CastillejaBasketball.com Official Blog

Gators’ Season Ended by Two-Time Defending State Champs

Castilleja’s historic basketball season concluded Thursday night with a loss to the two-time defending state champion Branson in San Rafael. The Gators, three wins from a state championship, appeared ready for Branson, almost matching them bucket for bucket in the game’s opening minutes. Castilleja would eventually take the lead with three minutes left in the half on a three-point play from Tayo Amos (five points, three rebounds, two steals). The Gators were also bolstered by Laura Rose (six rebounds) who led the team with six first half points, all coming in the 2nd quarter. Branson answered with a 7-0 run the close out the first half with a 23-18 lead. The 3rd quarter saw the Gators go cold as Branson extended their 7-0 run to a 15-1 run with an 8-1 3rd quarter advantage. Castilleja, down 31-19 going into the 4th, was not about to quit and opened the 4th by outscoring Branson 11-4 to pull to within five with help from Natasha von Kaeppler (12 points, eight rebounds) and Eve Zelinger (10 points, eight assists [Castilleja CIF Playoff high]) who each scored eight points in the final frame. Branson held off the Gator spurt with a couple of baskets to push their lead back to nine and were able to dribble out the clock as time ran out on Castilleja and their incredible season. Senior Ericka von Kaeppler, playing in her final Castilleja game, added eight points and team highs of four steals and three blocks. Ericka finishes her high school career as Castilleja’s all-time leader in blocks (271), double-doubles (43), field goal percentage (44.3%), and free throw attempts (534).

Notes: Castilleja’s 18 4th quarter points after 1 3rd quarter point marks the largest increase from 3rd quarter to 4th quarter scoring in school history…Castilleja ties a school record by playing in their 32nd game of the season…Tonight marked the sixth straight contest in which Castilleja’s opponent came into the contest on a winning streak of seven or more games.

Opponents' Win Streaks Coming into Game
Date  Opponent         WS   Result
3/12  Branson          22   Lost 37-44
3/10  Durham           18   Won  51-33
3/07  Pinewood         17   Lost 41-43
3/04  St. Francis CCC   7   Won  35-33
2/28  Anzar             9   Won  54-18
2/21  Pinewood         14   Lost 41-61

Castilleja Victorious in NorCal Debut

Castilleja Basketball continued its deepest postseason journey in school history with a win in its first ever NorCal Playoff game over host Durham Tuesday night. Durham, the North Section Champions, came into the game on an 18-game winning streak having not suffered a loss since December 19. The Trojans brought the energy early, building a lead as large as six and winding up with a four-point halftime advantage as Castilleja struggled to get going on both the offensive and defensive end. Natasha von Kaeppler (10 rebounds, three assists, two steals) led the Gators at the half with nine points, finishing with 13. Castilleja didn’t get going until the third quarter by opening up the second half with six straight points to take the lead at 25-23. The Trojans would remain in the game as they went into the fourth down four. A layup in the final frame brought Durham to within two at 33-35, but the Trojans wouldn’t score again as Castilleja turned up the defensive intensity, outscoring Durham 16-0 to end the game. Eve Zelinger (eight rebounds, four assists, two steals, two blocks) sparked Castilleja in the second half by scoring all 14 of her points after intermission including 10 in the 4th quarter. Ericka von Kaeppler (eight rebounds, three assists, three steals, four blocks) also finished with a game-high 14 points, despite picking up her fourth foul in the 3rd quarter. Laura Rose scored six points for the Gators and tied a career-high with three assists while Tayo Amos added four points, two assists, and two steals in the NorCal victory. Castilleja will travel to Branson Thursday night to take on the defending State Champions in the NorCal Semi-Finals.

Notes: Castilleja has now played its last five games against opponents coming into the contest with a winning streak of seven or more…Ericka von Kaeppler joined teammates Eve Zelinger and Natasha von Kaeppler as the only trio in school history to each score 400 points in the same season. Zelinger and Natasha von Kaeppler had already become the first pair of teammates to accomplish that feat.

