A runner-up finish in the Tri-County Athletic League supplied
the San Benito boys’ basketball team not only with the 10-seed, but
also with a home game to open the Central Coast Section Division I
Championships on Tuesday night. The Balers (14-10), who finished in
second place in the TCAL with a 9-3 record, will square off against
No. 15 Fremont (10-14) on Tuesday at Hollister’s Mattson Gym.
Tip-off is 7 p.m.
SAN JOSE
A runner-up finish in the Tri-County Athletic League supplied the San Benito boys’ basketball team not only with the 10-seed, but also with a home game to open the Central Coast Section Division I Championships on Tuesday night.
The Balers (14-10), who finished in second place in the TCAL with a 9-3 record, will square off against No. 15 Fremont (10-14) on Tuesday at Hollister’s Mattson Gym.
Tip-off is 7 p.m.
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“It’s an advantage to have a home game,” San Benito head coach Tracy Carpenter said simply.
Fremont, of Sunnyvale, finished fourth in the El Camino Athletic League with a 7-5 mark, and has lost two of its last three games of the regular season. Coached by Miguel Castillo, the Firebirds are 3-4 on the road this season.
“They’re well coached and Miguel does a really good job,” Carpenter said. “They’re a ball-control team, a tempo team, and they pretty much slow the game down.
“They’ve played everybody close.”
And that includes San Benito.
Although they haven’t faced each other this season, San Benito and Fremont met up a year ago at the Fukishima Invitational at San Jose’s Independence High School, where the Balers swiped a last-second 48-46 victory from the Firebirds.
In that game, San Benito trailed Fremont 46-45 with 3.4 seconds to go, but Baler Eric Elayda drained a 15-foot baseline jumper and was fouled in the process. He made the ensuing free throw to lift the Balers past Fremont by two points.
“We’re expecting another tough game,” Carpenter added.
Of Fremont’s 14 losses this season, seven were within single digits.
The winner of Tuesday’s matchup will advance to Thursday’s second round at No. 7 Homestead (15-9), which hasn’t seen San Benito this season, but has twice defeated Fremont by margins of 70-55 and 61-54.
The winner of that second-round contest would then advance to Saturday’s quarterfinals against No. 2 Serra (19-8), which received two byes to open the Division I bracket. The winner would advance to the Division I semifinals.
Possible opponents in the semifinals include 3-seed and TCAL champion Salinas (23-1), No. 6 Oak Grove (15-11), or No. 11 Menlo-Atherton (12-13) and No. 14 Carlmont (16-8), which will square off in the opening round.
Other teams with two byes include No. 1 Piedmont Hills (24-3) and No. 4 Santa Teresa, while both No. 5 Bellarmine (15-11) and No. 8 Gunn (15-9) received first-round byes. Opening round matches in the bracket opposite San Benito include No. 9 Watsonville (20-5) against No. 16 Wilcox (9-14), and No. 12 Gilroy (14-10) against No. 13 Milpitas (14-10).
The CCS Division I Championship is scheduled for Saturday, March 5, at Santa Clara University. Tip-off is 8 p.m.
“I’m pleased that we’re in,” Carpenter said. “We finished strong and we’re playing well. Hopefully, we’ll play well enough to win on Tuesday and do the same on Thursday.”
