Saratoga News

Sports

Shen, Lee lead Lynbrook to big El Camino win over 'Toga girls

By Brad Wall

In the fourth match-up of two of the top teams in the El Camino Division of the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League, the Lynbrook Vikings proved once again that they just seem to have the Saratoga Falcons number.

Thanks to the timely return of Emily Shen, the stellar play of Diana Lee and a huge defensive effort in the second half, the Vikings turned a tie game at the half into a 39-27 victory over the Falcons.

Lee not only played a stellar all-around game, but she hit the biggest shot of the contest.

With the Vikings clinging to a 22-19 lead late in the third quarter, Lee calmly drained a three-pointer from the corner which gave the Vikings a six point lead and control of the game the rest of the way.

Lee did her best Shawn Marion impression as she filled up the stat sheet, leading all scorers with 13 points while grabbing five rebounds, dishing out a team-leading four assists, making two steals and adding one block.

"One of the things that really hurt us the last time we played them was our guys were falling away from their shooters, so we just really focused on not worrying about the drive, but worrying about the shooters," said Vikings head coach Jeremy Kitchen.

Considering that Falcons head coach Darrin Garcia was the Vikings coach last season, both teams are very familiar with each other.

Both the Vikings and Falcons run the same sets and this was their fourth match-up of the season, so the game would be decided by who would do the little things better.

Fortunately for the Vikings, they did the little things better.

From the second quarter on the Vikings hit 11 of 13 from the free throw line while the Falcons only hit 1 of 10, providing 10 points of the Vikings 12-point victory.

Overall, the Vikings hit 13 of 17 from the charity stripe.

While their last game--a 29-25 victory for the Falcons--was decided by the clash of Shen and Alex Sclavos, neither player would be a huge factor in this game.

Shen was unavailable for the first half of the game and Sclavos rolled her ankle in the first period.

With two of the El Camino Division's best post players out of commission, the game would be decided by who would step up in their absence.

Falcons forward Vanessa Guzman stepped in admirably for Sclavos as she scored eight points and provided some inside scoring to complement the Falcons outside game.

For the Vikings, freshman Jennifer Flanagan controlled the paint for the Vikings in Shen's absence as she grabbed six rebounds and blocked one shot.

"It definitely altered our first half, but Anita Mehrota stepped up and played well and Jennifer did a great job in the first half to fill those minutes and give a great defensive effort," said Kitchen.

In the second half, Sclavos made a brave effort to play on her injured ankle but was unable to be the rebounding force she usually is.

On the other hand, Shen returned in the second half and was able to dominate. While she only scored three points, she did manage to grab eight rebounds, block a shot and dish out an assist.

The Falcons 27 points were their lowest total for the season and in their four contests, the Vikings have held the Falcons to their four lowest scores this year.

After a first period that saw both teams incapable of making a shot, the Falcons took a 5-3 lead into the second period.

Trailing 8-3, Katie Yamauchi scored five consecutive points to spark an 8-2 run that was capped off by a three-pointer by Lee. The teams would go back-and-forth until they headed into the locker room tied at 15.

The Falcons were led by Lisa Ruddy, who scored 10 points. Guzman added eight points, Jessica Bramlett scored four points, Erica Baba scored three and Melissa Lin scored two.

The Vikings were led by Lee, who scored13 points. Mira Stauffacher dropped in eight points, including a huge three-pointer in the fourth period that all but ended any hope for a Falcon comeback. Felicia Hwung scored six points, Yamauchi five and Stephanie Cai and Flanagan scored two each.

The Falcons will host Monta Vista on Feb. 7, 7 p.m., while the Vikings will travel to Los Altos. On Feb. 9 at 6:15 p.m. the Vikings will host Santa Clara and Saratoga will visit Los Altos on Feb. 14, 7 p.m.

Earlier in the week, the Falcons cruised past Cupertino 55-33. Jessica Lu had 10 points to lead a balanced scoring attack. Lin and Guzman tossed in eight points apiece, Bramlett had seven, Ruddy six, Ashley Cole and Baba five apiece, Sclavos four and Shannon Ngyuen two. Ruddy hit a pair of threes and Baba, Lu, Cole and Bramlett had one each.

Sclavos led the Falcons with eight rebounds and Guzman snagged seven boards and had three steals. Baba finished with a team-high 10 assists.