CastillejaBasketball.com Official Blog

Gators Cruise Past Anzar; Advance to Sixth CCS Semis in Seven Years

Castilleja snapped Anzar’s nine game winning streak to advance to their sixth CCS Semi-Finals in seven years with a win at St. Francis CCC Saturday night. The Gators put the game away early thanks to a 22-0 run bridging the first and second quarters. In that first quarter, Castilleja saw its two leading scorers, Eve Zelinger (12 points, 12 rebounds, five assists, two steals, two blocks) and Natasha von Kaeppler (16 points, nine rebounds, four assists, three steals), go for ten and eight points respectively. Ericka von Kaeppler waited her turn and would catch fire during the 2nd and 3rd quarters, scoring eight points apiece in the two periods, finishing with a game high 18. Ericka also pulled down 15 rebounds, tying the school’s all-time CCS Playoff game mark. As a team, Castilleja tied a school record by pulling down 61 rebounds, a new record 41 coming on the offensive boards. Laura Martinez and Jane Larkins each recorded new career highs with ten and seven rebounds respectively in the victory. Castilleja will take the court again Wednesday night when they play host St. Francis CCC in a rematch of the 2006-07 CCS Quarter-Finals.

Notes: Anzar’s 18 points is an all-time low for a Castilleja opponent in a CCS Playoff game…Castilleja attempted 82 field goals, the second most in a game in school history…Castilleja outrebounded Anzar 61-18…Castilleja outscored Anzar 36-3 on points off turnovers.

Four Castilleja Players Named to All-League Teams

Four Castilleja players have been selected to the West Bay Athletic League Foothill Division All-League Teams for the 2008-09 season. Tayo Amos (Honorable Mention), Ericka von Kaeppler (1st Team), Natasha von Kaeppler (2nd Team), and Eve Zelinger (1st Team) were all named to an all-league team as voted on by the coaches this week. For Amos, it is her first all-league selection. Ericka von Kaeppler is awarded her fourth all-league selection and third 1st Team selection. Natasha von Kaeppler’s all-league selection is her second in just her sophomore year. Zelinger’s nod is her third all-league honor, all of which have either been as the league’s MVP or 1st Team selection.

Castilleja Can’t Slow Down Pinewood; Await CCS Seeding Results

Pinewood won its 15th consecutive game with a victory over host Castilleja in the Final Round of the WBAL Playoffs Saturday night. The Panthers, who were the designated home team thanks to their perfect league record, found themselves in a tight battle with the Gators early in the first quarter. With Pinewood leading 8-6, Castilleja’s Natasha von Kaeppler (18 points, 16 rebounds [season high], three assists, two steals) exited the game with a bloody nose. Pinewood took full advantage of von Kaeppler’s absence and went on an 18-3 run ballooning their lead from two to 17. Pinewood cruised into halftime with a 19-point lead as Castilleja failed to challenge Pinewood on the perimeter allowing senior Lindsey Nickel to score 17 of her game high 27 points in the first two periods. In the second half, Natasha von Kaeppler came out on fire scoring ten of her team high 18 points in the third period. However, the damage had already been done, and Castilleja was only able to play even with Pinewood for the final 16 minutes allowing Pinewood to add a single point to their halftime advantage. Though they were outrebounded 42-20, the Panthers took advantage of Castilleja’s 25 turnovers outscoring Castilleja 19-4 in points off turnovers. Pinewood also put on a display in ball movement as 19 of their 23 field goals were assisted. Castilleja senior Ericka von Kaeppler, likely playing the in the final home game of her career, paced the Gators with 13 points, nine rebounds, and three blocks. Eve Zelinger (four points, six rebounds, three assists, three blocks) became the school’s all-time leader in assists passing Mika Peterman who previously held the record with 338 career dishes.

Notes: Castilleja held their opponent scoreless on 2nd chance points for the second consecutive game outscoring Pinewood 13-0…Castilleja shot 21% from the field in the 1st half and 48% in the 2nd half.

