SPORTS

Battle of two guards leaves Pioneer with 58-56 overtime loss to Westmont

Pioneer’s Mark Bundlie and Westmont’s Chantz Staden match shot for shot in fourth quarter, overtime

By Diego Abeloos
Sports Writer

NIMBLE NELSON. Pioneer’s Robbie Nelson, shown here in a game earlier this season, scored 14 points in a 58-56 overtime loss to the Westmont Warriors on Jan. 19. Photo by Ron Reed.

It was a game for two guys wearing the number 22. One helped shoot his team to narrow victory, while the other kept his team alive until the very last seconds of the game.

Westmont guard Chantz Staden, No. 22, and Pioneer point guard Mark Bundlie, also No. 22, both played to the wire in the fourth quarter and in overtime, with the Mustangs dropping a 58-56 overtime loss at home to the Westmont Warriors on Jan. 19.

For Staden, it was a time of redemption, having gone 0-for-9 shooting before coming alive in the fourth quarter and the overtime period in which the junior contributed all nine of his game-total points.

“I was really down on myself in the beginning because I didn’t have a point until the fourth quarter,” Staden said. “Once I hit a basket (in the fourth quarter), it gave me some confidence. I hit a couple of free throws and I took it from there.”

For Bundlie, on the other hand, the game was one of frustration. Bundlie scored five points in the fourth quarter and scored all of the Mustangs’ seven points in overtime, but it was not enough, as turnovers and inconsistent shooting left Pioneer with its second straight loss in a week.

“I think we played better; good for a loss. We just couldn’t make a shot at the end,” Bundlie said.

With Pioneer (9-10, 3-2) up 39-38 in the fourth quarter, the Warriors (12-8, 3-2) began to make their move on offense, putting together an 8-2 run to take a 46-41 lead. During the run, Westmont center Matt Hosack chipped in four of his game-total 15 points, including a lay-up with 3:30 left to put his team up by five.

The Mustangs answered back with a modest run of their own, going on a 6-0 stretch to regain the lead at 47-46. During that stretch, Bundlie nailed a three-pointer from the right wing to add to his game-high 20 points.

But Staden, who missed his first nine shots, answered back for the Warriors, hitting a lay-up with 1:44 left before hitting one of two free throws with 18 seconds to go to put his team up 49-47. Not to be outdone, Bundlie was sent to the line after being fouled by Casey Modiri, and sank both of his free throws to send the game into an extra frame.

“That’s what a leader does,” Pioneer Head Coach Joe Berticevich said of Bundlie. “…A leader step up and says, ‘hey, I’m going to take that shot, whether I’m hitting it or not, and I’m going to make it,’ and he did it.”

Staden put his team up 50-49 with 2:44 left in overtime by sinking one of two free throws, but Bundlie answered the call again, sinking two shots from the line to give Pioneer a one-point lead at 2:20. After two free throws from Staden gave Westmont a 52-51 lead with 1:53 to go, Bundlie sank two shots from the line as well to flip the lead back to the Mustangs with 1:36 left.

Staden soon gave his team more than just a one-point edge when the junior guard nailed a three-pointer from the left wing to go up 55-53 at 1:15. After a Modiri lay-up with 39 seconds left gave Westmont a four-point lead, Bundlie brought his team back within one, sinking a long three-pointer from the right wing with 20 seconds left in the game for a 57-56 deficit. Westmont iced the game only seconds later, as Modiri hit one of two shots from the line for a two-point lead.

“They seem to play better with their backs to the wall,” said Westmont Head Coach Bill Gerth. “We got down early and that’s when they started to fight. We just kept inching back.”

From the start of the contest, it seemed as if Pioneer had things under control, building up a 17-11 first-quarter lead before going into halftime with a 28-24 edge.

In the first half, Pioneer got offensive contributions from Robbie Nelson, who scored eight of his game-total 14 points in the first two quarters, and Mike Kauffman, who chipped in eight of his 10 points during that same time.

