That may very well be how Willow Glen's girls basketball team felt last Thursday night when Gunderson visited the home of the Rams. The Grizzlies executed a swarming and suffocating full court press almost to perfection, and the Rams couldn't find the key to break it. The result was a lopsided 57-31 Santa Teresa Division Blossom Valley Athletic League win for Gunderson (10-5, 3-1). Willow Glen dropped to 7-8 overall and 2-2 in division play.

The game certainly didn't take on that atmosphere as it got under way with both teams playing at a frantic pace. The Rams built a 9-2 lead with just over three minutes left in the first quarter. Edith Vazquez tossed in a shot in the opening seconds of the game, and Emily Roberts sandwiched a couple of buckets around a three-ball by Corina Lopez. Gunderson's press finally began to have its effect and the Grizzlies went on a 13-4 run in the final minutes of the opening stanza to close out the quarter with a slim 15-13 lead.

Gunderson went into a very tight zone defense as the second quarter began and forced the Rams into taking most of their shots from the perimeter and they weren't falling. The Grizzlies did an excellent job of blocking out on the defensive boards, allowing the Rams very few opportunities at second and third shots. On the other end of the court, the Rams played strong defense but Gunderson was patient and worked the ball in for high percentage shots and was able to extend its lead to 22-18 at halftime.

The Rams came out after the intermission and bolted out of the gate with the same level of energy that had been evident early in the game. Lopez nailed a three-pointer, Vazquez fired in a bucket and Diana Schnabel grabbed a few rebounds—and just like that the Rams were looking at a 23-22 lead. But it was short-lived. Gunderson responded with seven unanswered points, got the press working again, and increased their advantage to 35-29 by the end of the quarter.

The bottom fell out for the Rams in a disastrous fourth quarter. The Grizzlies outscored the Rams 22-2 in the final eight minutes with Willow Glen not getting a shot to drop until just over one minute was left in the game.

"We don't have a lot of depth on our team," Willow Glen coach Amy Gannon said. "In the fourth quarter, we just couldn't break the press. I think by then our girls got tired from the constant pressure during the game."

Nothing the Rams did seemed to go their way. They were forced to take many outside shots, which is not their best game. "We are shooting about 30 percent form the outside," Gannon said. "Usually our defense keeps us in the game." That usually strong element of the Rams was not at its best in the fatal fourth quarter after the press had worn them down.

Roberts led the Rams' effort, tossing in seven points. Lopez, Vazquez, and Krista Pronge dropped in six each. Schnabel chipped in four points and Stephanie Serna added two.

Schnabel is the only senior on the team and usually is "always consistent and our best shooter both inside and outside," the coach pointed out. "Roberts is our best rebounder and Lopez is strong defensively." In the three previous division games, Schnabel was either the leading scorer or tied for the lead.

Schnabel demonstrated her offensive abilities earlier in the week in the Rams' 42-34 win over Andrew Hill. She popped in 14 points and was the only Ram in double digits. Both Roberts and Lopez came through with eight points each. Michelle Galvis dumped in six while Pronge bagged four. Vazquez rounded out the scoring by adding two.

After falling behind 10-8 to Hill at the end of the first quarter, the Rams exploded for 17 points in the second stanza to grab a 25-14 halftime bulge that they never relinquished.

This is the first season for the Rams at the Santa Teresa Division level after winning the BVAL West Valley Division title last year. They are a very young, inexperienced team with one senior, five juniors, and three sophomores—Jacky Pavan, Serna and Sandy Tat.

"We moved up from the 'C' level this year and usually that takes time to adjust and do well," Gannon said. "Even though we are a really young team, I think we have already proven that we can play with the teams at this level."

The Rams continue division action this week. They were to host Branham, who is also 2-2 in division play, on Tuesday and then travel to Silver Creek on Jan. 20, 7 p.m.