Castilleja Beats SHP; Advance to WBAL Finals to Face Pinewood for Fourth Time

Castilleja clinched it’s first 20-win season since 2003-04 with a victory over visiting Sacred Heart Prep in the Semi-Final Round of the WBAL Playoffs Friday night. Castilleja jumped out to an early lead in the first quarter and controlled the game for much of the first half while Sacred Heart Prep remained within striking distance. In the second half, Castilleja was paced by Eve Zelinger (13 points, five rebounds, three asssits, two steals), who seemed to answer each Sacred Heart score with a bucket of her own. Sacred Heart Prep, already missing senior Gabby Micek, their leading scorer, lost Morgan Aitken-Young to a disqualification as she fouled five times in the third quarter. In the fourth, Castilleja looked as though it would put the game away as Natasha von Kaeppler (eight points, nine rebounds, two assists, three steals) hit a layup with five minutes left to put Castilleja up ten, 33-23. Sacred Heart’s Morgan Aitken-Young responded by draining back-to-back long-distance three’s to draw the visiting Gators to within four, putting the pressure back on Castilleja. The homestanding Gators answered back with an Eve Zelinger layup off a crisp pass from Ericka von Kaeppler (six points, 11 rebounds, three assists, two steals, three blocks) pushing Castilleja’s lead back to six. Sacred Heart Prep would once again pull to within four, but would draw no closer as Tayo Amos (five rebounds, two assists) sank a deep jumper for two of her career high tying six points. A pair of Sacred Heart Prep free throws got the final margin to four as Castilleja would hold on for their sixth WBAL Playoff victory in seven games all-time.

Notes: Eve Zelinger’s three assists leaves her one shy of Mika Peterman’s all-time career record of 338…Castilleja’s 37 points ties an all-time low when scoring at least eight points in each quarter.

Castilleja Overcomes 15-Point Deficit; Advance to WBAL Semi-Finals

Castilleja ended Menlo’s eight game winning streak Thursday night with a win over the Knights in the Quarter-Final Round of the WBAL Playoffs. The Gators found themselves down by 15 points, trailing Menlo 20-5 in the second quarter as Castilleja failed to slow down Menlo sharpshooter Jackie Shepard. The Gators would respond with a 9-0 run the close the lead to six, but Shepard answered with her fourth three of a first half in which she would score 20. Eve Zelinger (16 points, seven rebounds, six assists, four steals) responded with a three of her own in the closing seconds of the half as the Gators trailed by just six at the break. In the second half, Castilleja would put the clamps defensively on Shepard as they continued the comeback. While Shepard was held scoreless in the third, Castilleja would receive timely buckets from seniors Laura Martinez (six points, one assist, one steal) and Ericka von Kaeppler (13 points, eight rebounds, three assists, five steals, two blocks). Zelinger would eventually tie the score at 27 with another trey as Castilleja headed into the fourth with a slim one-point advantage. After Menlo tied the game at 33 in the opening minutes of the fourth, the Gators reeled off 14 straight points, dashing Menlo’s hopes for an upset. Aided by Zelinger and Natasha von Kaeppler (12 points, 11 rebounds, career highs 10/14 FTs) sinking their first ten free throws in the final period, Castilleja completed the biggest comeback in school history, overcoming a 15-point deficit. Menlo outshot Castilleja from the floor, but it was the Knights’ 27 turnovers and only one offensive rebound that allowed Castilleja to attempt 14 more shots. The Gators turned the ball over a season low-tying eight times. Tayo Amos tied a career high nine rebounds in the win.

Notes: Menlo’s only two road losses of the year have come against Castilleja…Castilleja outscored Menlo 44-15 after trailing 20-5 in the 2nd quarter…Eve Zelinger became to third player in school history to pull down 600 career rebounds and the second player to record 200 career steals. Zelinger’s 16 points are the most in school history without a two-point field goal.

Gators Hold Off Mercy San Francisco for Another Senior Night Win

Castilleja won it’s ninth consecutive Senior Night and clinched 2nd place in the WBAL – Foothill Division away from visiting Mercy San Francisco Friday night. The Skippers of Mercy came ready to prove that their 30-point loss to Castilleja weeks ago was an aberration and found themselves in a nip-and-tuck game with the score tied at 24 at halftime. The Gators did all they could to pull away from Mercy, building a six point lead going into the final frame. Castilleja would eventually push the lead to nine with five minutes left, but the Skippers refused to quit. Mercy would pull to within two in the final minute aided by senior Ericka von Kaeppler (14 points, 11 rebounds, eight blocks) fouling out with 2 ½ remaining, but clutch free throws from senior Laura Martinez (six points) and junior Eve Zelinger (19 points, eight assists, three steals) salvaged the game for Castilleja. Senior Natalie Vais recorded new career highs in the victory with six points, three assists, and a block.