“The kids played hard,” Berticevich said. “We just didn’t do the little things at the end of the game.”

For Westmont, senior guard Michael Johnson was the key that turned the engine on offense, scoring 10 of his 13 points in the first half, including six in the first quarter.

“This one was big,” Staden said of the win. “In the Mount Hamilton Division, everybody’s pretty much even and every game in the Mount Hamilton Division comes down to the last second.”

In the end, the Mustangs didn’t take long to get over the loss to Westmont. Two days later, Pioneer got back on the winning track, getting a season-high 75 points in a 75-59 win on the road over Santa Teresa.

High School Sports Schedule Jan. 28 - Feb. 3

Leland High School
Friday – Frosh/soph boys’ basketball vs. Andrew Hill, 5:45 p.m.
Friday – Varsity boys’ basketball vs. Andrew Hill, 7:30 p.m.
Friday – JV girls’ soccer at Piedmont Hills, 3:15 p.m.
Friday – Varsity girls’ soccer at Piedmont Hills, 3:15 p.m.

Tuesday – Frosh/soph boys’ basketball at Willow Glen, 5:15 p.m.
Tuesday – Varsity boys’ basketball at Willow Glen, 7 p.m.
Tuesday – Frosh/soph boys’ soccer at Leigh, 3:15 p.m.
Tuesday – Varsity boys’ soccer at Leigh, 3:15 p.m.

Wednesday – JV girls’ basketball at Piedmont Hills, 5:15 p.m.
Wednesday – Varsity girls’ basketball at Piedmont Hills, 7 p.m.
Wednesday – JV girls’ soccer vs. Branham, 3:15 p.m.
Wednesday – Varsity girls’ soccer vs. Branham, 3:15 p.m.
Wednesday – Wrestling at Del Mar, 6:30 p.m.

Thursday – Frosh/soph boys’ soccer vs. Santa Teresa, 3:15 p.m.
Thursday - Varsity boys’ soccer vs. Santa Teresa, 3:15 p.m.

Pioneer High School
Friday – Varsity girls’ soccer at Santa Teresa, 3:15 p.m.
Friday – JV girls’ soccer vs. Santa Teresa, 3:15 p.m.
Friday – JV girls’ basketball at Oak Grove, 5:15 p.m.
Friday – Varsity girls’ basketball at Oak Grove, 7 p.m.
Friday – Frosh/soph boys’ basketball vs. Oak Grove, 5:45 p.m.
Friday – Varsity boys’ basketball vs. Oak Grove, 7:30 p.m.

Tuesday – Varsity boys’ soccer vs. Overfelt, 3:15 p.m.
Tuesday – Frosh/soph boys’ soccer vs. Overfelt, 3:15 p.m.

Wednesday – Frosh/soph boys’ basketball at Branham, 5:15 p.m.
Wednesday – Varsity boys’ basketball at Branham, 7 p.m.
Wednesday – JV girls’ basketball vs. Del Mar, 5:15 p.m.
Wednesday – Varsity girls’ basketball vs. Del Mar, 7 p.m.
Wednesday – JV girls’ soccer vs. Piedmont Hills, 3:15 p.m.
Wednesday – Varsity girls’ soccer vs. Piedmont Hills, 3:15 p.m.

Thursday – Wrestling at Piedmont Hills, 6:30 p.m.
Thursday – Frosh/soph boys’ soccer vs. Mt. Pleasant, 3:15 p.m.
Thursday – Varsity boys’ soccer vs. Mt. Pleasant, 3:15 p.m.

Chargers off to 5-0 start in league, Pioneer headed opposite way at 0-5

By Diego Abeloos
Sports Writer

The Leland girls’ basketball team took a 58-36 win over Mount Hamilton Division rival Pioneer on Jan. 21, with Chargers Jackie George and Kristen Yoshioka combining for 27 points.

