a partisan crowd, stormed back from an 8 points half time deficit to tie and eventually took the lead at 37-36 and 38-37 late in the 4th quarter. Aside from hitting both clutch free throws, Krystal Mizono also finished with a game leading 14 points. Alyssa Samia continued to struggle at the free throw line hitting only 4 of 10 attempts but still managed to score 10 points while Alex Smolen added 8. Monte Vista is now 14-1, 3-0 heading into Tuesday's showdown with Doherty Valley High School.
Monte Vista(Varsity) 52 - California 45
January 10, 2008 —
When the team had 22 turnovers, Niveen Rasheed was held to a season low 5 points due to early foul trouble and Amil Amin collected only 3 points for the game, logic had it that Monte Vista was in for a long night and indeed they were. The rescue came in the form of Dani Rabago who played perhaps her best game as a Monte Vista player. She dropped in a season high 17 points along with handling the point duty in the absence of Niveen. Her 18 footer from the left corner late in the 4th quarter when Cal High had closed the contest to 2 points was critical as the Grizzlies could not come closer the rest of the game. During the crucial waning minutes of the tight second half, Nicole Vigar also hit a huge 12 foot jumper to keep Monte Vista from trailing in the game that saw the Lady Mustangs twice blown 14 point lead in the second half. Alexandria "X" Whalen continued her strong game this season with 9 points while Anina Middleton added 6. Monte Vista improves to 14-2, 2-0 and will visit Livermore Friday.
Tony's Surprise Visit !
January 10, 2008 —
Former Monte Vista Varsity assistant coach Tony Arndt surprised everyone by walking through the Cal High gym door this evening. Tony is visiting the East Bay from his Southern California home and decided to see how the MV varsity team is doing this season. Was he treated to a thriller...
Monte Vista(JV) 49 - California 21
January 10, 2008 —
An undersized although scrappy Grizzlies squad simply could not keep up with Monte Vista falling behind 16-2 after 1 quarter and 25-6 at the half. Cal High actually won the 3rd quarter 10-8 but a timeout in the early 4th quarter by visibly displeased coach Steve Cornell quickly restored the team's focus. MV went on to take the 4th quarter 16-5 and winning going away by 28 points. Alyssa Samia again was unstoppable when she is on the court scoring 14 points to lead the team. Nicole Olivera had a strong game with 8 points along side Krystal Misono who had 6. Freshman forward Arielle Hall-King scored a season high 8 points including 7 of 10 from the free throw line. The JV team improves to 13-1, 2-0 and looks forward to a tougher contest at Livermore on Friday.
Monte Vista (Frosh) 41 - Cal High 14
January 10, 2008 —
The freshmen last played as a team before Christmas on December 15 at the Petaluma Tournament. The players came back fresh instead of rusty and handily defeated the California Grizzlies at their season opener. Lauren Vujuvich dominated the paint on both the offensive and defensive end scoring 16 points to lead the team. Erin Swete had a fabulous game at point running the offense plus scoring 6 points. Forward Katy Tomalenas was saddled with early foul trouble but still managed 6 points with Jenna Cordesius adding 4 and Natalie Roveto contributing 3. Coach Pat Nevin's team improves to 6-4 for the year.
Monte Vista (Varsity) at Cal High
January 9, 2008 —
The East Bay's 12th ranked Monte Vista women's team takes its 13-2 record on the road to face a revitalized Cal High team under new coach Gabe Adami. The Grizzlies(11-4) have not won this many pre-season games in over half a decade and may signify return to competitive basketball. Niveen Rasheed obviously has been the main force in Monte Vista's line-up and Cal High will do whatever it takes to slow her down. Senior Captain Anina Middleton who had 10 points against Granada and junior guard Alexandria "X" Whalen who is 3rd on the team in scoring will need to continue their presence to alleviate the pressure on Niveen who averages 16.5 points a game.
Away Game at California
January 9, 2008 —
Steve Cornell will bring his 12-1 defending JV EBAL Champions team into Grizzlies territory tonight for his first away league game. Seen here are Krystal Misono and Nicole Olivera setting up the double screen for Alyssa Samia against Granada. For Nicole & Alyssa, this will be their first visit to the unique California "coliseum" style gym.
Monte Vista (Varsity) 51 - Granada 37
January 8, 2008 —
Niveen Rasheed had a spectacular game scoring a career high 27 points despite uncharacteristically hitting only 5 of 14 free throw attempts. She also grabbed 10 rebounds, handed out 4 assists and had 9 steals! Monte Vista opened the game with an 11-0 run and appeared on the verge of blowing the game wide open in the 1st quarter only to see Granada tightened their defense and crawled back into the game by out scoring Monte Vista 12-2 in early 2nd quarter to tie the game at 19-19. Two quick baskets by Niveen put MV back on top en route to a 9 point half time lead. 9 was the closest Granada was able to come to Monte Vista the rest of the way in spite of foul trouble for Amil Amin, Morgane Dulfer and Ellen Campbell who eventually fouled out of the contest late in the 4th quarter. Amil finished with 6 points including her 1st three point basket this season and Anina added 10. MV improves to 13-2 (1-0) and will play California on Wednesday at Cal High.
Monte Vista (JV) 55 - Granada 32
January 7, 2008 —
MV jumped out early and never looked back building a 30 points lead after 3 quarters throttling back to win comfortably by 23 against a spirited Granada squad in their league opener. The Lady Matadors had no answer for Taylor Fazio who had 17 points followed by 12 points from Alex Smolen and 11 from Alyssa Samia . MV is now 12-1, 1-0.
Monte Vista's 2003-04 EBAL Championship title didn't do it; Monte Vista's 2006-07 EBAL title didn't do it; last season 22 consecutive wins didn't do it. It took a loss to Castlemont on a stormy Friday to land top billing for the Lady Mustangs simultaneously on the Contra Costa Times and San Francisco Chronicle...The setback was different than the loss to Notre Dame Belmont but the sting was the same. Monte Vista had the lead virtually the entire first half but was ultimately done in by foul trouble as the Knights went to the line 24 times in the first half alone connecting on 18 of them. Castlemont's size presented a serious challenge inside but MV had the upper hand on the perimeter hitting 6 three pointers, 2 each by Crystal Florida, Anina Middleton and Alexandria Whalen who led the team with 17 points while Anina added 12, all in the second half. Niveen Rasheed was hampered by early foul difficulty and had to sit a significant portion of the 2nd quarter. She did finished with 14 points. Amil Amin also had limited minutes in the first half after picking up her second foul within the first minutes of the contest and finished with only 4 points, a far cry from her 10.5 ppg average. Ellen Campbell, however, stepped up and played tough defense in the paint in Amil's absense plus scoring 4 points. MV falls to 12-1 and now awaits Granada at home on Monday at the league opener.
Monte Vista (JV) 42 - Castlemont 32
January 6, 2008 —
Hmmmmm...
January 3, 2008 —
Who is the proud owner of this masterpiece ??
Did you ever wonder what they say in the huddle before a big game ???
December 30, 2007 —
Ellen Campbell has definitely developed a senior attitude: 'No one from the other team is going to push me around' - including all state center from Pinole Valley HS Danisha Stallworth...On Saturday, Ellen scored a season high 6 points, grabbed 4 rebounds, blocked a shot (okay, they called it a foul)and had a steal against a physical Menlo-Atherton squad at the Newark Memorial HS Tournament.
Monte Vista (Varsity) 50 - Menlo Atherton 35
December 30, 2007 —
Players were hungry and angry after yesterday's loss to Notre Dame-Belmont and they showed it on the court in the 1st quarter by taking a 20-6 lead using full court pressure. After a let up in the 2nd quarter, the lead was built to 40-13 in the 3rd quarter en route to a relatively easy victory. Amil Amin led the team with 14 points while Niveen Rasheed added 8 points along with her ability to continuously generate havoc with the opponents. Center Ellen Campbell played a strong game offensively and defensively which includes her season high 6 points. MV is now 12-1 heading into Friday's afternoon game at Castlemont.
Monte Vista (JV) 45 - Notre Dame 28
After 2 straight routs, Monte Vista finally got tested against a good Notre Dame Belmont team at the championship game of the Newark Memorial HS Tournament. MV trailed the entire 1st quarter but the defense held ND-Belmont to only 2 points in the 2nd quarter as Coach Cornell's squad took a 10 point advantage into the locker room. The 3rd quarter was a seesaw battle with the lead held around 10 points but Monte Vista was able to finally pull away for good in the 4th quarter twice building a 15 point lead and Jenna Cordesius's 2 free throws at the waning moments of the contest made the final margin of 17. Alyssa Samia had 12 points today and 47 for the tournament including a 23 point outing yesterday against Castro Valley and was named tournament MVP. Alex Smolen led the team with 15 points and was named to the All-Tournament Team along with Kendyl Bachelor who had a fantastic tournament handling the ball and playing tough defense. Lauren Vujuvich, on loan from the frosh sqaud, had 8 points for the tournament. The 11-1 JV team will take on Castlemont on Friday.
Notre Dame Belmont 55 - Monte Vista (Varsity) 54
December 29, 2007 —
Monte Vista (11-1) suffered its first loss of the season against the full court pressure of Notre Dame (8-2) at the Newark Memorial HS Tournament. Monte Vista led by as many as 10 in the first quarter but the lead was trimmed to 3 at the half with Notre Dame tying the game at 40-40 in the 3rd quarter ultimately went on to take a 50-44 lead in the 4th period only to see MV battled back to tie the game at 50-50 on a three point play by Amil Amin with 2 minutes left in the contest. Notre Dame went back on top 52-50 on a pull-up basket by Jaclyn Bisordi who finished with 22 points to lead all scorers but a turnover and layup by Anina Middleton brought the Lady Mustangs even at 52-52 with just over a minute remaining in the game. MV had the ball and the game tied at 54-54 with 17 seconds on the clock but missed the winning shot and Notre Dame was fouled on the rebound and hit one of two free-throws to win the game. Niveen Rasheed had 16 points and Alexandria 'X' Whalen added 14 while Dani Rabago had a strong outing with 10 points including a pair of three's. Monte Vista will play the loser of Menlo Atherton and Newark Memorial tomorrow at 6:15 pm.
Monte Vista (Varsity) 70 - Irvington 37
December 29, 2007 —
Monte Vista (JV) 56 - Arroyo 19
December 29, 2007 —
"Outstanding Player" at Petaluma Frosh Tournament
December 20, 2007 —
Freshman forward Lauren Vujuvich was selected "Outstanding Player" for the Petaluma Tournament. In spite of missing significant playing time due to her arm injury in the championship game, Lauren scored 34 points during the tournament guiding her team to a 2nd place finish. She also leads the team in scoring averaging 11.6 points per contest.
Monte Vista (Frosh) 35 - James Logan 27
December 19, 2007 —
The Freshman team improves its season record to 6-4 with a convincing victory against a fellow Division I opponent on the road. Natalie Roveto grabbed the opening tip and went in for a lay up as Monte Vista hit the first 3 shots it took to go up 6-0, eventually building a 14-2 first quarter and 21-4 halftime lead it never relinquished. Lauren Vujuvich led the team with 9 points followed by Katy Tomalenas with 8. Natalie Roveto also finished with 8 points while Jenna Cordesius and Erin Swete each contributed 4.
Monte Vista (Varsity) 55 - Rodriquez 43
December 18, 2007 —
The 9-0 and SF Chronicle 7th ranked Monte Vista varsity squad traveled into Solano County to take on undefeated Rodriquez HS (6-0) on a rainy night and came away with a hard fought victory. The Rodriquez Mustangs turned out to be the quickest team MV has faced this season along with a dominant 6'1" freshman center in Christina Hunter who had 13 points and grabbed 12 rebounds. Monte Vista countered with Amil Amin who answered with a career high 19 points plus 9 rebounds and the incomparable Niveen Rasheed who scored 23 points, pulled down 15 rebounds and had 7 steals. Monte Vista took a 13-7 lead to open the game only to see Rodriquez scored the next 8 points to lead 15-13. The game was tied at 15 after one quarter with MV taking a 6 points halftime lead the last 2 points off a buzzer beater basket from Amil Amin off a beautiful assist from Niveen Rasheed. Monte Vista had built a 9 point lead half way into the 3rd quarter only to see Rodriquez cutting the advantage to 5 on two occasions. The game remained single digit close throughout the 4th quarter with the final score being the largest margin. Crystal Florida came off the bench to score 7 points including a three to give MV its first 9 point lead in the 4th quarter. The 10-0 Lady Mustangs will take a short Christmas break and resume action at the Newark Memorial HS Tournament December 27th against Irvington.
