GIRLS BASKETBALL: Milpitas Rallies to Defeat Homestead

The Score: Milpitas 42, Homestead 33.

The Star: Senior guard Joann Chau finished with a game-high 14 points, including eight clutch free throws late in the game.

The Turning Point: Back-to-back triples by senior guard Joann Chau and freshman Jalaena Bumagat erased the six-point Homestead halftime advantage in a hurry. The quick buckets evened the score and gave the Trojans a lift coming off a disappointing 12-point first half.

 The Quote: "We just woke up." —Milpitas senior Joann Chau said about what changed from the first half to the second for the Trojans. “Those two 3’s pushed us right back into the game. Even though they took the lead back, the good start helped us a lot.”

What's Next? Milpitas hosts Los Altos Friday night at Milpitas High. Tip-off is set for 6:15 pm.

Bottom Line: The Trojans pesky perimeter defense proved to be too much for the young Mustangs squad Wednesday night. Once the defensive intensity picked up, the offense soon followed helping the Trojans snatch up their sixth El Camino league win of the season.

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Backed by a 20-6 scoring burst to close out the game, the Milpitas High girls basketball team survived a scare Wednesday night against Homestead High in Cupertino.

Homestead (5-14, 1-7) led by six at the half and by five points heading into the fourth quarter, but couldn’t hold of the visiting Trojans in a Santa Clara Valley Athletic League El Camino Division contest held at Homestead High.

Eight different Mustangs scored in the game. Sophomore guard Megan Morita led the way with seven points. Senior captain Marissa Engle chipped in six points.

The loss was the second straight for the host Mustangs, dropping their El Camino record to 1-7 overall.

“I think we started forcing some shots and our offense got a little complacent,” Homestead head coach Ruby Ngo said. “It’s a process getting these young girls to understand what the game is all about.”

Homestead led by as much as nine in the games early goings, but the second place Milpitas (10-10, 6-2) squad didn’t stray too far behind. The Trojans closed the gap to only six points at the halftime break despite scoring only 12 first half points.

“Our team isn’t about one person,” Ngo said. “We have to win games as a team. We were trying some new things out there tonight. There’s definitely some positives that can come out of this game.”

Back-to-back triples by Milpitas senior guard Joann Chau and freshman Jalaena Bumagat erased the six-point Homestead halftime advantage in a hurry.

Chau finished the contest with a game-high 14 points, including eight made free throws in the fourth quarter.

“We just woke up,” Chau said about her team’s sudden offensive revival in the second half. “Those two 3’s pushed us back into the game.”

However, Homestead quickly regained the lead in the third off two straight buckets from speedy freshman guard Kameko Oshiro and a pretty jumper by junior forward Doreen Chan.

The Mustangs took a five-point lead into the fourth quarter only to get a bit of déjà vu to open the final eight minutes of play.

Milpitas hit a quick 3-pointer and ripped off a steal and score to tie the score up in a flash at 27-27.

After a hard drive and finish by junior forward Amanda Schultz put Homestead back up by two points,the Mustangs offense grinded to a halt.

Milpitas rattled off a 15-4 run in the final six minutes fueled by aggressive drives towards the rim that were either finished off with a made bucket in the lane or a  drawn foul call against Homestead.

“Tonight really proved to us what our identity is,” Milpitas head coach Klint Chang said. “It starts with our defense. Basically, the effort level of our defense picked up in the second half and our offense soon followed.”

Saratoga High currently leads the El Camino division with a perfect 7-0 record in league.

The girls basketball regular season ends on Feb. 18.

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 Scoring

 Milpitas

Pati-4

Khan-2

Chau-14

Canciamilla-5

Bumagat-4

Miley-5

Boyer-2

Holcombe-2

 Homestead

Morita-7

Weeks-5

Mower-2

Fong-5

Engle-6

Oshiro-4

Chan-2

Schultz-2