CastillejaBasketball.com Official Blog

Gators Receive Team Effort, Dispatch CSU

Castilleja turned a nine-point halftime advantage into a 28-point victory over visiting Crystal Springs Uplands Friday night. The Gators used an 18-2 third quarter to put away Gryphons who had remained withing shouting distance for much of the first half. Senior Riya Modi led Castilleja with 18 points, seven assists and career-high-tying five steals. The seven dishes moves her past Lindsay Taylor for third on the school’s all-time assists list. Junior Lauren Rantz tied a career-high with 17 rebounds to go along with 14 points for her sixth career double-double while freshman Yasmeen Afifi scored a career-high 14 points while pulling down 11 boards for second career double-double. Rantz also added a team-high seven blocks in the victory.

Gators Fall to Harker in OT Despite Rantz’s Triple-Double

Castilleja and Harker exchanged leads 15 times Wednesday, the last of which occurred on a Harker layup in the final three seconds of overtime to seal the victory for the Eagles. Castilleja came into the contest having never lost to Harker in program history sporting a 13-0 record as well as 56-game winning streak over current WBAL – Skyline teams. Junior Lauren Rantz became the first Castilleja player to record multiple triple-doubles in a single season by scoring a career-high 20 points, grabbing 13 rebounds and tying a career-high 12 blocks matching the total from her previous triple-double weeks ago. Rantz also became the first player in school history to record a triple-double in a losing effort while her 12 blocks are the most by a Castilleja player in defeat. Senior Riya Modi also set a school mark by dishing out ten assists in a loss to become the fourth player in school history with 300 career assists.

Notes: Castilleja (35%) outshot Harker (25%) marking the first time in 30 games Castilleja has lost while outshooting their opponent by at least 10%. Castilleja is 67-3 all-time in such games with all three losses coming by a single point…The 15 lead changes are the most in a Castilleja game since the stat was tracked starting in the 2005-06 season.

Gators Ride Modi’s First Quarter to Easy Victory

Castilleja snapped its five-game league road losing streak with a convincing 52-10 victory over host I.C.A. Tuesday night. The Gators broke the game open early thanks to senior Riya Modi who tallied a school record-tying 15 of her game-high 20 in the opening frame. Castilleja outscored I.C.A. 24-0 from late in the first to early in the third to help build their 40-point cushion. Castilleja grabbed a season-high 55 rebounds, including a season-high 34 on the offensive end. Junior Lauren Rantz led the Gators with 10 boards while freshman Madelyn Tarr pulled down a career-high nine. Sophomore Alina Brown led Castilleja with a career-high four steals.

Notes: Modi’s 15 points are a school record for the first quarter…Castilleja has now won 15 consecutive games over I.C.A.

Casti Comeback Falls Short in ‘11 Finale

Castilleja fell to Santa Teresa Saturday afternoon in the Consolation Championship of the Dons Club Holiday Tournament at Del Mar. The Gators trailed by as many 17 in the second half, but outscored the Saints 22-11 over the final 11 minutes of the contest to lose by six. The Gators would twice pull to within seven early in the fourth with an And-1 by senior Riya Modi and a trey from junior Olivia Nicholls, but Santa Teresa answered each Gator bucket to keep the margin at three possessions. Nicholls and Modi each finished with a team-high 11 points along with seven boards while Modi dished a season-high eight assists. Junior Lauren Rantz, fresh off her triple double tallied eight points, nine rebounds and five blocks while freshman Yasmeen Afifi lead Castilleja off the bench with ten boards. Castilleja will not play again until Friday, January 13 when they open up league hosting Mercy Burlingame.