Monte Vista (JV) 60 - Rodriquez 38
December 18, 2007 —
Alyssa Samia was absolutely dominant in an evening game delayed by significant injury to an opposing playing in an freak accident. Ms. Samia sat out the entire 2nd quarter and portion of the 3rd and 4th quarter and still came up with a season high 24 points to lead all scorers. Balanced offense was also provided by Krystal Misono, Alex Smolen and Taylor Fazio with 9, 8 & 8 points respectively. Nicole Olivera added 5 points and shared point guard duty against a quick and aggressive opponent.
Monte Vista (Frosh) 51 - Vintage 34
December 15, 2007 —
The freshman team moves into this afternoon's championship game against host Petaluma HS.
Monte Vista (Varsity) 48 - Oakland Tech 36
December 15, 2007 —
A cold shooting night was offset by great offensive rebounding as the Monte Vista Varsity squad rolled to its 9 consecutive victory against the very team that had knocked it out of the region championship last season. Niveen Rasheed had an uncharacteristic 9 turnovers but more than made up for it with an astonishing triple double ( 14 points, 17 rebounds and 10 steals ). Amil Amin was the only other player in double digit scoring also with 14. The team will travel Monday to Fairfield against Rodriquez HS.
Monte Vista (Frosh ) 50 - Mt. Tamapais 8
December 15, 2007 —
Monte Vista Wins Merced Christmas Tournament
December 13, 2007 —
Monte Vista followed up its winning of the Alhambra Tournament with a second tournament championship at Merced High School. This marked the 7th straight pre-season tournament the Lady Mustangs have won since fall of 2005. The host team from Merced attempted to press MV without success resulting in falling behind 37-15 at halftime from which they would not recover ending in a 73-38 victory fot MV. Anina Middleton had a fantastic day scoring 19 points in the first half including 3 out of 4 three point attempts ending with 24 for the game. Niveen Rasheed added 13 and Alexandria "X" Whalen contributed 9. Christi Beeman also chipped in 8 points including 6/6 from the line. Monte Vista will return home in time to face Dublin.
Monte Vista ( Varsity ) 53 - Dublin 46
December 12, 2007 —
25 turnovers including 4 in a row in the final 3 minutes kept the fiesty Dublin team in the game. In front of the UC Davis assistant coach, Niveen Rasheed almost single handedly carried Monte Vista (8-0) to the win with 24 points, 8 rebounds 5 assists, 4 steals and 3 block shots. Forward Amil Amin also contributed heavily with 13 points and 9 rebounds. Point guard Anina Middleton was held to 2 points following a huge day at Merced but did handed out 6 assists. Alexandria Whalen added 8 points including a crucial pair of free throw just before the half when the Gaels had trimmed the lead to 2.
Monte Vista (JV) 53 - Dublin 21
December 12, 2007 —
Krystal Misono scored a career best 22 points including a trio of three pointers to lead the Lady Mustangs to a relatively easy win over the Gaels. The other half of the MV guard tandem Nicole Olivera added 7 points including another from beyond the arc. Center Alyssa Samia contributed a workman-like 11 points and 11 rebounds while Taylor Fazio rounded out the front court scoring with 8. The JV squad improves to 6-1 and will travel to face Rodriquez HS on Monday.
Team & Individual Stats Updated
Aside from the Varsity Championship game against Merced HS, all team and individual stats have been completely updated. Also individual player photos are also in. Please note that the freshman team is still under Frosh-Soph even though we have a true all freshman squad. Kodak gallery update, however,will take a while...And if you don't like your picture or just want a new one because you have a new look, just let Mr. Tao know.
Heritage ( Frosh ) 44 - Monte Vista ( Frosh ) 40
December 9, 2007 —
Saddled with foul trouble, both starting forwards Lauren Vujovich and Katy Tomalenas had to sit out a significant portion of the first half during which the Heritage Patriots went on a 14-2 run to take a 19-13 lead. Down by 5 at the half and by as many as 10 points late in the 3rd quarter, the Monte Vista freshman team fought back to tie the game mainly on the strength of 3 straight outside baskets by Jenna Cordesius and free throw shooting by Katy Tomalenas who sank 7 of 8 from the line and Lauren Vujovich who converted 3 out of 4. Katy Tomalenas received her 5th foul early in the 4th quarter and with Monte Vista holding a 4 point lead with 3 minutes remaining in the game, both Lauren Vujovich and Elli Hatton fouled out in quick succession essentially ending the Lady Mustangs' inside threat. Natalie Roveto who finished with 8 points kept MV within striking distance with a late basket but Heritage eventually walked away with a hard fought 4 point victory. Point guard Erin Swete had another solid game against a tough man defense with 4 points and both Katrina Chun and Corinne Brunchkurst filled in admirably for their fouled out teammates. The team will have a week of practice before heading to the wine country for their 3rd tournament.
Monte Vista (JV) 47 - Acalanes 24
December 9, 2007 —
Monte Vista started slowly on the offensive end highlighted in the first half only by Alex Smolen's reversed lay up and her buzzer beating long three pointer. The defense, however, held the Dons to only 4 points each quarter, giving the Lady Mustangs a 19-8 lead at the half. Three pointers by Krystal Misono and Jacqui Peterson plus inside baskets by Alyssa Samia opened the lead to 35-16 after 3 quarters which was extended to 27 points after a pair of quick jumpers from Nicole Olivera and Taylor Fazio effective ending any chance of an Acalanes comeback. Back-up point guard Shaiela Bhuiyan had another strong outing, showing good poise under pressure. Alex Smolen led the team with 13 points. The JV's record improves to 6-1 and will take on Dublin HS at Dublin on Tuesday.
Monte Vista (Varsity) 56 - Turlock 34
December 9, 2007 —
The Varsity squad still managed a comfortable 22 points victory with Niveen Rasheed in early foul trouble. Anina Middleton broke out of her scoring slump with 11 points while Dani Rabago and each contributed 7. Monte Vista(6-0) will take on host Merced in tomorrow's 5 pm championship game.
Sacred Heart Cathedral 59 - Monte Vista (JV) 43
December 8, 2007 —
The Irish came with all Monte Vista had expected - speed, athleticism and coaching along with a high pressure man defense. The Lady Mustangs did not pull off the upset because they had simply too many turnovers but nevertheless gave Sacred Heart Cathedral a spirited match up, repeatedly came back from large deficits to turn the game into a contest. Ultimately, the better team won but Steve Cornell's squad had no reason to hang their heads losing to one of the best programs in the state. Alex Smolen and Alyssa Samia each had 11 points to lead the team. Monte Vista (4-1) will face Acalanes tomorrow at 2:15pm for 3rd place.
MV (Frosh) 39 - Alhambra 37
December 8, 2007 —
Coach Pat Nivens' frosh team had a roller coaster game first jumping to 15-6 and 17-10 leads only to watch the Alhambra Bulldogs go on a 18-4 tear in the second quarter to lead by 5 at half time. Things got worse in the second half as Monte Vista was unable to convert on multiple point blank opportunities with Alhambra stretching its advantage to 8 after 3 quarters.
Then coach Nivens switched out of his quazi zone defense and pressured the ball up court. Defense also tightened up limiting Alhambra to a Single point for the entire 4th quarter. Monte Vista finally tied the score at 36-36 with 3 minutes left in the game, went ahead by 2 and had to withstand a series of furious come back attempts to close out the game. Lauren Vujuvich led all scorers with a season high 18 points, her 5th consecutive double digit offensive games and Jenna Cordesius added 7. Elli Hatton and Katy Tomalenas each had 4 points.
Monte Vista will play for the tournament championship tomorrow at 4pm against the speedy Heritage Patriots.
MV (JV) 55 - St Patrick-St. Vincent 28
December 7, 2007 —
Alyssa Samia picked up her 2nd foul early in the second quarter and had to sit out the rest of the first half while St Patrick/St Vincent took the opportunity to cut a 21-3 deficit to 21-12 to close the half trailing only by 9. Monte Vista responded by building a 20 point cushion at the end of 3 quarters and won the game going away with a combination of strong inside game and tough defense. Alyssa finished with 16 points and 10 rebounds and the JV squad goes to 4-0. Next up will be the juggernauts from Sacred Heart Cathedral School in San Francisco who had defeated Berkeley High in an earlier game by 50 !
MV (Varsity) 68 - Oakdale 21
December 7, 2007 —
Niveen Rasheed took Monte Vista on a 30-1 run to open the Merced Christmas Tournament and finished with 23 points while the Lady Mustang rolled to a 47 points win over Oakdale. Amil Amin was the only other player with double figure scoring with 10 but senior Morgame Dulfer had a season high 8 points. Alexandria "X" Whalen also added 8 with Anina Middleton contributing 6 points. Monte Vista (5-0) will next take on Turlock in the semi final game.
MV (Frosh) 44 - College Park 17
December 7, 2007 —
Natalie Roveto scored 12 points and Lauren Vujuvich added 10 points to lead the Monte Vista Frosh team to a comfortable 27 points win improving their record to 2-2. The full court pressure clearly troubled College Park as MV got off to a big lead and never looked back. Jenna Cordesius scored a season best 8 points following a pair of 7 points games last week. Monte Vista will now face host Alhambra in the 2nd of the three round-robin contest.
JV and Frosh Back in Action...
December 6, 2007 —
After a 4 day break, the undefeated JV squad (3-0) will be back in action tonight in the tough Carondalet Tournament opening against St. Patrick / St. Vincent at 8:00 pm. The tournament features many of the strongest basketball programs in Northern California including defending D-III State Champions Sacred Heart Cathedral, St. Mary's Berkeley, Carondalet, Amador, Berkeley High and of course, last season's 25-1 Monte Vista. The Frosh team (1-2) rebounding from a difficult San Ramon Tournament, in the meanwhile will be at Alhambra this afternoon opening the defense of the Bulldogs Tournament title at 3:30 pm. Coach Pat Nivens' team has looked good in practice and should have a strong showing this weekend.
Monte Vista 64 - Hayward 45
December 5, 2007 —
Monte Vista(4-0) dashed out to a 25-1 lead and built a 59-29 advantage at the end of three quarters before throttling back resulting in a deceptively close final score. Niveen Rasheed led MV with 15 points and 8 rebounds while Christi Beeman set a personal best with 12 points including 4/4 from the line. Amil Amin quietly put in her double digit output with 12 and Alexandria "X" Whalen was still sizzling with another couple of three's and 12 points. One of the disappointments was the return of poor free-throw shooting. After hitting 75% against Heritage, Monte Vista is again back at sub-500 with 8 or 17 from the charity line. Without Christi Beeman and Amil Amin who combined for 6/6, the rest of the team shot a grand total of 1/11. Merced Tournament is Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Lookout for the fog on Highway 99 !
Monte Vista 68 - Heritage 28
December 2, 2007 – 01:07 AM —
Monte Vista applied full court pressure early to disrupt the flow of Heritage's point guard Ivy Jones who only managed 6 points for the contest after a stellar game the evening before in a surprise rout of host Alhambra. The forced turnovers plus hot shooting from the entire starting rotation propelled coach Hirschman's team to a 25-9 first quarter advantage from which the Patriots never recovered. Alexandria "X" Whalen was on fire in the first half draining all three of her 3 pointer attempts and went 4 for 4 from the line to lead all scorers with 17 points by intermission. She finished with a career best 19 points off 6 of 10 from the field and was named to the All Tournament team. Tournament MVP went to Niveen Rasheed who had only 6 points but dished out 6 mostly spectacular assists while co-captain Anina Middleton played a well rounded game including 5 points and a personal best 8 assists. Amil Amin added 10 points and 8 rebounds while starting forward Nicole "COCO" Vigar scored 9 points in spite of playing limited minutes due to early foul trouble. Sophomore Dani Rabago followed up an excellent outing against Petaluma with another strong game contributing a season best 8 points. Senior center Ellen Campbell continues her steady play by logging significant minutes relieve Amil Amin while adding 2 baskets of her own. Congratulations also goes to freshman forward Haylee Williams who scored her first ever basket as a Monte Vista Player in the fourth quarter. Next up is an away game against the Farmers at Hayward on Tuesday.
