Victoria Aguilera and Cyrena Salinas each scored 11 points and
the San Benito Lady Balers shutout host Everett Alvarez in the
second quarter en route to a comfortable 62-29 victory on Thursday
night in Tri-County Athletic League action.
SALINAS
Victoria Aguilera and Cyrena Salinas each scored 11 points and the San Benito Lady Balers shutout host Everett Alvarez in the second quarter en route to a comfortable 62-29 victory on Thursday night in Tri-County Athletic League action.
The Lady Balers, who improve to 6-1 in the TCAL and 17-2 overall, grabbed a 15-5 lead after the first quarter, then silenced the Eagles in the second stanza 20-0 and took a 35-5 lead to halftime.
“We got off to a great start and I think it was important to get off to a great start,” said San Benito head coach David Kaplansky, whose Lady Balers are off until next Thursday when they will host undefeated North Salinas at Hollister’s Mattson Gym.
“I wanted us to make shots early in the game,” Kaplansky added. “I think it’ll be important to get off to a good start against North Salinas.”
North High and San Benito previously met on Jan. 11 in Salinas, where the Vikings took a 19-10 lead at halftime after outscoring the Lady Balers 10-2 in the second quarter.
Thursday’s win against Everett Alvarez (0-7 TCAL, 2-15), meanwhile, not only saw San Benito jump out to a 30-point lead at the break, but also saw 12 different Lady Balers make the box score.
Nicole Rianda and Mari Vallejo each had seven points for the Lady Balers, Melisah Cortez added six, and Ellie Burley and Genesis Magee had four points apiece.
“It was nice to see all the girls rotate in and get some meaningful minutes,” Kaplansky said.
San Benito, which has now won five straight games since losing to North Salinas earlier this month, will host the Vikings next Thursday at Hollister’s Mattson Gym. Tip-off is 7 p.m.
TEAM 1 2 3 4 F
SB 15 20 11 16 62
EA 5 0 10 14 29
San Benito (62): J. Echaorre 1 0 1-2 3, M. LePore 1 0 0-0 2, C. Salinas 3 1 2-3 11, M. Vallejo 3 0 1-2 7, E. Glasspool 0 1 0-0 3, M. Cortez 2 0 2-3 6, C. Pate 1 0 0-0 2, G. Magee 2 0 0-0 4, E. Miskin 0 0 2-2 2, N. Rianda 3 0 1-4 7, V. Aguilera 3 0 5-8 11, E. Burley 0 0 4-6 4.
JV Note:
The San Benito Lady Balers bounced back from Tuesday’s loss to Salinas and defeated host Everett Alvarez 55-32 on Thursday in Tri-County Athletic League play.
The Lady Balers are now 4-3 in the TCAL and 12-4 overall.
Victoria Bustamante had a team-high nine points for San Benito, while teammates Olivia Diaz and Kayla Ortiz each contributed eight points.
The Lady Balers implemented a different offensive formation in the game when they showed a four-guard set, with one inside post player.
“We wanted to come out and run and attack and be on the offensive right from the beginning of the game,” San Benito head coach Karen Fortino said.
San Benito jumped out to a 19-2 lead after one quarter, 30-9 at halftime.
“I was really happy with the girls’ performance,” Fortino said. “The girls have a lot of character to come off a loss and get the win. And they’re definitely improving their basketball skills and getting better.”
San Benito will host North Salinas next Thursday at Hollister’s Mattson Gym. Tip-off is 5:30 p.m.
TEAM 1 2 3 4 F
SB 19 11 12 13 55
EA 2 7 11 12 32