The Chargers (10-6, 5-0) never trailed in the game, allowing Pioneer to tie the game twice in the first quarter before Leland’s offense, led by George’s 14 points, took over. Yoshioka, with 13 points, and Mika Yanai, who had 11 points, were also prominent figures on offense for the Chargers. However, Leland Head Coach Wade Nakamura wasn’t pleased with the team’s slow start, which saw the Chargers go scoreless for the first three minutes of the game and end the first quarter with a small 7-5 lead.

“Everyone scored tonight except one girl,” Nakamura said. “Hopefully that proves to them that they can make a difference. They can come into the game and score points, be aggressive and do some good things.”

With a 12-10 lead in the second quarter, the Leland offense went to work, putting together a 15-2 run throughout the rest of the period. During the run, Yoshioka hit a lay-up at 4:53 and later nailed a three-pointer at 3:08, while Yanai hit two three-pointers, both from the right wing, in less than a minute to help the Chargers to a 27-12 lead at halftime.

For Pioneer (6-13, 0-5), the second quarter featured a five-minute scoring drought, beginning after a Steffi Mattern three-pointer at 5:54, and ending with a Michele Rebozzi lay-up with 44 seconds remaining in the first half.

“They started to pick it up a little in the second quarter,” Nakamura said, regarding his team’s play on offense. “We started rolling a little bit better.”

The second half saw Pioneer pick up the pace on offense, but not enough to withstand another Leland attack on offense. Leland opened up the third quarter on an 8-2 run, getting a pair of lay-ups from George and a three-pointer from Yoshioka for a 35-14 edge.

Pioneer followed up with a 7-2 run to cut the Leland lead to 37-21, getting points from Mattern on free throws and on a lay-up from Rebozzi. Samantha Tsukiji dropped in her only points of the night on a three-pointer with 3:25 as well. Leland ended the third quarter by slightly outscoring the Mustangs 7-6, establishing a 44-27 advantage.

“When she gets hot, she just keeps going,” said Pioneer forward Renee Cummings of Mattern. “She’s that good.”

After a Mattern three-pointer opened up the fourth quarter, Leland put up a 9-1 scoring stretch that saw offensive contributions from five different Chargers. After free throws from Yanai and a jumper from Yoshioka to start the run, Leland got baskets from Hillary Barnes and Meggie Yoshioka before the Leland bench took over for the remainder of the game.

“We needed a game like this where I can get everyone in the game,” Nakamura said of his bench coming in to end the game. “It was good for some of those people who haven’t seen that much time through the first four games in league.”

Earlier in the week, Leland kept its’ perfect record in Mount Hamilton Division alive with a 39-37 win over Leigh on Jan. 19, while the Mustangs lost a 66-40 decision to Westmont on the same day.

Sports Briefs

Almaden Strikers Boys U-10 Class-3 tryouts
Almaden Strikers, a boys U-10 Class-3 teams in Almaden, will hold tryouts on Jan. 29, 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. and Feb 5, 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. at Almaden Elementary School, 1295 Dentwood Drive. Birth dates between 8/1/1995 to 7/31/1996. For questions, contact Lela Huenergardt at 997-8903 or e-mail coachlela2004@yahoo.com.

U-15 Almaden Phoenix tryouts Jan. 29 and Jan. 30
U-15 girls comp team, the Almaden Phoenix, will hold tryouts at Pioneer High School on Saturday Jan. 29 and Sunday Jan. 30 at 3 p.m. both days. For more information, call Kent Grave, head coach, 408-455-2196.

Leland girls approach peak

CCS defending soccer champs ride tide of learning curve toward playoffs

By Justin Petersen
Staff Writer

One step back, three forward for Leland girls’ soccer last week. Following a 2-0 loss at Leigh Wednesday, the CCS defending champion Chargers rallied to beat Prospect 3-2 Friday, improving on field communications and clutching the tail end of a league race which is to be decided within weeks.