Monte Vista (JV) 53 - Hercules 46
December 2, 2007 – 12:45 AM —
Coach Cornell's JV team never trailed in the contest but the Championship game of the Castlemont Tournament between Monte Vista (3-0) and Hercules was close from start to end with the Lady Mustangs led by a slim 2 points at intermission and with Hercules within 3 points with 2 minutes left in the game. Kendall Bachelor sank both the front and back end of a one and one to give MV the final lead they would not relinquish. Kendall finished with 6 points for the game. Alyssa Samia again led the scoring with 12 along with her usual dominance in the low post. She was selected on the All Tournament team. Alex Smolen had 9 points plus an excellent all round game and was voted the Tournament MVP. Krystal Misono and Taylor Fazio scored 9 and 8 points respectively both received All Tournament honor. Nicole Olivera contributed 4 points while Jacqui Peterson sanked her first 3 pointer of the season. Arielle Hall-King had 2 points but handed out 3 assists plus a strong defensive game. The team will rest the next 4 days before heading to the tough Carondalet Tournament to face St. Patrick / St. Vincent on Thursday.
Monte Vista (Varsity) 45 - Petaluma 29
December 1, 2007 – 12:38 AM —
Niveen Rasheed had a career best 25 points along with 8 rebounds and 8 steals to lead Monte Vista over a pesky but ultimately undermanned Petaluma team. Ms. Rasheed now has 18 steals in two game along with a 22 points per game average in the Alhambra tournament. Amil Amin had 6 points along with 4 points each from Dani Rabago, Alexandria Whalen and Anina Middleton who also had 7 steals. The Lady 'Stangs now has a date with the Heritage High School Patriots, who had handily defeat the host Lady Bulldogs, at the Championship Game tomorrow evening at 7:30 pm.
Monte Vista (JV) 53 - Fairfield 48
December 1, 2007 – 12:17 AM —
Monte Vista built a 29-18 half time lead but had to hang on in the second half against a quick and physical Fairfield team which, in the waning minutes of the contest, had cut MV's lead to 3 using full court pressure. A steal and lay up by Alex Smolen gave the team enough cushion to spread the court and run out the clock. Alex finished with 12 points. Alyssa Samia played on a tender ankle and almost single handedly brought down Fairfield with 20 points many off offensive rebounds and putbacks. Krystal Misono had her second consecutive double digit game with 10 and Taylor Fazio and Nicole Olivera added 5 and 4 points respectively. The victory earns Monte Vista a spot in the Championship Game against another quick team from Hercules High School.
Monte Vista (JV) 71 - Washington-SF 36
November 30, 2007 – 02:14 AM —
Freshman center Alyssa Samia injured her ankle during the contest but fellow freshman forward Taylor Fazio stepped up to fill the void with 20 points and controlled the paint as coach Cornell's JV squad used its size advantage to defeat George Washington HS from San Francisco and advanced into tomorrow's semi final round of the annual Castlemont Tournament. Point guard Crystal Mizono also contributed heavily by distributing the ball plus scoring 14 points. In spite of the injury, Alyssa Samia still had 10 points while Kendall Bachelor added 8, Rachel Scott with 6 and Nicole Olivera with 5.
Monte Vista 59 - Rio Linda 25
Monte Vista ( 1-0 ) scored the first 12 points and never looked back crusing to a confortable 34 points win to open the 2007-08 season
at the Alhambra Bulldog Tournament. Niveen Rasheed led all scorers with 19 along with 10 steals despite playing barely over a half. Anina Middleton added 10 points while Alexandria "X" Whalen hit three baskets from the distance and ended with 9 points.
Getting Ready For Season Opener
Coach Hirschman getting the varsity girls ready for tomorrow's season opener
at the Alhambra High School Tournament against Rio Linda from the San Joaquin Section. The opponent is a total unknown except for a 21-7 record in 06-07.
Varsity Scrimmage Against Pinole Valley
MV against Denisha Stalworth and company from Pinole Valley High School that won 65 games the past two seasons...
JV Scrimmage against Pinole Valley
Frosh Pictures Against Acalanes Are Now On Kodak Gallery
Acalanes 53 - Monte Vista ( Frosh ) 32
Using full court pressure, the Acalanes Dons broke open a tight game mid way through the 2nd quarter with a 15-0 run that saw a tied game at 16-16 became a 31-16 Acalanes' lead at half time, an advantage they would hold throughout the remainder of the contest. Lauren Vujurich led the team with 11 points and Jenna Cordesius added 7. Natalie Roveto and Elli Hatton each had 6 points for the Mustangs. Monte Vista (1-1) will now face Livermore's JV squad at the third place game tomorrow afternoon.
Monte Vista ( Frosh ) 49 - Salesian 19
November 19, 2007 —
The Monte Vista Freshman team(1-0) opens its 2007-08 campaign with a resounding win at the opening round of the San Ramon Valley High School Tournament against Salesian High School from Richmond. Natalie Roveto led the scoring with 16 followed by Lauren Vujurich by 14. Katy Tomalenas added 8 with Corinne Brunchurst and Jenna Cordesius contributing 7 and 4 points respectively. Tough Acalanes will be the opponent at the next round on Friday.
Varsity Scrimmage Photographs against Washington are now on Kodak Gallery
November 19, 2007 —
Please click on Link at top of page to access Kodak Gallery. The images are all under Keith's Gallery. Again, you can order prints from Kodak directly or I can just send you images you want vis email. Day game at Washington HS is ideal for photography. Night games at Alhambra or San Ramon would be far more limited...
JV photographs @ Kodak Gallery
November 18, 2007 —
Photographs taken at the Scrimmage at Washington yesterday are now up at the Kodak Gallery. Just click the link at the top of the page. Varsity images will be coming hopefully later today. It is very time consuming to edit each image. Pictures, by the way, can be ordered directly from Kodak or I can just forward them to you. Either call or email Keith Tao at 925 785 8366 / hox97@aol.com
Varsity Scrimmaged Huskies at Washington
November 18, 2007 —
One would assume losing 5 seniors to graduation, 3 of them starters, would have a profound effect on the Varsity team. You would not know it by watching the spirited contest. The team is undoubtedly smaller in the paint as 4 out of the 5 graduated players played in the post position. They are, however, faster and quicker and have the ability to pressure the ball the entire court - a sure departure from the half court game of past seasons...
JV Scrimmage at Washington
November 17, 2007 —
The JV squad had a virtual complete makeover with only three returning players in Kendall Bachelor, Crystal Mizono and Alex Smolen from last season's 25-1 EBAL Champion team. The new team, which includes three freshman players, did not miss a beat in a 46-27 scrimmage win over the always tough Washington Huskies in Fremont. The Lady Mustangs unveiled a new power front line that has a chance to dominate the EBAL JV league this winter. Stay tuned for the introduction of the new members on this site.
Open Gym 2007-08 !!
October 2, 2007 —
A new season is upon us and open gym starts at Stone Valley Middle School
where new and returning players at all levels will meet to re-focus their skills.
2007-08 Season On The Horizon
September 20, 2007 —
The four juniors Nicole Vigar, Alexandria 'X' Whalen, Niveen Rasheed and Amil Amin along with senior Anina Middleton will form the core of the 07-08 squad after losing 5 players to graduation 3 of them starters. The group will be complemented by experienced and capable returning varsity players Crystal Florida, Christi Beeman and Ellen Campbell as well as members from coach Steve Cornell's 25-1 EBAL champion JV team. Head Varsity coach Ron Hirschman will return for his 17th season at Monte Vista again assisted by coach Pat Nivens who will continue to oversee the Frosh program.
What student in 2007 would turn down UC Berkeley and UCLA ?? Allison Samson said 'thanks but no thanks' to the Cal Bears and the UCLA Bruins. She will attend Villanova University outside philadelphia in the fall. One of the oldest, largest and highest ranked catholic universities in the country best known for the shocking NCAA men's basketball title in the '80s under Rollie Massimino. Go Ally !
Four year Varsity center Carlyn Raphel has decided to attend Cal Poly San Luis Obispo in the fall majoring in English. The head coach of the women's basketball team has also offered Carlyn a chance to play with the Division I Big West Conference team if she chooses to.
Last season's co-captain and All-EBAL guard Stephanie Cornell, seen here with ET, will be headed to Sonoma State University where she will be given the opportunity to play NCAA basketball as well as be a student at the lovely wine country campus.
Anina Middleton with her AAU team this spring in North Carolina
participating in the "Deep South Shootout" held at University of North Carolina and North Carolina State University.
Where are the Seniors Going Next Year ?
May 5, 2007 —
The information will be posted as the seniors' plans become firm. Kerry Beeman will be heading to UC Santa Barbara to play waterpolo and Natalie Sipos will be attending Scripps College, perhaps further her basketball career with the Claremont McKenna-Harvey Mudd-Scripps consortium squad.
Final Tribute To A Great Season
April 28, 2007 —
To cap off her coming out season, Niveen Rasheed was named to the All State Sophomore Team by StudentSports. In addition, she is also named the #4 ranked player in northern California for the class of 2009 by NorCalPrep.
More Honors for Niveen...
April 20, 2007 —
The post season honors continue to roll in for Niveen Rasheed. The sophomore was named yesterday to the Division I All Norcal team by Rival.com.
All Metro Honor...
April 15, 2007 —
Niveen Rasheed was named All Metro Honorable Mention by the San Francisco Chronicle and Contra Costa Times All Times second team. Monte Vista High School finished the season ranked 5th in the region by the Conta Costa Times and 12th by the Chronicle in northern California. Congratulations !
Memorable Night Revisited...
March 28, 2007 —
Pictures from one of the most memorable nights in Monte Vista Basketball are now available on the Kodak Gallery.
Senior Class Of 2006-07
March 22, 2007 —
Niveen Rasheed
First Team All EBAL Selection; EBAL Most Valuable Player 2006-07
Stephanie Cornell
First Team All-EBAL Selection
Carlyn Raphel
All EBAL Honarable Mention
Frosh-Soph Year-End Party
March 15, 2007 – 12:19 AM —
More Year End Party
March 13, 2007 – 12:18 AM —
JV Year End Party
More NorCal Actions...
March 10, 2007 – 08:52 PM —
Oakland Tech 41 - Monte Vista 35
March 8, 2007 – 08:51 PM —
Monte Vista did not play its best game and the great season ended at 27-3. Congratulations to the 2006-07 squad that posted the second most successful season ever in the program !
We Can Do It.....
March 6, 2006 – 08:49 PM —
We will again be underdog against Oakland Tech, the 2004 and 2005 CIF Division 1 State Champions. This is the team that eliminated San Ramon Valley last season from the regional. They have the athleticism. We have the Determination...
State Tournament Bracket
March 4, 2007 – 08:48 PM —
As expected, Monte Vista received the #6 seed in the NorCal Regional Tournament and will face Oakland Tech Thursday, March 8th, 6:00pm at Cal State East Bay in Hayward. Berkeley, naturally, received the #1 seed.
Berkeley 61 - Monte Vista 42
March 3, 2007 – 08:47 PM —
Berkeley lived up to its #1 seeding by defending its North Coast title against a determined but overmatched Monte Vista team. Alex Mitchell surprised MV's zone defense by hitting three outside shots in the opening minutes of the game. The Yellowjackets led 17-11 after one quarter but outscored Monte Vista 18-4 in the second quarter to build a virtually insurmountable 20 point lead by half time including a long 3 pointer as time expired. The second half was played on more even terms but the Lady 'Stangs could not trim Berkeley's lead to less than 17. Senior Stephanie Cornell led the team with 10 points including repeated drive through heavy traffic. Niveen Rasheed was blanketed by Jennifer Gross and Jazmine Perkins but still managed to score 9 points and collected 7 rebounds along with helping Stephanie Cornell break the full court pressure thrown by Berkeley. Center Carlyn Raphel added 8 points opposing the Oregon State bound Alex Mitchell while Kerry Beeman hit a pair of baskets from the deep left corner. Anina Middleton contributed 4 tough points one on a steal under the basket and one off a fast break. Monte Vista now awaits the CIF State Tournament Committee to release its seeding for the tournament. MV may play at Oakland Tech, Carlmont ( San Mateo ) or in Sacramento.