Gators Pull Away in the Fourth Behind Rantz’s Triple-Double

Castilleja claimed a 14-point victory over Lincoln (SF) Thursday night in the consolation semi-finals of the Dons Club Holiday Tournament at Del Mar. The Gators controlled the first half as they jumped out to an early 11-2 lead. Castilleja maintained their three-possession advantage for much of the half as they took a seven-point lead into the break. In the third frame, the Mustangs came storming back as they scored the first seven points of the half, producing the lone tie of the contest at 26. The Gators responded with a 10-0 run of their own as Lincoln did not have an answer for Castilleja’s fast break. Lincoln would close the gap to six on two occassions in the second half, but would draw no closer as the Gators responded with a bucket each time. The Gators were helped inside by junior Lauren Rantz who recorded career-highs of 12 blocks and 17 rebounds. Rantz also added a career-high tying 14 points marking just the fourth triple-double in school history. The 12 blocks in a game are second only to the record 14 held by Ericka von Kaeppler. Castilleja was led in the scoring column by senior Riya Modi who tallied a game-high 16 points to go along with a team-high five assists. With the five dishes, she passed Natasha von Kaeppler for fourth on the school’s all-time assist list. Junior Olivia Nicholls also added ten points for the victorious Gators who will play for the consolation championship against Santa Teresa on Saturday at noon.

Notes: Castilleja outscored Lincoln 15-2 on fastbreak points and 13-3 on second chance points…The Gators outrebounded the Mustangs 45-25…Castilleja’s other three triple-doubles were recorded by Eve Zelinger (2) and Ericka von Kaeppler.

Castilleja Triple-Doubles
Player               Game                           Stats
Lauren Rantz         Dec 29, 2011 vs Lincoln        14 PTS  17 REB  12 BLK
Eve Zelinger         Jan 20, 2009 vs NDSJ           19 PTS  14 REB  11 AST
Ericka von Kaeppler  Dec  1, 2007 vs Golden Sierra  25 PTS  12 REB  10 BLK
Eve Zelinger         Feb  2, 2007 at I.C.A          21 PTS  10 REB  10 AST

Gators Overcome Slow Start to Claim Tourney Finale

Castilleja rebounded from a slow start to claim a victory over Woodside in the finale of the Terra Nova Invitational Saturday afternoon. The Gators, fresh off of a heartbreaking defeat the day before, carried their struggles into today’s contest as they allowed Woodside to maintain control for much of the game. After a 9-9 tie in the first quarter, the Wildcats held a six-point lead late in the second. Junior Lauren Rantz sank a first-half buzzer-beater to close the margin to four going into the break. Midway through the third quarter, Castilleja leading-scorer Riya Modi received a bloody nose as she was guarding against the pass. With Modi forced to sit, Castilleja called on freshman Paige Vermeer to run the team. Vermeer, making her first career start, took over the contest as she scored eight of her game- and career-high 14 points in the second half. Trailing three entering the final frame, Castilleja reeled off seven straight points to take a four-point lead with five minutes remaining. Woodside answered with a pair of buckets to tie the game at 30, but would not score again in the game’s final four minutes as Castilleja forged their second 7-0 run of the quarter to end the contest. Castilleja took full advantage of Woodside’s sloppy play as the Gators forced 29 Wildcat turnovers outscoring Woodside 17-6 on points off turnovers. Vermeer, in addition to a career-game in the scoring column, recorded a career-high seven steals, while junior Lauren Rantz tallied a career-best nine blocked shots to go along with her team-highs of seven boards and four assists. The nine rejections are the fourth most by a player in school history. Castilleja will return to action on December 27 when they take on Livermore in the Dons Club Holiday Tournament at Del Mar.

Notes: Castilleja was outrebounded 20-40, the largest differential since opponents stats began being charted in the 2005-06 season…The victory is just the tenth in school history when trailing going into the fourth quarter…Castilleja snaps their 14-game losing streak when failing to score more than 15 first-half points…Vermeer’s seven steals are a school record for a player making their first career start.

Most Blocked Shots in a Calendar Week
Player                Week of        Blocks
Ericka von Kaeppler   Jan 11, 2009   29
Lauren Rantz          Dec  4, 2011   22
Ericka von Kaeppler   Nov 25, 2007   19
Natasha von Kaeppler  Dec 26, 2010   18
Natasha von Kaeppler  Nov 29, 2009   17

Most Steals Thru 8 Career Games
Player                Steals
Natasha von Kaeppler  27
Paige Vermeer         21
Stephanie Trailer     20
Eve Zelinger          19

