Rose Garden Resident

Sports

Lions set to open league basketball play

By Kevin Sparrer

They've been playing since Thanksgiving, but now the basketball teams at Lincoln High School will start playing games that count in race for the league championships.

The Lions were to open play in the Blossom Valley Athletic League this week--the boys in the West Valley Division and the girls in the Santa Teresa Division--and both clubs are likely looking forward to start fresh after rocky preseasons.

Returning all-leaguer Rich Azure will lead the Lincoln boys into division play. The hot-shooting sophomore guard was named the Freshman of the Year in the West Valley Division for coach Joe Mentillo's boys team last winter.

The boys were to open league play on the road at James Lick on Jan. 8 and will host Gunderson on Jan. 11, 7:30 p.m. The Lions then get back on the road to visit Mt. Pleasant on Jan. 15, 7 p.m., and Branham on Jan. 18, 7:30 p.m.

The boys opened the season with back-to-back wins over Pacific Collegiate of Santa Cruz (70-40) and Mountain View Academy (50-20) but have since lost seven straight to fall to 2-7 for the year. The Lions lost to Overfelt (64-34), San Jose Academy (53-46), Santa Clara (51-43), Homestead (50-28), Sacred Heart Cathedral (84-20), Wilcox (51-49) and Santa Teresa (60-28).

Azure and the Lions will welcome the opportunity to get a fresh start in the league season. The sophomore is joined on the Lincoln squad by seniors Bryan Mitsumori, Dave Lojera, Cameron Mitsumori, Jageet Sidu and Sal Jimenez and juniors Eric Beutler, Chi Lam, Frank Santiago and Ron Leedy.

The Lincoln girls are looking forward to the Santa Teresa Division campaign after struggling through a 3-4 non-league season.

Coach Angela Lyte-Crowther's Lions recorded wins over Mountain View Academy (37-27), Harker School (46-17) and Kennedy of Fremont (46-16) in the preseason, but lost to Westmont (51-30), Independence (51-31), Gunderson (28-21) and Oceana of Pacifica (41-22).

The Lions are starting anew this week with the beginning of the Santa Teresa Division slate. Lincoln was to host Pioneer on Jan. 8 and will head to Sobrato on Jan. 10, 7 p.m. The Lions will host a pair of 7 p.m. games next week, hosting Mt. Pleasant on Jan. 15 and Branham on Jan. 17.

Lyte-Crowther, last year's Coach of the Year after leading the Lions to a league championship in the West Valley Division, will have her hands full this year as Lincoln moves up to the Santa Teresa Division. Last year's league Most Valuable Player Alex Scoffone and senior all-leaguers Whitney Davis and Kaylin Mitsumori were all lost to graduation, and Lincoln's junior varsity team tied for fifth place in the division with a 7-7 record.