Tony Visits From SoCal
March 3, 2007 – 08:46 PM —
Former Monte Vista Assistant Head Coach Tony Arndt made a special one day trip up north from Los Angeles to provide bench support against Berkeley at the North Coast Section championship game.
Title Game Against Mighty Berkeley Tonight
March 3, 2007 – 08:46 PM —
Normally at this time of the year, the web site would be posting spring and summer basketball programs but it's March and Monte Vista is still practicing hard as they head into tonight's confrontation with the Berkeley High juggernauts. The Yellowjackets had a monopoly on the Northcoast title the past 2 decades but San Ramon Valley upended B-High last season to grab the NCS banner and it is now up to Monte Vista to carry on the task. This is Gene Nakamura's final season at Berkeley after 25 years and they are motivated to send him off with not only a sectional but possibly a state title. Beating the 'jackets at Berkeley would not be easy but Monte Vista is an unglamorous but quietly dangerous squad. We are a huge underdog and no one believes MV can even stay close to the host team. This is a perfect setup for an upset of monumental proportion...GO 'Stangs
Monte Vista 45 - San Leandro 37
February 28, 2007 —
By defeating San Leandro, Monte Vista improves to 27-1 and advances to the NCS Championship game against Berkeley High School (23-6) which beat Washington 58-41 in the other semifinals game. Monte Vista also qualifies for the NorCal Regional, the next step towards a Division I CIF state title. The Pirates led most of the first half although at no time over 5 points. This occured at 11-6 and 20-15 while MV was ahead only once at 13-11. San Leandro led 20-17 at the half and 29-27 after 3 quarters but the Lady 'Stangs made a 10-2 run midway through the 4th quarter to assume a 6 point lead at 37-31 only to see the Pirates came back off 2 MV turnovers to tie the score at 37-37 with 64 seconds left in the game. Carlyn Raphel's inside basket and foul conversion gave Monte Vista a crucial 40-37 lead they would not relinquish. Niveen Rasheed had a brilliant game with 17 points 6 rebounds and 3 steals while Carlyn Raphel added 11 points and 8 rebounds and senior captain Stephanie Cornell had 9 points along with 6 assists. The Championship game will be played at 8:00 pm Saturday at "neutral" Berkeley High School, compliment of North Coast Section.
Huge Game Tomorrow At Home Against San Leandro
February 28, 2007 —
San Leandro is a highly athletic, high scoring run and gun team that wore down Deer Valley at Deer Valley. They also can play defense as evident by their ability to limit the Wolverines to 57 points. They had defeated D-4 powerhouse Moreau Catholic and Bishop O'Dowd in the HAAL this season. On the other hand, San Leandro suffered close losses to Oakland Tech, Castlemont and Arroyo suggesting they can be irratic. A Monte Vista win requires a team defensive effort aka: zone defense and minimum turnovers. Scoring will have to come from sources in additional to Niveen and freethrow shooting needs to be at 70%. Go 'Stangs !
Call Up To Varsity...
February 26, 2007 —
Morgane Dulfer, Sam St. Laurent, Krystal Mizono, Dani Rabago and Alex Smolen have been called up by Coach Hirschman to varsity for the playoff run (Krystal cannot participate because of softball commitment for Monte Vista.) It is an honor and an honor well earned by the young ladies. Congratulations !
Monte Vista 54 - Granada 46
February 24, 2007 —
#3 Monte Vista (26-1) led essentially the entire game to oust #11 Granada from the NCS playoff at the quarterfinals round. In spite of the MV lead, the game was within striking distance until the final seconds. The Lady 'Stangs was ahead by as many as 12 points in the 4th quarter but was never able to completely shake the Matadors and Granada's comeback win against #6 Pittsburg on Tuesday served as a reminder the game is not over until the clock expires. Monte Vista's leading scorer Niveen Rasheed sat out a significant portion of the 1st half due to foul troube but center Carlyn Raphel stepped up huge with a career high 17 points along with 6 rebounds and 2 block shots. Anina Middleton re-emerged from her scoring drought with 10 points with key baskets when Granada threatened to close the gap. Captain Stephanie Cornell had 9 points including a deep 3 from the left corner plus a game leading 7 assists. Nicole Vigar again played well with repeated hustle plays while senior Allie Samson scored a pair of baskets in the first half when Monte Vista was struggling to gain control of the game.
Coach Pat Nevins
February 22, 2007 —
In his second year at Monte Vista, Coach Pat Nivens has taken on the role of assistant varsity coach in addition to being the head coach for the Frosh-Soph squad which quietly has had a strong 2006-07 season finishing 6-4 in EBAL and 11-7 overall including a 3rd place finish at the San Ramon Tournament and winning the Alhambra Bulldogs Classic. For the few of you who had just returned from a trip to Saturn with the Cassini space probe, Coach Nevins' daughter Kelsey plays on the powerhouse JV team...
Proud Papa Cornell
2006-07 Undefeated EBAL JV Champion
February 18, 2007 —
The JV team may go down in history as one of the best ever from Monte Vista posting a 12-0 league and 25-1 overall record. The only blemish came in the hands of powerhouse St. Mary's Stockton at the championship game of the Castlemont Tournament early in the season. The JV Lady 'Stangs had a winning margin of over 25 points per game in EBAL which is amazing considering the presense of perennial power teams from Amador Valley, Foothill and Granada. Congratulations to coach Steve Cornell who had 22, 20, 23 & 25 wins in his past four seasons and the JV team of: (left to right) (Juniors) Jenna Velasquez, JD Dulfer, Sam St. Laurent, Morgane Dulfer, (Sophomores) Kelsey Nevins, Sabina Woodward, Kendyl Bachelor (Frosh) Alex Smolen, Krystal Mizono, Dani Rabago, Emilia Ogle-Anderson & Lisa Wulf.
EBAL Champion 2006-07 at Monte Vista ( 25-1 )
The team holds the record for the longest winning streak in Monte Vista Women's basketball history and ties for the best 26 game season record with the 1996-97 squad.
EBAL Champion 2003-04 at Granada ( 22-4 )
Four year varsity player Stephanie Cornell and Carlyn Raphel were members of the last Varsity championship team. Senior co-captain Kerry Beeman was member of the 2003-04 JV EBAL champion team and senior Natalie Sipos and Ally Samson were key members of the Frosh EBAL champion team of the 2003-04 Monte Vista triple crown season.
One For All, All For One - Monte Vista Women's Basketball
Monte Vista (Varsity) 51 - SRV 34
February 15, 2007 —
The 2006-07 open gym started in late September and nearly 5 months later, the regular season came to a close at the San Ramon Valley High School gymnasium where the Monte Vista Varsity squad finished 25-1 with a 51-34 win over the host team and a share of the coveted EBAL title.
The game took place on the Wolves' Senior Night. Inspite of a lack luster start, MV jumped out to a 16-7 1st quarter lead and led 26-19 at the half. SRV trimmed the lead to 28-25 but that was the closest San Ramon was going to get as Monte Vista ran off the next 8 points to take an 11 point lead and never looked back. Niveen Rasheed led all scorers with 17 points and senior captain Steff Cornell closed out of her regular season career with 12 points.
Monte Vista (JV) 55 - SRV 24
February 15, 2007 —
With hopes of closing out their season with a 25-1 record, the Lady JV Stangs took the court at San Ramon Valley High on Thursday afternoon. A turnover in the opening seconds of the game, resulting in a score by Dani Rabago, put MV on the board early but they could not seem to score after that. With 2:40 left in the quarter Morgane Dulfer, broke a tie with a free throw and the Mustangs were off and running. The half closed out at a close 19-14, but Coach Cornell inspired his team to come out in the 3rd and play the way he knew they were capable of, racking up 17 points to San Ramon's 3. Final score: 55-24 Scoring summary: Dani Rabago-13, Krystal Mizono-11, Jenna Velazquez-8, Morgane Dulfer-5, Sabina Woodward-4, Lisa Wulf, JD Dulfer & Alex Smolen-3, Kendyl Bachelor-2.
Congratulations From New York
February 13, 2007 —
Great going JV for winning league and going 24-1. Congratulations to varsity for the best 25 game start ever. Good luck against SRV on Thursday! Best of luck at NCS seeding meeting.
Monte Vista (Varsity) 51 - Granada 34
February 9, 2007 —
Monte Vista(23-1, 9-1) rebounded smartly from Wednesday's loss to Amador Valley with a methodical, relatively turnover free win at Granada. The Matadors actually led 13-12 after a quarter but Monte Vista had seized a 24-19 lead by halftime. The second half started with Granada closed to within 2 at 28-26 but 7 straight points by the Lady 'Stangs pushed the lead up to 9. Christine Herman hit her only 3 pointer of the evening to cut the lead to 6 but that was the closest the host team could get. Niveen Rasheed led MV with 13 points followed by Stephanie Cornell with 9, Alexandria 'X' Whalen with 7 and Carlyn Raphel with 6. The team will close out the regular season with a pair of games at home against Livermore and at San Ramon Valley.
Monte Vista (JV) 55 - Granada 20
February 9, 2007 —
Continuing their march to be undefeated in league, the JV Lady Stangs completely dominated Granada High School on Friday night. Opening up with a mere 8 points the 1st quarter, a running jump shot by Junior Jenna Velasquez, with 4:50 remaining, finally got Monte Vista rolling. MV went on to score 26 points the 2nd quarter to Granada's 2. The 3rd quarter found the Mustangs outscoring their opponent 16-3. Final score 55-20. Scoring summary: Dani Rabago-12, Jenna Velasquez & Alex Smolen-8, Sam St. Laurent-7, Krystal Mizono-6, Jenna Velasquez-4, Lisa Wulf-3, Kendyl Bachelor, Morgane Dulfer & Kelsey Nevins-2, Em Anderson-1.
Amador Valley 44 - Monte Vista (Varsity) 37
February 7, 2007 —
Amador Valley took advantage of Monte Vista's turnovers, poor outside shooting and lack of inside production to come away with a hard fought victory. MV trailed by 8 points early in the game at 11-3, nearly caught up at 15-13, fell behind again just before the half at 21-14 and closed on a high note with a long 3 pointer by Niveen Rasheed to trail only by 4 after 2 quarters. Monte Vista finally tied the game at 30-30 after 3 quarters and took the only lead at 32-30 in the early moments of the 4th only to see Amador Valley scored the next 5 points and retake the lead. The game was within 2 points till the final minute when back to back turnovers extinquished any hope of a come back. Niveen Rasheed finished with 18 points to lead all scorers. 22 games win streak is over but new streak will begin this Friday at Granada.
Monte Vista (JV) 49 - Amador Valley 31
February 7, 2007 —
The JV Lady Stangs traveled to Pleasanton fired up and ready to take on the Amador Valley Dons on Wednesday evening. Showing no signs of big game jitters, as they had previously experienced, Junior Morgane Dulfer scored 4 of her 10 points in the opening minutes of the game. The Mustangs easily built up a solid lead only to see it dwindle to 1 point at the close of the 1st quarter. Freshman Dani Rabago had a great 2nd quarter, shooting 100% on her free throws (6-6)and another basket for 8 of her 16 total points. MV closed out the half up 23-17. 3rd quarter saw the Stangs moving the ball well and Alex Smolen hitting 2-3 pointers and two free throws for 8 points. The entire team played great defense and continued to stay focused closing out with a 49-31 win. Scoring summary: Dani Rabago-16, Morgane Dulfer-10, Alex Smolen-8, Sam St. Laurent-6, Krystal Mizono-3, Jenna Velasquez, Sabina Woodward & Lisa Wulf-2.
Amador Valley 20 - Monte Vista (Frosh-Soph) 12
February 7, 2007 —
Monte Vista10-6, 5-3 managed only 12 points for the game but the defense held the high power Dons to only 20, less than half of their season average. Sarah Purlee led the team with 5 points including a 3 point basket. Jacquie Peterson had 3 points also on a trey. Rachel Scott had 2 points and Kelly Reardon and Laura Chreston both had 1.
