San Mateo girls' express runs past Lincoln

Offensively, the Bearcats passed well, moving the ball from one side of the court to the other and also dumping it down to post players near the hoop. DeLong scored 10 points, most coming after recieving a pass near the basket or after being fouled. DeLong also created opportunities for teammates by waiting for the defense to focus on her when she had the ball, then passing it out to a wide open gaurd for a three-point shot. Stephanie Gee in particular benefited from this type of play, but converted on only one of her six attempts.

San Mateo Head Coach Cedell Clayton acknowledged that this offensive style would remain a staple of the team's scoring, despite lackluster performances from his shooters.

"Being a small, quick team, we're going to rely on our ball movement and shooting, so we plan on passing out to our shooters," Clayton said. "Gee is playing on a bad ankle so she is having trouble pushing off on her shot. But we're not going to change anything."

Among other key performers was Takapu, who scored 9 points and helped key the offensive pace of the running Bearcats with quick outlet passes to the guards after rebounds. Takapu was also often the first to break down the court ahead of the defense, and her hustle was at last rewarded when Lesley Tinkelenburg completed a pass to her on a fast break, resulting in a three-point play for Takapu.

The leader in terms of bravery and aggressiveness was Castellucci, who led San Mateo with 12 points. The five-foot-five-inch guard showed an uncanny ability to find a crack in the defense and penetrate into the heart of it for a closer shot or a pass to an open teammate. At one point late in the game, when Lincoln was applying a full court press in an attempt to force a turnover, the sprightly Castellucci took the inbound pass and left two defenders in her wake before meeting another whose wrong step allowed Castellucci to charge to the basket, where she was fouled. An offensive rebound by the Bearcats helped ice the game.

The victory pushes the Bearcats' record to 3-1 on the nascent season. They next play San Francisco's Galileo High School on Wednesday in the Burlingame Tournament.

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