“We knew where we stood coming in,” said Leland captain Val Huffman following the Panthers’ exhaustion. “If we want any chance to play for the league championship, we know we have to win the rest of our games.”

Currently the Chargers (6-5-4, 4-2-2) are caught peering over the shoulders of first place Leigh (6-1-1), second place Santa Teresa (5-1-2), and third place Pioneer (4-0-3) for an MHAL title; however, games remain versus Santa Teresa and Pioneer. As a result, Leland is still in the picture.

“The biggest thing is that we are coming together,” said Coach John Vasquez. “We don’t have the strongest record, but we are peaking at the right time, just in time for the playoffs.”

According to Vasquez’s appointed model for success, Leland’s display last week proves they are where they belong, ironing out wrinkles in league, entering CCS pressed to perform.

The season started slow; Leland carried a losing record into league. Yet the pace was anticipated, and—frankly—resembled the same as last season, which accelerated through year end, en route to the school’s first ever CCS Division I title.

“We don’t play any weak teams in preseason,” said Vasquez. “Not to take away from anybody else out there, but we try to play the strongest possible teams we can to get us ready for league and the playoffs.”

The model paid dividends last season, when the Chargers tied Pioneer for a league title, prior to a forceful stroll through CCS.

“We’re a pretty good team,” continued Huffman, who has attracted the attention of both opposing coaches and college scouts alike. The senior forward has made a verbal commitment to play soccer for U.C. Davis next season.
“Val has come up big for us,” said Vasquez.

Huffman has accounted for 13 Charger scores in ’04-’05, assisting on seven, scoring the remaining 6 herself.

Vasquez continued, “She does a great job of getting the other girls involved and moving the ball around for us. She makes things happen.”

Huffman’s fellow senior Kelly Carter shone throughout the Prospect victory. Carter, who was slowed by a serious back injury spanning from midway last season through ’04-‘05, scored three times netting a rare hat trick and solidifying her return.

“It was big for us,” said Vasquez. “Kelly was in the right spots at the right times.”

Assisting Carter was Huffman, along with sophomore Jessica Kolte and senior Jennifer Holmdahl.

“I feel so relieved coming back from the injury,” said Carter. “I am happy I actually managed to pull off three goals.”

The victory soothed sores left by the lashing Leland took from Leigh earlier in the week. The loss marked the second this season to the Longhorns who Leland beat in the CCS semi-finals a year ago.

“It’s becoming a real good rivalry,” pointed Vasquez. “There’s not too much said on the field, but both teams play really tough on defense.”

With five games remaining before the playoff opener, the Chargers have set objectives for the remainder of the season.

“Our defense is still learning,” said Vasquez. “They’re getting into the attack more and looking to hit forwards making runs. It’s giving us a lot more opportunities. I think we were holding the ball a little too long versus Leigh. But overall, we’re excited about things. We’re right in the hunt; our whole game plan was to be on top of our game by the end of league, heading into CCS.”

“We’re a pretty good team,” said Huffman. “Our problem has been a lack of communication, but we’re focusing on that more with drills in practice and lots of team bonding.”

According to Huffman, the Chargers hold team dinners and sleepovers regularly.

“It’s a younger team, so it’s important that we all spend time together.”

Between building chemistry, the Chargers can be seen playing soccer at Piedmont Hills High school on Friday, Jan. 28, followed by a return home to Camden Avenue where they will face Branham on Wednesday, Feb. 2. Both games begin at 3:15 p.m.

High School Scoreboard

Jan. 18
Leland boys’ soccer 4-1 win vs. Oak Grove
Pioneer boys’ soccer 0-0 tie at Santa Teresa

Jan. 20
Leland boys’ soccer 2-2 tie vs. Independence
Pioneer boys’ soccer 3-2 win vs. Leigh

Jan. 21
Pioneer girls’ soccer 1-0 win vs. Leigh

San Jose Stealth drop close 9-8 loss at home to Minnesota Swarm

Hat tricks from Rosyski and Boyle not enough as San Jose drops to 0-2 at home

By Diego Abeloos
Sports Writer

Despite hat tricks from rookie forward Ryan Boyle and Garry Rosyski, the San Jose Stealth dropped a 9-8 decision to the Minnesota Swarm on Jan. 22 in National Lacrosse League Action at the HP Pavilion.