Biggest Game Of Season Tomorrow At Amador Valley !
February 6, 2006 —
2007 Senior Night
February 3, 2007 —
Monte Vista (Varsity) 61 - California 35
February 2, 2007 —
Using full court pressure, Monte Vista created multiple turnovers in the 1st quarter and surged to a 15-1 lead, forcing the Grizzlies to use 2 quick timeouts only to see the lead grow to 20 points by the beginning of the 2nd quarter. Niveen Rasheed led all scorers with 14 points playing only half the game along with 5 steals. On senior night, 12 out of 13 players scored in the game which also featured the return of Kerry Beeman who beat all odds returning to action, albeit a limited one, less than 4 weeks after suffering 2 fractured ribs. Ms. Beeman highlighted her return to the court with a 3 point basket from the wing just before the half. With the win, MV improves to 8-0 in league play and 22-0 over all setting the table for the biggest showdown of the season Wednesday night at Amador Valley for the league title.
Monte Vista (JV) 56 - Cal 28
February 2, 2007 —
The JV Lady Mustangs continued their quest to remain undefeated in league play, by taking on the Cal High Grizzlies Friday night. First quarter play was tight with Junior Jenna Velasquez hitting a 3-pointer and taking the lead 12-10 but closing out the quarter tied 12 all. The Mustangs rallied in the 2nd to go up by 12 with Freshman Dani Rabago scoring 8 of her 10 points in the 2nd quarter. Fellow Freshman Lisa Wulf had one of her best games, scoring 10 points and jumping right back into the game from what appeared to be a serious ankle injury. Monte Vista continued to dominate the remainder of the game and closed out with a 56-28 win. Scoring summary: Lisa Wulf & Dani Rabago-10, Alex Smolen, Sam St. Laurent & Jenna Velazquez-6, Krystal Mizono-5, Kendyl Bachelor & Morgane Dulfer-4, JD Dulfer-3, Sabina Woodward-2. Up next, Amador on Wednesday @ 5:30 for what will probably be the toughest game of the season.
Monte Vista ( Varsity ) 48 - Foothill 45
January 31, 2007 —
Most teams win when their offenses are in sync while good teams win even when they are not. Monte Vista (21-0, 7-0) shot less than 10% in the first half from the field, missed all but one freethrows and had the fewest points for a quarter and one half in five years and still managed to pull out a victory against a very determined Foothill squad. Inspite of having a subpar day shooting from the charity stripe, Niveen Rasheed still led the team and all scorers with 15 points along with suffocating defense. Foothill led by six at intermission only to see the lead disappeared in half a quarter. MV eventually built a 9 point lead midway into the 4th quarter but untimely turnovers and a pair of 3 point baskets from Foothill High School closed the lead to 5 and ultimately 2 points late in the 4th quarter. Clutch freethrow shooting by Stephanie Cornell, Carlyn Raphel and Amil Amin in the final minutes sealed Monte Vista's record setting 21 consecutive wins. Amil Amin finished with a season high 14 points with Carlyn Raphel contributing 12 including 6 of 7 from the line.
Monte Vista (JV) 56 - Foothill 30
January 31, 2007 —
The JV Lady Stangs (pictured above celebrating their latest victory)opened the 2nd half of the league, at home, with another win against the Foothill Falcons. Leading the team was Junior Morgane Dulfer with 16 points for the night, followed by Freshman Alex Smolen with 12. Scoring summary: Morgane Dulfer-16, Alex Smolen-12, Krystal Mizono-11, Sabina Woodward-7, Em Anderson & Dani Rabago-4, Sam St. Laurent & Lisa Wulf-2. Up next, Cal High at Monte Vista Friday 2/2 @ 5:30.
Monte Vista (Frosh-Soph) 30 - Foothill 5
January 31, 2007 —
Coach Pat Nevins's team played their best defensive game of the year, limiting Foothill to a season low 5 points including a 1st quarter shutout. Alyssa Wisk again led the team with 8 points and Lindsay Peters scored a season best 6 points. Sarah Purlee, Rachel Scott and Malori Redman each added 4 points while Kelly Reardon and Laura Chreston both contributed 2. The win improves the season record to 9-5 along with a league record of 4-2. The team will next face California Grizzlies at home on Friday.
Second Half Of League Season Begins Wednesday !
January 29, 2007 —
Monte Vista (Varsity) 49 - San Ramon Valley 30
January 27, 2007 —
Monte Vista forced 20 first half turnovers against SRV but could only manage a 21-10 half time lead due to inability to finish easy inside open baskets and poor outside shooting. Niveen Rasheed had to sit out more than half the game because of foul trouble but still managed to score 12 points and pick off 7 steals in the first quarter alone. Captain Stephanie Cornell also had 12 points including a pair of 3's. With Niveen on the sideline, San Ramon Valley was able to trim a 16 points 3rd quarter MV lead to 8 in the second half but three pointers by Alexandria 'X' Whalen and Anina Middleton quickly put to rest any hope of a San Ramon Valley upset. The win gave the team a record tying 20-0 season record and sole pocession of EBAL first place at 6-0 into the second half of the league season.
Monte Vista (JV) 59 - San Ramon Valley 36
January 26, 2007 —
Two quick Monte Vista turnovers, which fortunately San Ramon was unable to covert to points, had the JV Lady Stangs afflicted with "big game jitters" during the 1st quarter. Krystal Mizono hit a 3-point shot to put MV on the scoreboard. The 1st quarter remained tight when Junior Jenna Velasquez hit a 3-pointer to put MV up 15-13. The Mustangs shook off their 1st quarter jitters and came out smokin' in the 2nd with Dani Rabago hitting 4 shots for 8 points and Sabina Woodward scoring 4 to close out the 1st half 34-20. The Mustangs stayed on track in the 3rd with Mizono hitting the 4th of her 3 pointers and leading MV with 14 points total. Lisa Wulf and Kendyl Bachelor each hit a 3-pointer in the 4th quarter to close out the game with a Mustang win 59-36. Scoring summary: Krystal Mizono-14, Dani Rabago-13, Sabina Woodward-6, Sam St. Laurent & Jenna Velasquez-5, Morgane Dulfer-4, Lisa Wulf & Kendyl Bachelor-3, Em Anderson & JD Dulfer-2.
Monte Vista (Frosh-Soph) 34 - San Ramon Valley 28
January 27, 2007 —
MV(8-5,3-2) had built a comfortable 23-8 lead over San Ramon Valley but a few Monte Vista turnovers coupled with a pair of 3's and SRV was back within 3 at 28-25. Sarah Purlee, however, came to the rescue with 7 points in the 2nd half to pull Monte Vista to a 34-28 six point victory. Sarah finished with a game high 9 points. Shaiela Buhiyan also contributed 7 points including a three point basket while Alyssa Wisk added 6. Malori Redman had 4 points with Lindsey Peters and Kelly Reardon with 2 each.
Monte Vista (Varsity) 57 - Livermore 18
January 19, 2007 —
It was never fun to play Livermore either at home or on the road. The expectation of an easy game frequently led to letdowns and the poor attendance and quiet gym did not help to motivate the players from either side. Well, Livermore hasn't yet emerged as an EBAL power but Matt Garza has coached intensity into the Cowboys who use desire and will to overcome shortage on size and talent. Friday night and CYO 3rd grade halftime scrimmage from St. Michael's has brought in a boisterous crowd and the game was played with spirit even though Livermore had a great deal of difficult breaking the Monte Vista press. After tying the game at 4-4 in the opening minutes, the Cowboys allowed MV 19 straight points and trailed 34-8 at the break ultimately losing by 39. Neither Raber or Hoehne could offer much offense inspite of the tandem averages a combined 20 points a game for Livermore. Center Carlyn Raphel had an amazing 1st quarter in which she scored 12 points - the highest single quarter output by a Monte Vista woman player in at least 5 years. Carlyn finished with a game leading 14 points after giving way to the bench for most of the second half. She also had 5 block shots and 9 rebounds. Niveen Rasheed added 9 points in a short day along with the usual 6 rebounds and 4 steals. Crystal Florida, Natalie Sipos and Alexandria 'X' Whalen all contributed 6 a piece.Ally Samson had 6 rebounds in limited time along with _ points. The now 19-0 Lady Mustangs will return to action next Friday 7:00pm at home against San Ramon Valley.
Monte Vista (JV) 47 - Livermore 26
January 19, 2006 —
The JV Women added a win in Livermore Friday night, easily defeating the Lady Cowboys 47-26. Top scoring honors went to Dani Rabago and Morgane Dulfer both finishing with 8 points. The game included some of the most interesting referee calls that any of the MV fans had ever witnessed. This led Coach Cornell to push his team to keep scoring, even after they led by 17 at the end of the 3rd quarter. Krystal Mizono and Sabina Woodward each added 7 points while Sam St. Laurent had 6 points. Scoring Summary: Morgane Dulfer & Dani Rabago-8, Krystal Mizono & Sabina Woodward-7, Sam St. Laurent-6, Alex Smolen-4, Jenna Velazquez-3, Lisa Wulf & Em Anderson-2. Up next, the Lady Stangs hope to add to their winning streak by defeating cross town rival San Ramon.
Monte Vista (Varisty) 44 - Granada 38
January 17, 2007 —
It will not go down in Monte Vista history as one of its more memorable games but it will serve to extend the second longest winning streak in school history at 18. The game was nip and tuck throughout the first half with Monte Vista leading by 2 after one quarter and 5 at the half. With outside shots not falling, the Lady Mustangs had to rely on defense, limiting the Matadors to only 4 points in the 2nd quarter and 9 points in the third. The final score is somewhat deceptive as MV had a 12 point lead into the final minute with Granada scoring the last 6 points to keep the score respectable. Niveen Rasheed had to handle double duty including carrying the offensive load and defending the always dangerous Kristine Herman who was held to 12 points 6 of which came at the waning moments of the contest when the game was already out of reach. Ms. Rasheed finished with a game high 14 points, grabbed 9 rebounds and had 5 steals. Carlyn Raphel was cold in the first half and back up center Natalie Sipos stepped up and scored 8 points while Carlyn recovered her touch in the second half to finish with 10 points. Livermore up next on Friday.
Monte Vista (JV) 57 - Granada 37
January 17, 2006 —
Improving their season record to 17-1, the JV Lady Stangs took on Livermore's Granada High School at Monte Vista on Wednesday night. With Freshman Dani Rabago leading the 1st quarter charge with 8 points the Mustangs went up 16-10 and never looked back. Krystal Mizono and Alex Smolen were hot in the 2nd quarter each putting up 3-2's and 1-3 pointer and closing out the half with Monte Vista up 39-13. Although up by 26, the JV team opened the 3rd quarter aggressive with 4 blocked shots in under a minute by Junior Morgane Dulfer while classmate Sam St. Laurent made 4 of her 6 free throws to add to her 10 point game. A frustrated Granada came back strong in the 4th quarter outscoring MV 15-6 but at that point the Mustangs had the game in the bag. Scoring summary: Alex Smolen-13, Krystal Mizono-11 Sam St. Laurent-10, Dani Rabago-8, Morgane Dulfer-7, Kendyl Bachelor-4, JD Dulfer & Sabina Woodward-2. Up next, the Friday commute to Livermore to meet the Cowboys. Tip off time: 5:30
Granada (Frosh-Soph) 38 - MV 23
January 17, 2006 —
How Cold Did It Get Last Night ?
January 16, 2007 —
Schedule
January 16, 2007 —
Monte Vista Featured Team On High School Sports Focus
January 13, 2007 —
The 17-0 varsity team was the featured high school team on this week's High School Sports Focus. The show was aired yesterday and will be replayed tomorrow (Sunday) at 4 pm on Cable 6. Kerry Beeman was interviewed about her injury along with Niveen Rasheed and Stef Cornell. Don't miss it !
