That was the last time that the host Pioneer Mustangs had been in the championship game of their own tournament—until last week.

The 2003 Mustangs ended the drought with Ventura back on the bench, but as an assistant coach this time around. In the championship game, Pioneer was facing a formidable foe in the Soquel Knights, who had won the tournament three straight years and were still loaded with talent and experience.

The Knights had senior Ashley Dunn, who had been the tournament Most Valuable Player for three straight years, as well as senior Ashley Oakes, who had also been an all-tournament selection for three straight years, returning to try and make it four championships in a row.

The experience and depth of Soquel proved to be too much for the Mustangs as the Knights once again claimed the championship with a 69-29 victory.

"The girls worked hard to get to the championship game," said Pioneer coach Blaine Hashimoto, "and I believe they deserved to be there. It was a great accomplishment getting there since we hadn't been there since 1988."

"Soquel was very deep and had a lot of weapons," added Hashimoto. "They got us out of our rhythm and we couldn't get ourselves kick started."

The Knights showed their depth and balance as all 12 of their players put points on the board in the championship game. Pioneer got off to a slow start while Soquel got hot in a hurry. The Mustangs never really recovered from a 20-5 first quarter deficit.

Senior Gina Biviano was tops in scoring for the Mustangs with 11 points. Senior Brenae Perkins tossed in eight points while senior Shawn Killin added four. Juniors Camille Brown (three points) and Jessica Curry (two), along with freshman Samantha Tsukiji (one), rounded out the Pioneer scoring for the game.

Hashimoto saw the game as a "character builder for the girls" and an opportunity to "see how we respond to a tough loss like that."

Soquel's Oakes was the tourney MVP this time around with Dunn, Biviano, Tamika Williams of Oak Grove and Natalie Nurnberg of Leigh all claiming all-tourney honors.

The Mustangs took on another Santa Cruz Coast League club in first round action when they squared off against the Scotts Valley Falcons. It was a hard-fought defensive struggle in the first quarter with neither team taking control offensively. Pioneer finally found its rhythm and burned the nets for 18 points in the second quarter while holding the Falcons to only four. The Mustangs went into intermission with a 26-9 lead, then played the Falcons even in the second half to come away with a 40-22 victory.

Pioneer's leading scorer, Biviano, was true to form, tossing in a game-high 12 points. She had great support from the outside as Tsukiji (three), Brown (nine), and Stephanie Morales (five) each popped one from three-point range. Killin dropped in six from inside the paint. Stephanie Habian and Perkins chipped in two each and Renee Cummings added one from the free throw line to complete the Mustang effort.

In the second round, the Mustangs found themselves facing a familiar foe in the tournament when they lined up against Piedmont Hills. The Pirates, a nemesis of the Mustangs over the years, had been in the 2002 championship game and had a number of seniors returning from that experienced team.

The Mustangs jumped out to a strong start, working the ball well as a team and taking good shots. They drove to the hoop and worked the pick and roll well, generally playing good sound basketball, said Hashimoto. They played tough defense and made the Pirates work hard for whatever points they were able to get.

Pioneer put together an offensive burst at the end of the first quarter to go up 15-8.

"Gina [Biviano] just stepped up and took over the game and set the pace there at the end of the quarter," said Hashimoto.

The second quarter proved to be more of the same and the Mustangs built their lead to 28-14 at the half. The two teams played evenly in the second half and Pioneer was able to overcome its tourney rival with a convincing 51-37 win.

"Piedmont Hills was a great win for us," said Hashimoto. "They were one of the better teams we had faced up to that point. Perkins had a good game and really grew in the tournament. She not only picked up nine points [against Piedmont Hills], but she also was strong on the offensive and defensive boards."

With her consistent shooting from in close and outside, Biviano led all scorers again with 20 points. Brown was also in double figures with 10 points and directed the Pioneer offense with good court leadership. Perkins contributed nine points while Killin dropped in seven in addition to establishing a strong defensive presence down low. Tsukiji chipped in two points, Cummings added one and Stacy Ajoku put in two.

Although it was disappointing to lose the championship, all was not lost. The Mustangs played well in the tournament and can use it to build on as they go forward in their season.

"Piedmont Hills was a good indicator of where we are as a team," said Hashimoto, "and Soquel is at another level and where we want to be. It was good to have an eye-opener at this point in the season. It was a good wake-up call showing us how much we need to do to be where we want to be."

The Mustangs will get a chance to do some of that building as they participate in the Monta Vista Tournament Dec. 11­13 where there is always tough competition. Pioneer goes up against Burlingame in the first round on Dec. 11, 6:30 p.m. The contest is a rematch of the 2002 tournament championship game when Burlingame came out on top.