Varsity Girls Basketball Win CCS Championship

Hanson Han SportS Editor

For the first time since the 1990s,the Mills High School Girls Varsity Basketball team won the Division III CCS Championship. Team captain Serena Mezzetta (12) was ecstatic about the team’s win, stating that everyone on the team is feeling great. She explained that they have really high expectations for next year and mainly credits their success to a strong team effort.

For Mezzetta, her Freshman and Junior season ended with a loss in the CCS Championship game. Her Sophomore season was cut short due to Covid-19. She is glad that she is able to end her high school career with a win, with all her hard work finally resulting in something tangible. Being a contender for CCS is already a difficult feat as is, given that there are more than 1,000 teams vying for a playoff spot. Our girls team has done the unimaginable and made it to the championships three times, winning the most recent one.

The road to the championship was not easy. It began when the Lady Vikings won a long hard battle over the Jefferson Grizzlies, winning 57-38. In the championship game against the Santa Cruz Cardinals, our Vikings held a strong lead, the score being 32-26 at halftime. However, the Cardinals were able to come back to make the score 47-47 with six minutes left in the game. At the final stretch of the game, our Vikings pulled through and beat the Cardinals 66-52. Star player Michelle Tang (11) scored 28 points, 18 of them 3-pointers. Tang’s performance eventually helped win the votes of many to earn her the title of Bay Area Athlete of the Week.

The Cardinals were a real threat coming into the season. This season marked their second championship appearance in the last three years. The Cardinals beat Aptos in 2021 to win the CCS Championship. In 2022, they lost to our Vikings in the semifinals. With Santa Cruz looking for revenge in this year’s championship game, they fell short after a long hard-fought battle. Our Vikings were ecstatic with this win, given that they have made it to CCS two times prior, only to lose in the big game. Mezzetta expressed her excitement, saying that, “I really feel as if my hard work has paid off. I’ve been playing since Freshman year, coming so close to winning everything. I’m so glad I was finally able to get my talents recognized, and get the championship I know my team deserves.”

Our Viking’s overall record on the season was 20-8, going 9-3 in league play. They finished 1st in the PAL South League. Next year, the team still has high hopes, with Tang looking to lead the team next year. With many next year starters already getting plenty of playing time this year, Mills is looking to return a very experienced and talented roster.

When asked what the main change was from last year to this year, Mezzetta stated that the team was overall much more confident this year. Last year, the team was never able to beat Mill’s rival school, Capuchino. Their season was also riddled with injuries, causing star players to miss considerable amounts of time. This meant that they didn’t have enough playing time and experience throughout the regular season, causing them to be thrown into the postseason without much practice beforehand. However, this year, they were able to beat Capuchino, drastically boosting team morale and confidence. Our main game changer was keeping all of our players healthy and able to play throughout the regular season. Unlike last season, our starters were ready to play with plenty of practice beforehand. Mezzetta stated that, “Many of our players were injured coming into the postseason. We had a real shot at winning, but the timing of things just weren’t in our favor.”

This also resulted in Mills’ coach, Dave Matsu, winning the Central Coast Section Honor Coach Award. This wasn’t the only celebration Matsu had during this time. He and his wife were celebrating their 25th wedding anniversary. This ended up becoming a perfect storybook ending for a coach that led his team to the championships. Matsu is going to be looking to get many victories for many years more. Matsu has been with the Vikings for 18 years, being a head coach for 17 years.

After their win, they lost in the NorCal Finals, ending their very fruitful season. The team will continue to be motivated, and is looking to create a threat to all the other teams in the CCS for years to come. Mezzetta states, “There is a possibility that this could be the start of a dynasty, if our players continue to develop and our underclassmen step up and improve throughout the years. We can make a real impact in the league for years to come.” Hopes are high for the returning players, with many of them confident in their abilities to repeat as CCS champions. Michelle Tang and Riley Dela Fuente look to lead the Lady Vikings next year establish Mills as a perennial powerhouse.

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