Monte Vista (Varsity) 57 - Amador Valley 50
January 12, 2007 —
There was 42 seconds left in the game with Monte Vista ahead of Amador Valley by a slim 3 points having squandered an 11 point lead barely 3 minutes earlier. AV fouled Stephanie Cornell deliberately to send her to the line on three consecutive possessions just to watch her calmly sank 4 of 5 shots to seal the victory and pushed Monte Vista to 3-0 in league and 17-0 overall for the season. The game was close throughout the first half with Amador Valley ahead by 4-0 to open the game and Monte Vista led at 12-10 and 16-15 only to see Amador scored the next 7 points to lead by 6. The first half ended with Monte Vista cutting the deficit to 2 at 26-28. 3rd quarter did not start well for the host team as Amador Valley scored the first 2 baskets to again lead by 6 at 32-26 but Niveen Rasheedseized control of the offense while Monte Vista's defense tightened up to limit Amador to 3 more points the rest of the quarter with MV taking a 39-35 lead into the final segment. A 10-3 run by Monte Vista landed the Lady Mustangs the largest lead of the evening at 49-38 but the 11 point advantage was quickly knocked down to a scant 3 over the next 4 minutes on 8 consecutive AV points, setting up Stephanie Cornell's heroics from the freethrow stripe. Stephanie Cornell finished with 13 points while Niveen Rasheed had her second consecutive 22 point game along with 4 steals, 5 assists and 5 rebounds. Anina Middleton had another strong game with 8 points and 4 steals while center Carlyn Raphel added 7. Granada is next up on Wednesday at home.
Monte Vista (JV) 47 - Amador Valley 33
January 12, 2007 —
Led by Freshman Krystal Mizono, who played an outstanding game, the Monte Vista JV Women defeated perennial powerhouse Amador Valley, 47-33. Mizono hit 3-3 pointers and 3-2 pointers to lead the team in scoring with 15 points. Tough defense was played by both teams and the Mustangs closed the half up by 13 (27-14). The Amador Dons returned from half time fired up and pulled within 3 points of MV to close out the 3rd quarter 31-28. The 3rd quarter scare saw Coach Cornell and his squad get back on track and outscore Amador 16-5 in the 4th. Scoring summary: Krystal Mizono-15, Alex Smolen-10, Sam St. Laurent-7, Jenna Velasquez-6, Lisa Wulf-4, Sabina Woodward-3, JD Dulfer-2. Up next, Granada at MV Wednesday @ 5:30.
Monte Vista (Frosh-Soph) 21 - Amador Valley 26
January 12, 2007 —
Monte Vista (Varsity) 54 - California 33
January 10, 2007 —
Monte Vista (16-0,2-0) extends the winning streak to 16 games by overcoming a pesky California team who threw everything they had at the Lady Mustangs. MV was ahead the entire game after a 2-2 tie in the first minute of the contest but the Grizzlies stayed within striking distance most of the contest. Monte Vista led by 12 at the break at 30-18 but California trimmed the lead to 6 at 30-24 in the 3rd quarter after scoring the first 6 points of the second half. Back to back baskets by Niveen Rasheed brought the lead back into double digit and Monte Vista was not threatened again. Niveen Rasheed finished with a career high 22 points along with an amazing 10 steals and 7 assists to lead all scorers with Amil Amin contributed 8 points off the bench. Next contest is Friday night at home against a very good Amador Valley team that features a pair of exceptional freshmen. This may be the toughest test for the Lady Mustangs to date this season. A fullhouse is espected.
Monte Vista (JV) 47 - California 33
January 10, 2007 —
Taking their 14-1 record to San Ramon's Cal High, the JV Lady Stangs met some stiff competition in the 1st half of their game against a much-improved Grizzlie Team. Both teams came out playing strong defense, but 3-pointers by Krystal Mizona and Jenna Velasquez in the 1st quarter put the Mustangs up by 6 (14-8). 2nd quarter play had MV scoring 12 to Cal's 11, again with 3-pointers by Mizono and Velasquez, putting Monte Vista up 26-19 to close the half. The 3rd quarter found the JV team playing hesitantly, perhaps because all calls seemed to be going Cal's way, but they recouped and came out strong in the 4th led by Freshman Alex Smolen, who was high-scorer with 13 points. Final score: 47-33 Scoring summary: Alex Smolen-13, Krystal Mizono & Dani Rabago-10, Jenna Velasquez-6, Kendyl Bachelor, Morgane Dulfer, Sam St. Laurent, Lisa Wulf-2. Up next Pleasanton Power House Amador at Monte Vista, Friday @ 5:30. A BIG GET WELL WISH FROM THE JV TO VARSITY PLAYER KERRY BEEMAN!
Monte Vista (Frosh-Soph) 29 - California 23
January 10, 2007 —
Monte Vista's Frosh-Soph team goes to 2-0 in EBAL play by clipping host California Grizzlies. Alyssa Wisk had another double digit output with 12 points. This follows her 13 points performance Monday against Foothill. Sarah Purlee added 6 points, Shaiela Bhuiyan contributed 4 and Kelly Reardon hit her first 3 pointer of the season.
Monte Vista (Varsity) 53 - Foothill 34
January 8, 2006 —
The Lady Mustangs opened the 2007 EBAL season with a solid win at notoriously tough Thomas Hensen Gym against the Foothill Falcons. As usual, Monte Vista raced off to a fast start and had built a 20 points cushion with a minute left in the first half at 27-7 only to watch Foothill scored the final 5 points and went into the locker room trailing by only 15. MV scored the first basket of the 3rd quarter but went ice cold for 6 full minutes with Foothill eventually cut the lead down to 8 at 31-23 only to see Monte Vista tightened its defense limiting the Falcons to 11 points the rest of the way while scoring 22. Anina Middleton led all scorers with 13 with repeated outside shots against the Foothill zone defense while Niveen Rasheed added 12 points and 8 rebounds. Carlyn Raphel contributed 8 strong points including a couple of nice inside baskets against the Falcons' 6'2" center Kata.
With the win, Monte Vista moves to 15-0,(1-0). Next up is the improved and dangerous California Grizzlies at Cal High on Wednesday.
Monte Vista (JV) 53 - Foothill 26
January 8, 2007 —
Opening the league without the home court advantage, did not deter the JV Team from posting a big win against Pleasanton's Foothill Falcons. Morgane Dulfer opened the game with two points to put the Lady Stangs on the board first. Foothill struggled against Monte Vista's strong defense and could only score 5 points in the 1st quarter (14-5). Sophmore Kelsey Nevins had a great night rebounding and scoring 12 points. Holding Foothill to 3 points during the 2nd quarter (35-8) the Lady Stangs posted 21 points with 3-pointers by Alex Smolen, Dani Rabago and Jenna Velasquez. Krystal Mizono played well with numerous steals and 10 points. Scoring summary: Kelsey Nevins-12, Krystal Mizono-10, Dani Rabago-9, Alex Smolen-8, Jenna Velasquez & JD Dulfer-3, Morgane Dulfer, Em Anderson, Lisa Wulf and Kendyl Bachelor-each with 2. Up next a trip to San Ramon's Cal High on Wednesday. Tip off time: 5:30
Monte Vista (Frosh-Soph) 39 - Foothill 17
January 8, 2007 —
Photos from Las Vegas at KodakGallery
January 7, 2007 —
Most of the pictures taken during the Las Vegas Tournament are now available for viewing at Kodakgallery under Keith's Gallery. Please use the link at the upper left hand corner of the page.
Revisit the Frosh-Soph Team...
January 6, 2007 —
The Frosh-Soph team has been off for three weeks during the winter holidays. Here is another look at the team with pictures courtesy of Mr.Bhuiyan. EBAL play will start next week.
JV Women Support Teammate Morgane Dulfer injured in final seconds of Wednesday's game
JV Women Win Newark Memorial Tournament
December 30, 2006 —
After easily eliminating tournament hosts Newark Memorial on Friday, 12/29 (54-23) the Lady Stangs took on the Notre Dame Tigers, meeting their first real competition since playing St. Mary's of Stockton in the Castlemont Tournament. Strong defense was played by both teams but a big three-pointer by Jenna Velasquez at the end of the 1st quarter tied the game at 7-7. A quick assist from Morgane Dulfer to Dani Rabago, put the Mustangs up by 2, only to trail the remainder of the quarter and close it out down by 5 (13-18). A half-time "pep talk" by Varsity coach, Ron Hirschman, brought the JV squad back motivated to play. The game remained close through the 3rd quarter but the Mustangs got back on track in the 4th with "Birthday Girl" Jenna Velasquez hitting her 2nd 3-pointer to take the lead 25-20. Taking All Tournament Honors were Alex Smolen and Morgane Dulfer while the Newark Memorial MVP Award went to Freshman Dani Rabago. Scoring Summary: Dani Rabago-18, Jenna Velasquez-8, Morgane Dulfer-4, JD Dulfer and Kelsey Nevins-2, Sam St. Laurent-1. Next it's back to Monte Vista to meet Oakland's Fremont High School on Wednesday, January 3rd.
Coach Hirschman likes to employ full court trapping defense to start a contest and frequently creates turnovers from the opponents and a large Monte Vista lead. Kerry Beeman and Stephanie Cornell are seen here double teaming on the inbound with Niveen Rasheed lurking like a free saftely for the steal off an errant desperartion pass. The Lady Cougars of Newark Memorial will likely get a good dose of such defense.
Monte Vista (Varsity) 60 - Menlo Atherton 48
December 29, 2006 —
The fast start has become a trademark of this season's team as Monte Vista(12-0) again took a big 19-5 first quarter lead over Menlo-Atherton and cruised to a comfortable win at the semifinal of the Lady Cougar Classic. Niveen Rasheed led all scorer with 16 points including 4 for 4 from the line and Stephanie Cornell added 13 points along with 6 assists. Center Carlyn Raphel contributed 11 points and 7 rebounds while forward Kerry Beeman had 9 points. Monte Vista now moves into the championship game against the host Newark Memorial at 7:45pm.
JV - Monte Vista 62 - Skyline 29
December 28, 2006 —
Although missing a few teammates, the JV Women opened the Newark Memorial tournament with a resounding defeat of Oakland's Skyline High School. The Lady Stangs started out slowly, closing out the 1st quarter up by only 4 points (18-14)in what appeared would be a close game Two big three's in the 1st quarter by Freshman Dani Rabago, contributed to her 14 point total, sharing high scoring honors with Junior Sam St. Laurent. The 3rd quarter saw the Mustangs repeatedly stealing the ball and putting up 17 points to Skyline's 6. The 4th quarter proved to be much of the same, with the Mustangs playing strong defense and holding Skyline to just 3 points. Final score: 62-29. Up next for Coach Cornell and his squad, host team Newark Memorial Friday at 1:30. Scoring summary: Dani Rabago & Sam St. Laurent - 14, Alex Smolen & Morgane Dulfer - 6, Em Anderson & Krystal Mizono - 5, Lisa Wulf, Jenna Velasquez, JD Dulfer and Kelsey Nevins - each with 4.
Monte Vista (Varsity) 40 - Notre Dame Belmont 31
December 28, 2006 —
ND Belmont's zone press defense troubled the high power Monte Vista offense resulted in the lowest output of the season although Notre Dame Belmont could only muster 11 first half points themselves and trailed throughout the game. Anina Middleton led Monte Vista with 11 points with Niveen Rasheed adding 9, Steff Cornell 8 and Carlyn Raphel 7.The win puts MV at 11-0 and will play last season's Central Coast Section semifinalist Menlo Atherton tomorrow at 6:15pm.
Newark Memorial Tournament
December 27, 2006 —
The Monte Vista Varsity will open its title defense tomorrow at 3:15 PM against Notre Dame Belmont which gave MV the battle of its life last year before losing 31-30. The JV squad will open in the same tournament against Skyline at 12:00 Noon.
2006 Las Vegas Lady Wolves Christmas Tournament Champions
JV Girls Know How To Have Fun...
Monte Vista 53 - Rancho (NV)39
December 20, 2006 —
A fast start again placed Monte Vista (9-0) into a big early lead of 12-1 but the athletic Rancho five made it a game by cutting the lead to 15-8 after one quarter. Both Stephanie Cornell and Niveen Rasheed had to sit early 2nd quarter after each picked up 2 fouls. Latasha Brown of Rancho who had 20 points in the game scored 10 consecutive points, the last on a freethrow to tie the score at halftime at 21-21. This represented the only time this season MV was not ahead at the break. The game remained close in the 3rd quarter with Monte Vista holding leads of 31-27 and 35-30. A 3 point basket by Anina Middleton pushed the advantage to 38-30 at the end of 3 quarters of play. Niveen Rasheed, who probably played her best game this season seized control in the final quarter by hitting a 3 at the top of the key and a long 2 from the right wing to push the Lady 'Stangs into double digit lead. Niveen fininshed with a career high 19 points combined with 6 rebounds and 3 assists. Anina Middleton also had a season high 12 points while senior forward Kerry Beeman hit her first career 3 pointer from the deep left corner. Stef Cornell contributed 8 points along with 4 assists and Amil Amin added 5. Monte Vista will now play California rival Castlemont (7-2) of Oakland who disposed of Boyd County from Kentucky for the championship tomorrow at 1:30PM.