San Jose, which last season held a 7-1 record at home, are now 0-2 on their home turf to begin the season and are 2-2 overall.

The Stealth let a 5-3 halftime lead slip away in the second half, getting outscored by the Swarm 3-1 in the third quarter for a 6-6 tie before Minnesota built up a 9-7 lead in the fourth quarter.

“We had a lead, but we’ve got to learn to play with it and hold on to it, especially in our home building,” Rosyski said. “A lot of turnovers, a lot of missed opportunities, a lot of penalties. They capitalized and it cost us.”

Minnesota got two goals in a two-and-a-half minute span to start the third quarter, the first one coming with 10:39 left from Jamie Taylor on an unassisted play, with the second goal scored with 8:09 left from Ryder Bateman to tie the game at 5-5.

San Jose went back up at 6-5 with 6:39 remaining in the third quarter when Stealth forward Gary Rosyski positioned himself with his back to the goal and flipped a no-look shot over his right shoulder into the net. But the Swarm managed to tie the game once more at 6-6 with 1:08 left, getting a goal from D’Arcy Berthiaume on assists from Bateman and Chad Culp.

After goals from both teams tied the game 7-7 in the fourth quarter, the Swarm made one last successful offensive push at the Stealth, scoring two goals in just under eight minutes to take a 9-7 lead. Taylor tossed in a power-play goal with 12 minutes left in the fourth quarter for a one-point edge, and Swarm forward Kerry Susheski followed with the team’s ninth goal of the night at 4:27, giving Minnesota a 9-7 advantage.

The Stealth managed one last goal before the end of the contest, as Boyle collected a loose ball and shot at the goal, connecting for his third goal of the night with 1:16 left.

With 5.5 seconds remaining, the Stealth took one last shot at tying the game, as Luke Gilbert took a shot that glanced off the right shoulder of Minnesota goalie Matt Disher, who finished the game with 38 saves.

“We just wanted to try and run the ball in as quick as we could and push everyone down, set some screens, get someone open for a shot,” Rosyski said of the last play. “It worked; it was a great shot but it just didn’t bounce our way.”

Despite three goals each from Rosyski and Boyle, the Stealth couldn’t take advantage on power plays, going 0-for-9 for the night. In contrast, the Swarm got four goals on 12 power plays and shot at the goal 32 times overall. San Jose, meanwhile, took 46 shots-on-goal throughout the game.

“You hold a team to nine goals, you’ve got to score 12 or 13,” Stealth Head Coach and General Manager Johnny Mouradian said. “We had 46 shots, they had 30-something and our power play has to get in and get a little tighter. We have to get in front of the goal and get some shots.”

Not lost on Mouradian was the effort by Boyle, the Stealth’s first-round pick out of Princeton in 2004. Coming into the game, Boyle ranked second to only Rosyski in goals with six while also collecting seven assists through three games. For Boyle, the hat trick was his second in as many days, achieving the feat the previous night in a 14-13 win at Arizona.

“What’s nice about Ryan is that he’s played a couple of exhibition games and he’s played four professional Lacrosse games, and he’s one of our top scorers,” Mouradian said. “For a guy who last year, for Princeton, was one of their all-time leading assist men, now he’s scoring goals in the NLL. He’s a feisty kid.”

For Rosyski, the game also featured some emotional play in which the veteran forward squared off against Minnesota’s Michael Kilby in the second quarter, with both players landing punches before being sent to the penalty box for five minutes each. Despite the five-minute absence, Rosyski was still able to notch his second straight hat trick as well, having contributed three goals and three assists the night before in Arizona.