Castilleja's Previous Five Opponents'
Win Streaks Coming into the Game
Date  Opponent         WS   Result
3/10  Durham           18   Won  51-33
3/07  Pinewood         17   Lost 41-43
3/04  St. Francis CCC   7   Won  35-33
2/28  Anzar             9   Won  54-18
2/21  Pinewood         14   Lost 41-61

Pinewood Edges Castilleja in CCS Championships

Pinewood held off Castilleja to claim the CCS Division V Championship Saturday morning at Santa Clara University. Castilleja came ready to prove they weren’t just happy to be playing in the championships despite their 20-point loss to Pinewood the last time the two teams met. It would become clear after the opening tap that this game would be a far cry from Pinewood’s rout two weeks ago. The two teams, meeting for the fifth time this season, exchanged leads in the 1st quarter before Pinewood built a four-point advantage going into the 2nd. The Gators received four of their 11 1st quarter points from Eve Zelinger (seven points, eight rebounds, eight assists [ties Castilleja CCS high]) who hit her first two shots of the contest. Castilleja would dominate the 2nd frame holding Pinewood to five points (the lowest quarter total Pinewood has ever scored against Castilleja), while Castilleja used a late run to build a two-point halftime advantage. Ericka von Kaeppler (13 rebounds, four steals) would score eight of her game-high 19 points in the 2nd period as Zelinger deferred to the hot hand inside. In the second half, Castilleja would score the first five points, pushing their lead to seven at 27-20. Pinewood responded with a 9-0 run capped off by a three from Jenna McLaughlin. Castilleja didn’t back down and scored the next six points to regain the lead at 33-29. The Gators wouldn’t relinquish the lead until the closing seconds of the quarter when WBAL-Foothill MVP Lindsay Nickel hit a three, giving the Panthers a 35-33 lead going into the 4th. Castilleja remained in the game throughout the 4th and would tie the score at 41 on an Ericka von Kaeppler layup with just over a minute left. Pinewood countered with a layup from Hailie Eackles with 18 seconds left giving Pinewood the lead and the championship as Castilleja couldn’t convert on the offensive end on two tries including a desperation runner by Ericka von Kaeppler at the buzzer. Natasha von Kaeppler finished with a game-high 14 rebounds in the loss. Castilleja will await the results of the CIF NorCal seeding meeting Sunday as their season continues Tuesday night with the school’s first ever NorCal basketball game.

Notes: Eve Zelinger’s eight assists gives her the school’s all-time lead in CCS playoff games as well as a new single-season record breaking Mika Peterman’s mark of 151 in 2002-03…Pinewood outscored Castilleja 13-0 on fastbreak points…Castilleja had won its previous 35 games when leading at halftime…Natasha von Kaeppler becomes the third player in school history to record 100 career blocks.

Gators Advance to First CCS Basketball Championship in School History with Two-Point Win Over St. Francis CCC

Castilleja advanced to its first CCS basketball championship in school history with a two-point win over host St. Francis CCC in the Semi-Finals of the CCS Playoffs. The Gators never trailed in the contest leading by as many as eight. Castilleja was aided by the defense of Tayo Amos and Ericka von Kaeppler (10 points, 11 rebounds, two assists, two steals, four blocks) who held SCCAL MVP Katherine Brown to nine points. Natasha von Kaeppler took care of the offense for the Gators scoring a game high 18 points while pulling down a Castilleja CCS record 16 rebounds, despite committing three fouls in the game’s opening minutes. Castilleja led at halftime 21-16 and appeared in control as they took the floor in the second half. Castilleja would open up an eight-point lead in the third quarter, but weren’t able to put away the Sharks as St. Francis would outscore Castilleja by five over the middle four minutes of the third, capped off by a three to pull the Sharks with three at 23-26. Tayo Amos answered the St. Francis rally with a deep jumper to put Castilleja back up five. St. Francis would hit a free throw and a runner to pull within two as the as the final seconds of the third quarter loomed. Castilleja would hit a free throw and Natasha von Kaeppler beat the third quarter buzzer with a steal and a layup, pushing Castilleja’s lead back to their halftime advantage of five, erasing the the damage done by St. Francis in the third period. The fourth quarter saw the two teams in a defensive battle as Castilleja appeared as though it finish off the Sharks, leading by seven with five minutes left. Castilleja, however, would not score, over the next 4:30 as St. Francis hit a three with 2:50 left to pull to within four and a jumper with 28 seconds left trimming the Gators’ advantage to two. The Sharks were forced to foul three times to put Natasha von Kaeppler on the line with 10 seconds left. The sophomore calmly sank both free throws sealing the game for the Gators. Castilleja took great care of the ball only committing seven turnovers, none of which were steals. As a result, Castilleja outscored St. Francis 18-0 on points of turnovers. Castilleja will play Pinewood for an unprecidented fifth time this season for the CCS Championship Saturday morning at Santa Clara University. The win also earns Castilleja a trip to their first ever NorCal Playoffs.

Notes: Ericka von Kaeppler becomes the 2nd player in school history to pull down 900 career rebounds…Castilleja is 9-2 all-time when both von Kaeppler sisters record double-doubles…Castilleja had lost its previous 13 games when scoring 35 points or fewer.