Monte Vista (JV)45 - Basic 19
December 20, 2006 —
Monte Vista 59 - Palo Verde (Nevada) 21
December 19, 2006 —
A relentless trapping defense forced Palo Verde into a dozen turnovers in the first half while limiting their dynamic duo of Pride and Henderson to a game total of only 15 points. Palo Verde was also held to a grand total of 5 points in the entire second half.
All 13 Monte Vista (8-0) players scored with NIveen Rasheed leading the way with 11 and Kerry Beeman added 8 points.
Monte Vista (JV) 42 - Bishop Gorman 19
December 19, 2006 —
The Bishop Gorman program has a long tradition of being the best in the state of Nevada. Their varsity team currently ranks 6th in the nation on a recent USA Today poll. Monte Vista JV squad(7-1) jumped out to a 14-4 lead to open the game only to see Bishop Gorman stormed back to within a point at 14-13. Back to back to back fastbreak baskets by Morgane Dulfur, Dani Rebago and Crystal Mizono started a 14-0 run that brought the lead back to 15 and Bishop Gorman never threatened again.
Monte Vista 69 - Bonanza (NV) 27
December 18, 2006 —
The Monte Vista varsity squad flew into Las Vegas Sunday night, had time to shop and sight see Monday afternoon, then went on in the evening to defeat an overmatched Bonanza High School at the seeding round by 42 points. Stephanie Cornell led all scorers with 14 while Niveen Rasheed added 12 points, 7 rebounds and 4 steals. Alexandria 'X' Whalen had a career high 11 points including a pair of 3's while Kerry Beeman chipped in 8. The 7-0 Lady Mustangs will take on Palo Verde at the first round of the Basic Christmas Tournament tomorrow at 5 pm.
Monte Vista (Varsity) 55- Rodriguez 32
December 14, 2006 —
Monte Vista opened its home schedule against a completely unknown, athletic squad from Rodriguez High School (Fairfield). Both teams employed a fierce trapping man defense that featured a low scoring first 6 minutes but offensive rebounds and turnover points gave Monte Vista a 13-6 lead after 1 quarter which was extended to 22-8 at the half. An 18-2 run at the start of the 3rd quarter gave MV its largest margin at 40-10 from where it cruised to a comfortable 23 point win. Sophomore Niveen Rasheed had an outstanding all round game collecting 14 points, 9 rebounds with 6 on the offensive end and 4 steals. Anina Middleton also came up with 3 steals along with 4 points and stellar defense. Alexandria 'X' Whalen came off the bench and scored a season high 7 points while post Carlyn Raphel contributed 6 points and 7 rebounds. Starting forward Kerry Beeman picked up two early fouls and had to sit out most of the first half and was flagged for her 3rd foul 3 minutes into the second half. Kerry stayed in the game, however, and went on to score 9 points. Backing up KB was Amil Amin who had an efficient 6 point and 5 rebound game in 15 minutes of play. The large lead allowed coach Hirschman to substitute liberally. All 13 players saw meaningful playing time with forward Ally Samson notching 4 and guard Crystal Florida contributing 2 points. Nicole Vigor also hit her first high school 3 point basket off the right wing to complete the scoring. Co-captain and point guard Steff Cornell had an off night offensively but ran the floor flawlessly and continued to defend with fiery intensity. Next up - DFAL foe Dublin Friday night at 7:30 pm.
JV Women Repeat as Champions at Alhambra Tournament
Monte Vista (Varsity) 50 - Alhambra 35
December 2, 2006 —
Monte Vista (3-0) captured the Alhambra Bulldog Classic title that eluded them last season by defeating the host Alhambra High School. The Mustangs trailed 10-5 in the first quarter but went on a 21-4 run to lead 26-14 at the break. MV expanded the lead to 31-14 in the first minutes of the 3rd quarter and 38-20 late in the same quarter but Alhambra fought back with 10 straight points with post Aly Conway contributing 6 of the points to close the game to 38-30 and brought the crowd back in the game. 2 clutch jumpers by Stephanie Cornell, a steal and lay up by Niveen Rasheed and baskets by Kerry Beeman and Carlyn Raphel brought the lead back to 18 and essentially sealed the victory. Stephanie Cornell finished with a career tying best of 16 points and was awarded the tournament MVP honor. Niveen Rasheed had her 2nd consecutive 13 point output and was selected to the All Tournament team for the fourth time in 4 tournaments. Kerry Beeman had her first double digit scoring for the season with 10 and was also selected to the All Tournament team. Center Carlyn Raphel added 6 points and 7 rebounds. Guard/Forward Nicole Vigar scored only 2 points but earned extensive playing time off the bench with her tremendous, fierce defensive effort.
JV Mustangs Take 2nd Place at Castlemont Tournament
December 2, 2006 —
After beating Oakland Tech on Friday evening, 42-32, Coach Steve Cornell and his Lady Stangs took on the very strong team from St. Mary's of Stockton. The Stockton Rams had beaten their previous opponents by 30+ points, so Coach Cornell knew his team had their work cut out for them. A fast-paced game saw the Monte Vista women facing continuous pressure from the Lady Rams. The end of the first half found Monte Vista down by 9. Rallying in the 2nd half, the Mustangs pulled within 7 points of their opponent only to finish the game down by 10 (50-40) and a 2nd place title for the Castlemont Tournament. Named All Tournament Players were Junior Sam St. Laurent and Freshmen Dani Rabago, Krystal Mizono and Emilie Anderson. Up next for the JV Ladies, the annual Alhambra Tournament in Martinez where again they will be defending their title.
December 2, 2006 —
Freshman Dani Rabago dribbles up the court to face the St. Mary's Rams.
Come Support Kerry Beeman !
November 10, 2006 —
The top seed Monte Vista (24-2) women's water polo team will take on 2nd seed Northgate in the North Coast Section Championship game to be held tomorrow (Saturday November 11, 2006) at the Soda Aquatic Center, Campolindo High School. Game time is 1:00 pm. Our very own Kerry Beeman, who is expected to start at the forward position on the varsity basketball team, will be the starting goalie for the EBAL champion water polo team. Kerry is an ALL LEAGUE selection in water polo in 2006. For directions to Campolindo High School, please click on directions under menu bar on left of page.
Off Season Basketball
June 15, 2006 —
More Monte Vista players than ever particiate in spring and summer club basketball to sharpen their basketball skills. Columbia bound Erin Tao plays with the San Francisco Enchantees with her team finished spring season with a 16-5 record reaching the championship game in 5 of 7 tournaments winning 2 of them. Incoming senior center Carlyn Raphel plays with the Orinda Magic along with MV teammate Anina Middleton. The team will be heading to Oregon City in July to play in the End of the Oregon Trail Tournament, widely considered one of the most competitive tournaments in the nation. Senior Stephanie Cornell who plays for the West Coast Elite will skip their trip to Memphis to participate in an Elite Top 50 Camp in southern California. Christie Beeman, who also plays for the younger Orinda Magic squad, will be heading to the AAU National Championship in Louisiana after finishing 2nd in the Paicfic AAU Super Regional Championship in Reno during Memorial Day weekend. Niveen Rasheed stars on the 14U East Bay Xplosion team that won the Pacific AAU Super Region and will be heading also to Lafeyette, LA for the AAU National following their trip to Oregon. Amil Amin, Alexandria Whalan and Nicole Vigar all plays for coach Steve Cornell as well as Sam St. Laurent, Ellen Campbell, Dannon Kuiper, Kendyl Bachelor, Francesca LeBreton, Jenna Velasquez and Sabina Woodward in various spring and summer tournaments. Varsity Head Coach Ron Hirschman will open summer camp on June 19 at Monte Vista as well as summer league at Las Positas College.
Professional photographs taken at the MV-SRV game at home by Chris Scott are now posted on his website ( CalSportsPhoto.com). Images can be viewed and pictures ordered through the website using the link below. CalSportsPhoto
Thank You Coaches and Good Bye Tony.......
March 9, 2006 —
Five months of daily commitment each season is what the varsity coaches had promised and delivered. For Coach Hirschman, his 16th and for Coach Arndt, his 7th. Monte Vista not only has arguably the best program in the area but one of the very best in Northern California. Averages 19 wins per season the past 4 years and, finished 1st, 2nd, 2nd the past three seasons in the tough EBAL and 11 straight trips to the north coast section playoff speak volume on the quality of our teams and coaching. Thank you Ron. Thank you Tony! Tears flowed when Tony broke the news at the season end party that he will be moving to southern California effective this summer. Stern, meticulous but immensely compassionate, Tony is loved by everyone. He provided the voice of reason when emotion ran high and maintained the checks and balances that are required for a successful program. We wish you and the family the best in Los Angeles and there will always be a seat on the bench for you.
Senior Night at Monte Vista
February 24, 2006 —
Monte Vista (Varsity) 48 - San Ramon Valley 50
February 24, 2006 —
The largest home crowd of the season rocked the Monte Vista gym and the spectators came away with a thrilling nail biter of a game with the SRV Wolves edged MV for the EBAL title. Monte Vista was up by 1 after a quarter, by 2 at the half and tied after three quarters. Jen Dressen's three point play gave San Ramon Valley a 5 point lead, their largest with 55 seconds left in the game. Erin Tao hit a 3 from the deep left corner to bring the game to within 2 points and Carlyn Raphel made a steal to give Monte Vista a chance to tie the contest but Erin Tao missed on an 8 foot jumper. Niveen Rasheed, who had 14 points for the night, pulled her 9th rebound off the offensive board but the 'Stangs was unable to convert. After the Wolves made 1 of 2 free throws to extend the lead to 3, Erin Tao was fouled on her three point attempt but was able to connect on only two of three free throws. Meghan Yetman's final free throw and a close miss by Stephanie Cornell at the buzzer closed out the most exciting games this season with both team heading into the NCS playoff next week. Erin Tao finished her EBAL career with 17 points with Carlyn Raphel adding 6.
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2005-2006 Monte Vista JV Team
Coached by Steve Cornell, the Monte Vista JV basketball team finished the season 23-3 and 10-2 in EBAL. By the conslusion of the season, this team is arguably one of the best JV basketball teams in the greater East Bay. Members of the team: Christie Beeman, Ellen Campbell, Claire Castiglioni, Morgane Dulfer, Crystal Florida, Dannon Kuiper, Shawn Pohlson, Allison Samson, Lex Santos and Samantha St. Laurent.
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2005-2006 Monte Vista Frosh-Soph Team
Members of the team: Izzy Askanas, Kendyl Bachelor, Shaiela Bhuiyan, Alexis Dinsbach, JD Dulfer, Kaitlyn leadabrand, Francesca LeBreton, Jessica Montevago, Chanel Nagra, Kelsey Nevins, Alex D' Souza, Jenna Velasquez and Sabina Woodward. Head Coach: Pat NevinsMore game photo against San Ramon Valley to come...
Better Late than Never - Here are More Carwash Pics...
February 5, 2006 —
A lot more car wash photos coming but huge San Ramon game first...
January 30, 2006 —
Monte Vista 38 - Amador Valley 34
January 28, 2006 —
On this one day, Monte Vista's game plan worked to near perfection - exploiting the relative inexperience of the AV guards and blanketing AV's Sara Vandehorst with Niveen Rasheed and Nicole Vigar. Amador Valley led 17-13 at the half in a defensive struggle and scored on the opening drive of the 3rd quarter to lead by 6. Seven consecutive points by Monte Vista including a 3 pointer from Niveen Rasheed gave MV the lead it would not relinquish. Co-captain Stephanie Cornell continues her stellar season with an outstanding defensive effort along with breaking the occasional half court trap. Carlyn Raphel again led the team in scoring with 14 along with 8 rebounds and 3 huge blocks. Erin Tao added 13 while Niveen Rasheed finished with 7 points. Amil Amin and Kerry Beeman both played a very strong game especially on the board. The victory at Amador Valley set up a meeting of the league leaders between undefeated SRV and 4-1 MV on Tuesday at San Ramon.
