From the sports archives: Businger does it all for Mills

The Vikings knew they needed to score a win over archrival Capuchino to qualify for the Peninsula Athletic League playoffs. Mills and Cap entered into play tied for third place in the PAL North, one game ahead of Carlmont. With four teams from the PAL South qualifying, the winner was to gain thoroughfare via a third-place finish while the loser would tie Carlmont and be out of the playoff tourney, as both Cap and Mills lost to the Scots earlier this season.

So, Mills’ star sophomore Aubrie Businger did what great players do in big games — she went off. Scoring 29 points and grabbing 15 rebounds, Businger led Mills to a 51-50 win.

“She was unbelievable,” Mills head coach Dave Matsu said. “I’ve got to believe she’s one of the best players in the league.”

A second-year varsity starter, Businger notched a new career-high with her 29-point outburst. In fact, it is the second highest point total the 5-10 center has ever scored in an organized basketball game.

Her lifetime high?

A 32-point performance in a 32-30 overtime win to claim the championship of the Millbrae School District — in fourth grade at Greenhill Elementary School.

Businger wasn’t able to score all of Mills’ points last Friday as she did for Greenhill. Still, her performance was pretty special, although she didn’t realize how special at the time, she said.

“I didn’t really think I had 29 points to be honest,” Businger said. “I thought I only had 10 or 12 until after when my dad told me.”

Family basketball is how Businger found her passion for the game. A good, old-fashioned regulation court in her driveway is where she grew up playing against her brother Daniel. Once the two reached high school, Daniel went his own way, opting to pursue his passion for drama. He was recently in Mills’ whimsical take on Shakespeare in the winter play, “Macbeth Did It.”

Businger, however, dove headfirst into athletics. A two-sport athlete, she also cracked the starting lineup with the Mills varsity softball team as a freshman. But it was on the basketball court where she was soon to revolutionize the Vikings starting five, even after a freshman season in which her senior-heavy team went 11-1 en route to a PAL South Division co-championship.

“She was a huge part because she did all the little things,” Matsu said. “She was asked to score in key positions … she was taking on 18-year-olds when she was a 14-year-old. She was an integral part of success last year.”

As a freshman, however, Businger had a far different role than this year. Ranking fourth on the Vikings in scoring, she had one main job. And she knew well what that job was — rebounding. She went on to lead Mills in the category with just shy of 200 rebounds on the 2013-14 season.

“Last year I didn’t get to touch the ball a lot,” Businger said. “But this year they’re looking for me every time we go down the court.”

This season, Businger averaged a double-double throughout the regular season with 13.5 points per game and 10.7 rebounds a game. The scary part is she has two years to grow, both as a player and in stature.

“I bet by the time the time she graduates she’ll be 6 feet,” Matsu said.

With Wednesday’s PAL tourney opener at Half Moon Bay, Matsu — who has gone to the Central Coast Section playoffs in each of his nine years at Mills — said his team is amped for the postseason.

“They’re very excited,” he said. “Especially after winning a close and hard-fought game Friday night.”

Businger played it cool though, because down-to-earth is just more her style.

“It’s just another game,” Businger said. “You just have to go out there and play. It doesn’t matter who you’re going to play. You just have to go out there and play hard.”