Notes: Eve Zelinger hit her 500th career field goal in the game, joining Mika Peterman as the only other player in school history with 500 career baskets…Ericka von Kaeppler recorded her 40th career double-double while becoming the first player in school history to record 100 blocks in a single season…Sophomore Natasha von Kaeppler became the fastest player to record 500 career rebounds reaching that milestone in only 49 games…Castilleja and Mercy San Francisco scored 22 and 20 4th quarter points respectively, marking the first quarter in Castilleja School history in which both teams tallied 20 or more points.

Games Needed to Accumulate 500 Career Rebounds
Player                          Games
Natasha von Kaeppler, 2007-     49
Ericka von Kaeppler, 2005-      56
Nikki Perlman, 2001-2005        61
Eve Zelinger, 2006-             62
Lindsay Taylor, 2004-2008       74
Kate Vander Ploeg, 2001-2004    80

Eve Zelinger: Athlete of the Week

Eve Zelinger earned Athlete of the Week honors from the Palo Alto Weekly by helping Castilleja to it’s second 4-0 week in school history.  In the four victories, Zelinger totaled 80 points, 33 rebounds, 26 assists, eight steals, and six blocks, while shooting 48.5% from the floor and 42.9% on threes.  33 of those 80 points came in a victory over Liberty Christian at the Bentley Shootout, tying her own single-game school record.  Zelinger’s 26 assists is the most in a calendar week in school history.

       Most Points in a Calendar Week
Player               Week of       Games   Points
Ericka von Kaeppler  Nov 25, 2007  4       90
Eve Zelinger         Nov 30, 2008  4       87
Mika Peterman        Feb 16, 2003  4       82
Mika Peterman        Nov 30, 2003  4       81
Eve Zelinger         Feb  1, 2009  4       80
Eve Zelinger         Dec 10, 2006  4       80

       Most Assists in a Calendar Week
Player               Week of       Games   Assists
Eve Zelinger         Feb  1, 2009  4       26
Mika Peterman        Jan 26, 2003  3       22
Eve Zelinger         Nov 25, 2007  4       21
Eve Zelinger         Jan 28, 2007  3       21
Lindsay Taylor       Nov 25, 2007  4       21

Zelinger Ties Own School Record with 33; Gators Win 100th Straight Game When Leading After Third

Eve Zelinger tied her own school record with 33 points in a win at the Bentley Shootout Saturday over Liberty Christian. Zelinger hit a season high five three-pointers on her way to tying the schools single game scoring mark while recording the 30th 20-point game of her career. The Gators also had Ericka von Kaeppler score 20 points, marking the first game in school history with a 30-point and 20-point scorer. The victory is Castilleja’s 100th consecutive win when leading at the end of the third quarter. The Gators jumped on top of the Patrios quickly with Zelinger scoring seconds after the opening tip. Liberty tried to slow down Castilleja with a timeout just two and a half minutes in, but couldn’t cool down Zelinger, who finished with seven assists and ten rebounds for her 25th career double-double, and Ericka von Kaeppler who just missed her 40th career double-double with nine boards in a addition to her team-high five blocks. Castilleja extended their lead in the second quarter keeping Liberty off the scoreboard for the first 6:30 of the quarter, while Natasha von Kaeppler sat with three fouls. Castilleja would cruise to another comfortable victory, their sixth straight and third in-a-row by 20 or more points. Tayo Amos recorded four thefts in the victory, tying her career high set in last night’s league win at Notre Dame – San Jose.

Notes: Castilleja’s last loss when leading at the end of the third quarter came on December 15, 2003 at the hands of San Benito Hollister. That defeat snapped a streak of 27 straight wins when leading after three making Castilleja 127-1 their last 128 times leading after the third quarter.

Castilleja Individual Single-Game Scoring Records
33---Eve Zelinger vs. Liberty Christian (@ Bentley), February 7, 2009
     Eve Zelinger @ Notre Dame - San Jose, January 12, 2007
30---Eve Zelinger vs. Urban, December 10, 2008
29---Eve Zelinger @ Forest Lake, December 6, 2008
28---Eve Zelinger vs. Mercy Burlingame, January 11, 2008
     Eve Zelinger @ Woodside Priory, January 26, 2007
     Nikki Perlman @ I.C.A., January 16, 2004
     Mika Peterman vs. Hollister (@ Oak Grove), December 15, 2003
     Karen Ring vs. Notre Dame - San Jose, January 30, 2001