2001-2002 St. Isidore "A" team Members
Monte Vista women's basketball's sixth woman team
Monte Vista (Varsity) Wins Newark Memorial Tournament
December 30, 2005 —
Using a balanced attack and intense trapping defense, Monte Vista (9-3) was able to build an early 8-0 lead and never trailed in the contest winning 61-37. The coaches utilized all 13 players including 4 freshmen at one time on the court and 9 players got on the scoring column. Kerry Beeman and Erin Tao each had 13 points with Natalie Sipos adding 8, all represented season highs. Tournament MVP Stephanie Cornell contributed 7 points, 5 assists and tough all round defense. Center Carlyn Raphel matched up well against Skyline's huge 6'4" center with 6 early first quarter points plus 6 rebounds. Alexandria Whalen put in heavy minutes at the point while Niveen Rasheed finally started to move like her pre-injury self with 3 steals and multiple deflections. Lauren Lentz and Amiel Amin both again had strong games. Sipos and Tao were named to the all tournament team along with Cornell. The victory represents the first tournament championship this season after making to the final at Alhambra and Fortuna. A rematch at Skyline is next on Thursday.
Monte Vista (Varsity) 31 - Notre Dame Belmont 30
December 29, 2005 —
Monte Vista scored a season low 31 points including no point for the 3rd quarter yet managed to pull off a come from behind one point victory over a tenacious ND-Belmont squad. MV was down by 8 after three quarters having scored just 17 total points up to that moment. Coach Hirschman sent out three point specialist Lauren Lentz who promptly nailed a trey to break Monte Vista's 10 minute scoring drought and opened the flood gate for a 14 point quarter while holding Notre Dame to just 5 points for a second consecutive period. The win was not assured until Notre Dame's last second shot clanked off the iron. Monte Vista (8-3) will face the winner of tonight's Newark Memorial-Skyline contest in the championship game.
Monte Vista (Varsity) 47 - Menlo Atherton 41
December 28, 2005 —
The full court pressure created multiple first half turnovers with which Monte Vista (7-3) built a 12-3 first quarter and eventually 29-16 halftime lead. The MA Bears staged a fourth quarter comeback with sharp shooting from the line twice cutting the lead to 4 but could get no closer with Monte Vista holding on for a 6 point victory at the first round of the Newark memorial Lady Cougar Tournament. Stephanie Cornell had a season best 16 points hitting key shots each time Menlo Atherton threatened. Erin Tao made her season debut scoring 9 points with Carlyn Raphel adding 8 and Kerry Beeman 7 points. Freshman Alexandria Whalen played another strong game with 5 points standing in for starter Niveen Rasheed who is finally shaking off her ankle and back injury.
Dublin 42 - MV (Frosh-Soph) 12
December 14, 2005 —
The bigger and quicker JV team from Dublin proved to be a tough match up against the younger and less experienced squad from Monte Vista (6-2). Despite of the score, the contest was spirited and attended by a large, boisterous crowd. Particularly gratifying to coach Nevins is the performance of freshmen Shaiela Bhuiyan, Alexis Dinsbach, Kaitlyn Leadabrand, Jessica Montevago and Alex D'Souza. Ms. Bhuiyan scored on a driving bank shot and Ms. Leadabrand had a beautiful floater from the middle of the paint to hightlight the fourth quarter. Jessica Montevago and Alex D'Souza both showed excellent ball handling skills against a pressure defense and Alexis Dinsbach utilized her long arms both on the defensive and rebounding department. Next up is College Park High School at home on Friday.
Monte Vista (Varsity) 47 - Mission San Jose 24
December 13, 2005 —
Monte Vista (5-2) rebounded from a frustrating loss to Arcata with a convincing road win against Mission San Jose. The Lady 'Stangs led from the opening tip and was never threatened. Stephanie Cornell led all scorers with 11 including a pair of three's. Alexandria 'X' Whalen continued her scoring streak with 9 along with 8 from center Carlyn Raphel. Carlie Nagel, Anina Middleton and Niveen Rasheed added 6 each. The game also marked the season's first appearance by Kerry Pohlson who is recovering from a serious knee injury that had severely restricted her playing last year. Home opener is Friday 7:00 pm against College Park. Pasta feed tomorrow (Thursday) at the Rasheed's.
Thank You Ron & Tony !
March 5, 2005 —
Ron Hirschman has just completed his 15th season as head coach at Monte Vista and saw his team made the North Coast Section Playoff for the 10th consecutive year. The length of the tenure and level of success is virtually unparalleled in the Bay Area. His contributions are also reflected by the enormous success of the MV freshmen and JV program coached by Howie Cousin and Steve Cornell. Tony Arndt has been associated with the team for over a decade both as a parent and assistant varsity coach. He altered his life and work to be with the squad at both games and practice. The no nonsense approach and disciplines he preaches play a major role in the continue success of women's basketball at Monte Vista. We thank you coaches !!
----------The Freshmen team enjoys some sunshine at the park on picture day!
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............................................................The fabulous JV !
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..................................................................Or Not............................
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................................................The Lean, Mean Machine - Monte Vista Varsity........
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Amador Valley 55 - Monte Vista (Varsity) 49
January 8, 2005 —
An exciting but ultimately disappointing game with defensive lapses in the second half costing MV a chance to walk off with an away victory. The inability to contain Sara Vanterhorst and some arguable foul calls sent her to the line 18 times and caused Stephanie Cornell and Liz Harvey to both fouled out of the game. Kendall Williams led the team in scoring with 15 points. Liz Harvey kept the Lady 'Stangs in the game in the first half with sharp outside shooting finishing with 10 points. Erin Tao shook off early gitters and turn in a solid floor game against relentless full court pressure. She also contributed 10 points while Felicia Lopez added 8 including a big three pointer that gave Monte Vista a 47-45 lead with 2:54 left in the game. Next up is Livermore on Wednesday.
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Monte Vista 48 - Sacramento 47 ( OT )
December 28, 2004 —
Playing relentless defense and continuous double teaming of their huge forwards, Monte Vista pulled off a stunning upset of the tournament's favorite earning them a trip to the Championship game against yet another team with big, skilled forwards in 13-1 Castlemont. The forward quartet of Liz Harvey, Kendall Williams, Carlyn Raphel and Kerry Beeman did a marvelous job containng Sacramento's highly touted frontline including UCSB bound Shantell Thomas and Pac-10 recruit Jessica Bradley. Monte Vista stayed close throughout the contest with Kendall Williams hitting a leaning 19 footer with 2 seconds left to send the game into overtime. MV took the lead at the 2:30 mark on Erin Tao's 3 point basket and the defense made the lead stand up. Aside from Kendall Williams' heroics, Liz Harvey heavily contributed to the victory by controlling the weakside rebounding, frequently limiting the much taller Sacramento Dragons to only a single shot per possession.
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Monte Vista (Varsity) 45 - Benicia 38
December 16, 2004 —
After a fast start scoring 18 points in the first quarter, Monte Vista (5-1) struggled mightily in quarter 2 and 3 scoring a season low 4 points in a dismal 3rd quarter allowing Benicia to stage a come back from a 12 point deficit to within 1 at 31-30. The Mustangs did right the ship and went on to close out the game without ever surrendering the lead on consecutive baskets by Stephanie Cornell and Liz Harvey both finished the game with 8 points. Erin Tao led the team with 19 points but only hit 3 of 7 from the freethrow line. Chesaray Banda and Kerry Beeman each grabbed 7 rebounds and both played aggressive defense to help offset the loss of Kendall Williams for a second straight game. Next up - Roseville tonight at 6:30pm.
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Monte Vista ( Varsity ) 56 - Campolindo 41
December 1, 2004 —
Monte Vista ( 1-0 ) won the season opener for the first time in three years and it wasn't easy. The Mustangs never trailed in the contest but Campolindo on several occasions cut the margin to under 5 points and the outcome was not assured until late in the fourth quarter. Felicia Lopez led all scorers with a career best 18 points including three treys and Liz Harvey had 11 points including a couple of crucial baskets when the Cougars threatened. Kendall Williams and Erin Tao each added 8 points with Stephanie Cornell and Carlie Nagel contributing 5 and 4 points each. Kendall Williams also had 18 rebounds and 3 steals. Next up - Mission San Jose 7:00 pm tomorrow evening at Monte Vista.
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........................................................................................EBAL Varsity Champion 2003-04 (22-5)...................................
Pittsburg 60 - Monte Vista 57 ( Overtime )
March 3, 2004 —
Storming back from a 17 points deficit at 30-13, the Mustangs focused on defense, forced overtime, took the lead but eventually fell short to a visually exhausted Pittsburg team. The second half and overtime was like a slugging match between two tired prize fighters with the outcome undetermined until the final buzzer. The loss was bitter but the effort memorable. A large group of loud Monte Vista supporters witnessed the final game from our four seniors Kathryn Buckles, Katie Cornell, Lauren Gray and Sarah Harvey along with principle Becky Smith, Athletic Director Craig Bergman and many teachers. Congratulations to coach Ron and Tony and all the players for a great championship season !
Monte Vista (Varsity) 61 - Mars Township, Pennsylvania 58 ( Double Overtime )
December 21, 2003 —
An exhausted Monte Vista team pulled out a gritty double overtime win against a sharp shooting Mars Township team from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania which had just beaten Castlemont from Oakland earlier in the day 67-52. Playing without a shot clock, the Pennsylvania team held for a last shot with 2 minutes left in regulation with score tied at 47-47 and again in the first and second overtime after taking a brief 53-51 lead. Sarah Harvey spoiled the strategy with a big steal in the 2nd OT and 2 subsequent foul shots to tie the game with Kendall Williams making a decisive 3 point play to seal the win. Balanced scoring is the hallmark of this year's varsity team and this game is a prime example with Sarah Harvey contributing 11, Kendall Williams 13, Lauren Gray 10, Felicia Lopez 9 and Erin Tao 16 points. Kendall Williams and Erin Tao were selected to the all-tournament team but the selection process has again bypassed Sarah Harvey who had make so many critical plays the absense of anyone would put MV's victory into jeopardy. Felicia Lopez continues to be a force on both offense and defense starting in place of the flu strickened Kathryn Buckles. Freshman Center Carlyn Raphel again made significant contribution with Katie Cornell out with a sprained ankle. Monte Vista is now at 9-1 with the game weary Lady 'Stangs having to play their 10th game in 14 days tomorrow night at Albany.
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Monte Vista Wins Fortuna Tournament
December 14, 2003 —
An awesome display of pressure defense and balanced scoring enabled Monte Vista to capture a title that has eluded the Lady 'Stangs in recent years including last year's heart-breaking final second loss to Moreau Catholic in the championship game. Every player scored in the 73 - 27 contest against Piner H.S. from Santa Rosa most notably freshman center Carlyn Raphel with 3 power baskets in the paint and Felicia Lopez finishing an outstanding tournament with 11 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists. Katie Cornell capped a 5 for 7 shooting night with 10 points. Sarah Harvey contributed 9 points along with her unflappable floor game and Kendall Williams added 8 points and 10 rebounds. Lauren Gray continued to dominate the paint with 3 block shots and 6 points with freshman guard Stephanie Cornell and sophomore guard Carlie Nagel provided strong backup guard play with 3 and 2 points respectively - contributing to the rare depth Monte Vista currently displays. Erin Tao finished with 13 points and was voted Tournament MVP. Kathryn Buckles who had 4 points and 3 steals was voted to the all tournament team along with Kendall Williams. Monte Vista improves to 4-1 for the season and #21 on the power rating. Next up is Tuesday at Mission San Jose.
Times-Standard - North Coast
NCS Playoff : Monte Vista 46 California 42
March 5, 2003 —
A sweet victory at California's home court erased the bitter memory of the February 21th loss in the hands of the Grizzlies and moved Monte Vista into a North Coast Section semifinal match up with the Berkeley Yellow Jackets at Berkeley on Friday.
Rodriquez 44
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