They certainly were not insurmountable feats at the start of the
season, but for both the San Benito boys and girls basketball teams
to eclipse last year’s win total already is an impressive
accomplishment, nonetheless.
They certainly were not insurmountable feats at the start of the season, but for both the San Benito boys and girls basketball teams to eclipse last year’s win total already is an impressive accomplishment, nonetheless.
I mean, the league season hasn’t even started yet, and the Haybalers are already better off than one year ago.
The boys surpassed last season’s eight-win year by defeating Everett Alvarez 64-39 Saturday at the Condor Christmas Classic. The victory pushed San Benito to nine wins on the year, and the Tri-County Athletic League season doesn’t begin until Tuesday.
The girls equaled the boys’ nine wins as well, and surpassed last year’s eight-win campaign, when they defeated Harbor 47-40 in overtime last Friday at the Seaside Sweet 16 Tournament. For them, their TCAL season opens tonight at Salinas.
Job well done to both, but let’s not dwell on last season. After both teams finished the year with eight wins and no playoff berth to show, I’m sure it’s something they’d like to move on from.
So let’s break down the future (Wow, that sounds exciting!).
The ‘Baler boys are winners of four of their last five, and seem to be playing at a much higher level than the first game I witnessed earlier this season. I saw them battle Gunn at the Seascape Resort Invitational in Aptos in November, and to see them play against Santa Cruz and North County and Alvarez recently, well, it was night and day.
The ‘Balers lost to Gunn 54-47. They looked sluggish in that particular game, and not surprisingly, it was their lowest point total of any game this season.
And while the team still seems to struggle in the first quarter, coming out on to the floor with almost too much adrenaline it seems, the ‘Balers are playing far superior now than that particular game against Gunn, and far superior, I’d imagine, than last season.
The transition game, although not perfect, has been difficult to defend at times for opposing teams, the man defense has been rather stellar when everyone is performing their duties, and the offense makes the extra pass when need be.
Of course, success brings expectations. It’s the nature of the beast, you could say.
Coach John Becerra is still seeking the big win – the win against a contender that opens everyone’s eyes in the area.
“When we play good teams, we can’t get over that hump,” Becerra said last Saturday. “Weaker teams we can beat. Those good teams, we haven’t been able to do it. We’ve made it exciting, but we haven’t been able to beat them.”
To date, the team’s biggest win may have come against Milpitas in their season-opener. San Benito escaped San Jose that night in November with a 56-55 victory, and since then, the Trojans have matched San Benito’s win total with a six-game winning streak that recently ended at the feet of Cupertino.
But in possibly the team’s two biggest games of the season – Watsonville and North County – San Benito lost both by a combined eight points.
They’re close, but as Becerra said, ” … we can’t get over that hump.”
The ‘Balers have shown their improvement since the season started, but they’ll need to continue that to contend in the TCAL, which is rather balanced and seems to offer only a single pushover in Everett Alvarez.
Coming out in the first quarter cool as a cucumber will only help San Benito as the game progresses. They appear to be rushing the start of the game, and a few more scoring chances on the offensive end at the start will only help put the outcome in San Benito’s favor in the end.
With their first three league games against Salinas (9-6), Palma (7-6) and Gilroy (6-8) – three teams that will almost certainly be at or near the top of the TCAL standings when the season is over – the ‘Balers will get a quick look at just how large that hump is.
– While the TCAL seems to be shaping into a crapshoot on the boys side, the girls side may already be narrowing down its heirs to the thrown.
Notre Dame, North Salinas and San Benito appear to be the favorites in the TCAL as the league season kicks off tonight for all three teams – a far cry for the Lady ‘Balers, who are one year removed from a 5-7 season.
Salinas was in the discussion, but they recently lost the services of their leading scorer, Mia Musones, and will likely finish middle of the pack.
The team that will stand in everyone’s way will be the defending league champion in North Salinas, who the Lady ‘Balers lost to 36-27 last weekend at the Seaside Sweet 16.
It was by no means, however, a convincing win for the Vikings, and certainly did not separate the two teams by much. Neither team played well in the contest, and North Salinas, despite committing 22 turnovers that day, essentially won the battle by getting second chances on the offensive end from the height of post players Bina and Gina Abbott.
While San Benito opens the TCAL tonight at Salinas, the rematch against North Salinas is slated for Jan. 25.
If all goes to plan, San Benito would love the season finale – at North Salinas on Feb. 14, no less – to mean something.
