Mountain View overwhelmed by Wilcox Mountain View overwhelmed by Wilcox (January 14, 2005)

Freshman reserve posts 14 points

By Scott Campbell

Wilcox's Derisa Taleni scored so early and often that late in the first quarter, the scoreboard could have read Taleni, 12, Mountain View, 0. Spurred by the junior guard, Wilcox never looked back as it raced to a 53-31 win over the Spartans on Jan. 7 in the opening week of El Camino Division play.

"It was like seeing Michael Jordan in girls basketball," said Mountain View coach Judy Auclair of Taleni's dominance. "I don't know what we could've done to take care of her tonight. She just had the rhythm going and the basket was a lake."

Taleni finished with a game-high 28 points, including eight of 11 from the free throw line. Just as valuable to the Chargers was her impact on defense, where she hounded the Spartans with four steals and three blocks.

Wilcox (13-2 overall, 2-0 league) opened the game with a full-court press that put host Mountain View on its heels. Struggling to even advance the ball past mid-court, the Spartans managed only two foul shots late in the first quarter as they fell into a 15-2 hole.

"I think tonight, we just came out focused," said Wilcox coach Creighton Lane. "We jumped on them, but they fought back."

An inspired defensive effort by the Spartans to start the second quarter forced Wilcox into a series of turnovers and bad shots and enabled Mountain View to make a run of its own.

"When we came out, we were really nervous because we heard a lot about them. But after we got all the butterflies out, we came back," said Mountain View senior guard Lauren Esteban, who finished with seven points and six steals.

The Spartans turned to a freshman reserve for the offensive spark they needed. Angelica Williams, who scored a team-high 14 points, helped Mountain View get back in the game with repeated offensive rebounds and the determination to score.

"We're not court-savvy and aggressive by nature," said Auclair. "When Williams is on the court, it helps bring out that aggressiveness."

The Spartans (6-6 overall, 1-1 league) used their run to cut the Chargers' lead to 25-15 at halftime. But their success was fleeting.

All of Mountain View's momentum disappeared as Taleni erupted for 10 third-quarter points. After Taleni hit two consecutive 3-pointers to start the quarter, the Spartan offense could not answer.

"We started just chucking the ball up," said Auclair. "There was no finesse in our shooting whatsoever and that's not how you play ball."

A 10-2 Wilcox run to finish the third quarter pushed the lead to 41-21 and effectively put the game out of the Spartans' reach.

With the Chargers setting the barometer for success in the El Camino Division this season, Mountain View knows it needs to re-group quickly.

"We're looking to be league champs," said Esteban. "We're going to come back and challenge Wilcox. Next time, it's going to be a different story."

Mountain View hosts crosstown rival Los Altos on Jan. 19.

E-mail Scott Campbell at sports@mv-voice.com

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