December 6, 2005

Warriors boys’ hoops open 2005 Westmont Tournament with 58-54 win over Saratoga

Hobbled senior guard Ryan Kanzaki hits game-winning shot with 1:36 left

By Diego Abeloos
Sports Writer

The Warriors boys’ basketball team kicked off their 2005 Westmont Tournament with a 58-54 win over Saratoga on Nov 29.

Saratoga’s Bo Nielsen takes a shot over Westmont’s Kyle Nielson during a 58-54 Warriors’ win on Nov. 29. Photo by Diego Abeloos

The Warriors then followed up on the win by taking a 53-37 win over Los Gatos on Dec. 1, giving the team a 3-0 non-league record to start the season. In the win over Saratoga, the Warriors were led by junior Michael Weimer, who scored a team-high 18 points. Seniors Ryan Kanzaki (12 points) and Chantz Staden (11 points) also chipped in on offense.

Westmont head coach Bill Gerth said Saratoga gave the Warriors all they could handle in the close win.

“Saratoga is a hard team to play,” said Gerth. “They’re very well-coached. Coach (Mike) Davey is an awesome coach.”

After having a firm grasp on the lead for most of the game, the Warriors briefly let things slip in the fourth quarter, as a 9-point lead at 51-42 quickly turned into a 1-point deficit at 52-51 with 3:17 left on a 10-0 run by Saratoga.

During that run, Saratoga’s Kia Agahdel nailed a 3-pointer at 4:25 to bring his team closer at 51-47 before converting on a layup less than a minute later to cut Westmont’s lead to two. Saratoga then took the lead at 3:17 when Nick Valluri drew a foul while hitting a jumper, and converted on the 3-point play by hitting his free throw to give his team a 52-51 lead.

But the Warriors, led by Kanzaki, surged back just before the end of regulation.

Kanzaki dropped in a reverse layup at 2:47 after grabbing his own rebound, retaking the lead at 53-52. After a layup by Saratoga’s Bo Nielsen saw another lead change at 54-53 for Saratoga, Kanzaki took charge once more on offense, driving to the hoop and hitting a layup while being fouled. Kanzaki then sank his free throw to complete a 3-point play, giving the Warriors a 56-54 lead with 1:36 left to seal the win.

“We knew the game was going to run in cycles like it was,” Gerth said of the win. “We got the big lead, they came back, and with the type of ball that Saratoga runs, we knew that was going to happen, with their press and so on. We got a little tired down the stretch and didn’t play good basketball. ...The man-to-man (defense) was a little ragged down the stretch, so we switched to zone. Maybe that was a little momentum-changer for us.”

Gerth said he was pleased with Kanzaki’s performance, despite a chipped bone in the right big toe that has been troubling the senior since the end of his football season.

Westmont’s Chantz Staden keeps a close eye on Saratoga’s Kourosh Agahdel during a 58-54 win to open the Westmont Tournament on Nov. 29. Staden left the game early in the fourth quarter after re-aggravating a deep bruise on his right hip. Photo by Diego Abeloos

“We didn’t even know if he was going to play tonight, let alone miss the whole season,” Gerth said of Kanzaki.

“He’s a competitor and he couldn’t sit it out, so he came off the bench and gave us a spark.”

Gerth added that he was pleased with Staden’s performance, particularly in the first three quarters of play, which saw the senior guard nail three 3-pointers throughout the game, one for each quarter he played. Staden left the game early in the fourth quarter after colliding with a Saratoga opponent during a rebound attempt, leaving the senior writhing on the floor in pain.

Gerth said Staden has a severely deep bruise on his right hip, an injury that has been bothering the guard – much like Kanzaki - since the end of his football season. During the rebound attempt, Gerth said Staden was inadvertently hit on the injured hip, causing him to go down.

“He’s had the injury for about three weeks,” Gerth said of Staden. “He got hit playing out there … he got a knee into it, I think.”

Gerth said Staden would likely to miss a couple of games, leaving the senior inactive for the remainder of the tournament.

The Warriors’ three wins have been a positive development for Gerth and his young team, which features just four seniors on a roster of 13 players. The rest of the roster consists of juniors.

Still, despite the relative youth on the squad, Gerth said he’s looking forward to seeing his team mature throughout the season.

“The exciting thing about basically having a whole new group this year, compared to last year when we had a lot of returning starters, is hopefully a lot of improvement,” said Gerth. “…We’ll get better as the season goes.”

Westmont wins two at Glenn Ventura Tournament

Takaki puts up 23 points in win against Pioneer

By Ken Lotich
Staff Writer

The Westmont Lady Warriors defeated host Pioneer on Dec. 2 to take third place at the Glenn Ventura Tournament, held Nov. 30 to Dec. 2 at Pioneer High School.

Coach John Mackey gives his team a pep talk during a timeout. The Lady Warriors defeated the Lady Mustangs 58-49 at the Glenn Ventura Tournament at Pioneer High School. Photos by Ken Lotich

In other tourney matches, Westmont beat Scotts Valley 57-35 in the first round, and lost to Soquel 65-36 in the next round.

Senior guard Lynley Takaki led the Lady Warriors in their victory against Pioneer, racking up 23 points while nailing four 3-pointers.

“We always try to go out and play four quarters as a team,” Takaki said after the game. “I try to get out there and direct my teammates on the court.”

In the game against Pioneer, the Lady Warriors traded the lead back and forth with the toughest portion of the game for the Lady Warriors coming in the second period, when both teams combined for only 18 points. The Lady Mustangs went up 30-28 at the half.

Westmont exploded in the third period, racking up 18 points with a 5-for-8 free-throw shooting effort as a team. The Lady Warriors ended the third period with a 48-43 lead.

In the fourth period, the Warriors dominated, with Takaki nailing a clutch 3-pointer late in the quarter, giving Westmont a 52-45 lead. Westmont would take its time on ensuing possessions, eating up the clock en route to a 58-49 victory.

Senior Krystal Wahl played strong defense for the Lady Warriors against Pioneer and will be an asset with her 6-foot-2 presence in future games, Mackey said.

“We really rely on our defense,” Wahl said. “It’s a major part of our overall game—we really try to challenge ourselves to get better at practice.”

Lynley Takaki scored 23 points in Westmont’s 58-49 victory against Pioneer.

With the win against Pioneer, Westmont is 3-2 overall on the season, picking up a 50-32 win against Saratoga on Nov. 18.

Head coach John Mackey said the win against the Lady Mustangs was a decisive one, and he hopes for more like it in the future.

“We had some nice buckets to start the game off,” Mackey said after the win. “We really stepped it up in the second half. This is all stuff we’ve been doing at practice.”

Mackey said his starting five bring a lot of experience, and he expects big things from all of them.

“We have a good mix of returners and newcomers,” Mackey said. “One of our major strengths is that we have a lot of experience to lead the charge.”

Takaki returns as a guard, Wahl is back at center, with sophomore Kelly Gregg as the other guard. Senior Evelyn Lopez and sophomore Tichelle Thomas play both guard and forward.

Rounding out the team are guards Kylie Santo, Robyn Araujo, Megan Scheibli, Veronica Medina, and forwards Rubina Banwait and Helena Grunwald.

Westmont will host and play in the Westmont West Valley Classic against Prospect High School on Dec. 15 at 7:30 p.m. Westmont is located at 4805 Westmont Ave. in Campbell.