Gators Can’t Hold On to Late Lead; Spartans Escape With a Win

Castilleja squandered a late lead to Mountain View Friday night in Pacifica as they once again fell in the consolation semi-finals to their cross-town foes. The Gators appeared in control upon gaining separation from the Spartans in the second quarter as they took a nine-point advantage into the break thanks to senior Riya Modi’s ten first-half points. Castilleja would stretch the lead to ten midway through the third quarter as junior Olivia Nicholls tallied seven of her 13 points in the frame. The Gators led by seven for much of the fourth before Mountain View strung together a pair of stops and pulled to within two with 1:30 remaining. Castilleja would push their lead back to four as junior Lauren Rantz scored the last two of her game- and career-high 14 points on a layup with a minute to go. Mountain View answered right back with a layup to pull back to within two, then came up with a defensive stop and hit the first of two free throws, only to grab the offensive board on the second miss. Down one with 18 seconds left, the Spartans hit a layup for the game’s final bucket and the lone lead change of the second half, completing the comeback. Rantz also led Castilleja with a season-high 15 boards including a career-high 12 on the defensive end. Modi dished out six assists to go along with her 12 points while Nicholls added a career-high 4 blocks in the loss. Castilleja will play Woodside tomorrow afternoon in the seventh-place game to wrap up the tournament.

Notes: Castilleja falls to 194-12 all-time when leading at the end of the third quarter…Castilleja is now 5-6 all-time in games decided by one point…Castilleja had won its previous 19 games when having at least three players with double-figure points.

Modi’s Career Night Not Enough to Slow Down Red Devils

Senior Riya Modi poured in a career-high 26 points Wednesday night, but it wasn’t enough as Castilleja fell to host University (SF) 53-57. The Gators and Devils would exchange leads four times in the first half, the last of which came during a 12-0 University run that bridged the 2nd and 3rd quarters. After trailing by double figures for most the second half, the Gators’ deficit grew to 13 with 5:30 remaining in the fourth. Castilleja would go on to outscore University 11-2 over the next four minutes to pull to within four with just over a minute remaining. Castilleja would draw no closer as the Devils hit their free throws down the stretch to secure their first victory against the Gators in five tries. The Gators were dominated on the boards as they only managed a season-low 21 rebounds to University’s 34. Junior Lauren Rantz led Castilleja with five rebounds while Modi led the team with five assists. Rantz also recorded a career-high seven blocks while freshman Paige Vermeer came off the bench to lead the team with a career-high six steals. Castilleja will travel to Pacifica tomorrow night to matchup against tournament host Terra Nova.

Notes: Castilleja had won its previous 45 games when scoring at least 30 points in a half…The last time Castilleja was involved in a game where both teams had 30-point 2nd halves was also the last time Castilleja visitied University in December 2009…Castilleja falls to 40-2 all-time when scoring at least 45 points over the final three periods.

Games with 25+ Points, 5+ Assists and Fewer Than 5 Turnovers
Player         Games
Eve Zelinger   4
Riya Modi      1
Nikki Perlman  1
Mika Peterman  1

Castilleja Defeats Host to Claim 5th Place in Forest Lake Tourney

Castilleja claimed 5th place in their 10th Forest Lake Invitational by defeating the hosts 52-25 Saturday afternoon in Auburn. Senior Riya Modi finished with a game-high 17 points and 54 in the three tournament games earning all-tournament honors. Freshman Yasmeen Afifi was a rebound shy of her second career double-double chipping in 13 points and a team-high nine boards. Afifi pulled down a team-high 30 rebounds during the tournament.

Gators Rebound to Take Consolation Round Game

Castilleja rebounded from their first Forest Lake Invitational loss in four years to claim an 11-point victory over Foresthill Saturday morning. The Gators were fueled by senior Riya Modi who scored a career-high 21 points, in addition to team-highs of five assists and three steals, as well as Yasmeen Afifi, who tied a Castilleja freshman record with 19 rebounds. The 19 boards were the most ever by a Castilleja reserve and in addition to her ten points, Afifi became the first Castilleja player to record a double-double off the bench since March 2003. Junior Olivia Nicholls also recorded a double-double, the second of her career, with 12 points and ten rebounds.