“Just one of those things that happens,” Rosyski said about the fight. “There’s a lot of pushing and shoving going on in (line) changes, getting crossed up on the bench and you know, that was the result of it.”

San Jose plays its next home game on Saturday, Jan. 29, at 7:30 p.m. against Colorado.

Leland finishes strong against Prospect, wins 46-40

Stagnant Panther offense scores two points in last four minutes

By Carl Ponzio
Times Intern

The Leland Chargers clung tightly to their lead on Jan. 18 against the Prospect Panthers, pulling out a 46-40 win.

“We shot the ball poorly,” said Leland Head Coach Dave Frandsen after the game. “We didn’t take it inside and do what we are really capable of with out inside players.”

The Leland squad didn’t make it easy on themselves during the home game. Having missed several shots and turnovers, the Chargers (6-10, 4-2) were unable to take control of the game until late in the fourth quarter. The Chargers were able to keep the game close the entire night, but it wasn’t until the final minutes of the fourth quarter that the Chargers defense was able to step up and stop the Panthers (10-9, 3-3) long enough to get the win.

Starting the game on the wrong foot, the Chargers sent senior Troy Holan to the free-throw line seconds after the game had started, sinking one of his two shots for an early 1-0 lead.

Answering back to Prospect’s small lead was Nav Deep Rai, nailing a three-point jumper from the left wing. The Chargers were able to stay on top of Prospect in the first quarter, but never made a gesture of dominance to the Panthers. The Chargers found themselves in a six-point run after senior guard Isaias Asfaha was sent to the line.

Nailing his two shots and wrapping the run up with a lay-up, Asfaha capped off an 11-5 lead over Prospect to end the first.

The second quarter was similar to the first. The Chargers came out and battled the Panthers for possession of the ball and were unable to open up more than an eight-point lead.

Scoring six points, Kevin Haynes helped the Panthers cut the Chargers’ eight-point lead in half by the end of the second quarter. As both teams walked off the court, the Chargers had a 21-17 lead over the Panthers.

“We kind of cooled down in the second and third quarter,” said Rai. “But we came through with the win and that’s the most important thing.”

Leland came out looking to score from the three-point arc early in the third quarter. However, after seven shots and seven misses, the Chargers decided to jump ship before they handed the game over to Prospect.

Taking advantage of the Chargers’ temporary slump, the Panthers jumped into a six-point run, taking over a 26-25 lead with 3:42 left in the quarter. Freshman Natnael Taye was the hero for the moment, stealing the lead from Leland with a jumper to put his team ahead. However, Prospect lost the lead just as quickly to the Chargers, and soon found themselves down 29-26 at the end of the third quarter, as Asfaha connected on two shots to regain the lead.

“There were shinning lights out there, but it was a real team effort,” said Frandsen.

The fourth quarter started with Haynes sinking two free throws, putting the Panthers within one basket of the lead. The Chargers picked up their game on defense and refused to turn over the lead before Leland had a small relapse, giving Prospect a one-point lead on a basket from Kendall Hendon.

The malfunctioning scoreboard was true when it read Visitor 38, Home 37, but with 4:02 left on the clock, the Chargers reclaimed the lead. Charger forward Danny Hamouie hit a shot and Rai sank one of two free throws to put Leland ahead 40-38. Leland guard David Farsai soon followed with a jumper to build up a four-point lead.

As the final four minutes of the clock wound down the Panthers only found the hoop once, and sent Rai to the free-throw line five separate times. Rai sunk five of his ten shots to catapult the Chargers to their 46-40 win over the Prospect Panthers.

“It was really kind of an ugly win,” said Frandsen. “But we’ll take it.”

On Jan. 21, the Chargers got their second win of the week, posting a 55-33 win over Independence on the road, bumping them up to second place in the Santa Teresa Division standings.

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