They were intent on holding onto first place in the Blossom Valley Athletic League Mt. Hamilton Division girls basketball standings. The Chargers were holding onto a slim one-game lead over Leigh going into the home stretch of league competition.

And they were intent on avenging the only blemish on their division record this year, which came compliments of Del Mar when the two met in the first round of league play.

The Chargers made sure both of those goals were accomplished when they pounded out a strong 55-34 victory over the Dons.

"We had a little extra motivation because we thought we should not have lost the first time," Leland coach Wade Nakamura said. "We also are a lot better team now than the first time we played them."

The Chargers outscored Del Mar in every quarter but came out especially strong with a fast start in the first, pouring in 18 points to only six for the Dons. Junior Jackie George had a big game, finishing with game-high honors with 27 points mostly from her post position in the paint. Senior Liz Widgren finished with 13 points and pulled down 11 rebounds. She also grabbed six steals and handed out four assists.

The Chargers were busy working their offense to get the good shot all night, evidenced by four assists by Mika Yanai and three each from Kaleen Ugai and Kristen Yoshioka. Both Yanai and K. Yoshioka also tossed in five points while Ugai added three and Meggie Yoshioka two.

The Chargers finish the regular season with Santa Teresa on the road and Piedmont Hills at home. They have no room for mistakes with Leigh still nipping at their heels, only a game behind. Leland will host the Pirates on Feb. 20, 6:30 p.m.

"We have to take care of Santa Teresa and take it game by game like we have throughout the season," said Nakamura. "We will need to play extremely hard against Piedmont Hills, who is a very athletic team and we expect them to come in and play hard. It is our senior night and we have not lost a home game in two years so we hope to continue that."

Bruins gun for .500

With two games in the regular season remaining, Branham has its sights set on finishing at .500 in the BVAL's Santa Teresa Division and qualifying for the Central Coast Section playoffs. That would be quite an accomplishment in light of the fact that the Bruins are down to only seven players on their varsity roster.

They took a huge step towards reaching that goal last week when they hammered out a tough 64-61 overtime win over Andrew Hill. Sophomore Paulina Kotula had a phenomenal performance, firing in 34 points including sinking 12 for 12 at the free-throw line while working the boards to grab 16 rebounds. She worked hard at the defensive end of the court as well, blocking five shots. Her talents have not gone unnoticed with UCLA contacting her and expressing interest.

The Bruins had two other players finish in double figures with Melissa Bottel dumping in 13 points and Renee Kawar popping in 10 while rejecting four Hill shots and grabbing four steals. Freshman Oly Larkin contributed six points in between dealing out a team-high eight assists and Deseray Castillo added a free throw to round out the Bruins scoring. On the defensive end of the court, Christina Griffith and Desiree Durham each snagged a steal and Durham added a blocked shot.

Branham sits at 4-6 in division play and faces Silver Creek and Mt. Pleasant in their final two regular season contests. "Silver Creek has won their last two, but if we play good we should win," Branham coach Floyd Alexander said. The Bruins entertain Mt. Pleasant on Feb. 19, 7 p.m.

If the Bruins make it to the CCS playoffs, it will be the second time they have been there since the school reopened five years ago. Their first trip was to Division IV in 2002 when they were BVAL West Valley Division champs, but they made a quick exit after round one.

Mustangs cruising

The Mustangs of Pioneer continued to cruise toward their quest for an undefeated league record and a BVAL Santa Teresa Division title. Pioneer (21-3,10-0) picked up its 10th straight division win with a solid 48-38 victory over Mt. Pleasant and kept a two-game lead over second place Gunderson with two games left to play.

After leading by only one point at the end of the first quarter, the Mustangs broke loose and outscored Mt. Pleasant 10-3 in the second quarter to take a 20-12 halftime advantage. Pioneer kept the momentum going in the third and poured in 22 points while holding Mt. Pleasant to only eight and stretching their lead to 42-20. From there the Mustangs coasted home to the victory.

Camille Brown and Brenae Perkins scored in double figures with 12 points apiece. Perkins also dominated the boards, pulling down seven rebounds. Gina Biviano usually leads the Mustangs in scoring but finished with nine.

The remainder of the scoring was rounded out by Samantha Tsikiji hitting five, Shawn Killin and Stacy Ajoku tossing in four each, and Renee Cummings adding two. Cummings also provided good support on the boards with five rebounds.

Pioneer finishes the regular season facing Independence on the road and hosting Gunderson in the finale. The Mustangs have no room for error with Gunderson breathing down their necks as both teams sprint towards the finish line. The Grizzlies will visit Pioneer on Feb. 19, 7 p.m.