Elena Fata hits free throw to tie game in regulation, San Benito
defeats Spirits in overtime, 35-33. Junior varsity, freshmen squads
also defeat Notre Dame.
Salinas – Consider it San Benito’s version of a block party.
Up by one with three seconds to go in regulation of their Tri-County Athletic League girls basketball game, Notre Dame was forced to inbound the ball.
Simple.
A clean inbounds pass and three seconds was all that separated the Spirits from completing the comeback, which had the Salinas team down by five points to San Benito going into the fourth quarter.
But before it could all transpire, Haybaler Elena Fata drew a blocking foul on Notre Dame, and she was sent to the charity stripe for two shots.
She made 1 of 2 and sent the game to overtime, where the Lady ‘Balers outscored Notre Dame 4-2 in the extra period, and stole the league matchup 35-33.
“It was unbelievable,” coach David Kaplansky said. “These girls willed themselves to win.”
San Benito improved to 2-0 in the TCAL with the nail-biting victory Wednesday, 11-4 overall.
Kaplansky described the game as “nuts,” as San Benito and Notre Dame each controlled a half of the close contest.
In the first half, the Lady ‘Balers played “exceptional defense,” holding the Spirits to just three first-quarter points, and hit three 3-pointers of their own to open up a 21-10 halftime lead.
But Kaplansky said it was a tale of two halves, and Notre Dame clawed their way back in the second, showing plenty of defensive pressure along the way.
“Each team played an exceptional half, and that’s why it came down to an overtime period,” Kaplansky said. “All four quarters were consistently good, defensively.”
Despite Fata’s clutch free-throw shooting with the game on the line, San Benito shot just 2 of 8 from the line in the fourth quarter. Said Kaplansky, “They were forced to foul us … but we weren’t finishing at the free-throw line.”
Fata led the team with 11 points while Vanessa Farias added 10 for the Lady ‘Balers. Bri Romero had eight points in the game.
San Benito will return to the floor on Friday at Gilroy. Tip-off is at 7 p.m.
Team 1 2 3 4 OT F
SB 8 13 6 4 4 35
ND 3 7 12 9 2 33
SB (35) – Fata 2 1 4 11, Farias 2 2 0 10, Russell 0 0 1 1, Halstead 0 0 1 1, Ademek 1 0 2 4, Romero 4 0 0 8.
JV Note: The San Benito junior varsity team defeated Notre Dame 37-24 Wednesday in Salinas to even their Tri-County Athletic League record at 1-1 on the year.
Kim Warner scored 11 points and Cassie Pate added five for San Benito.
“They’re usually a contender in the TCAL, but we stuck with it and played good defense,” coach Karen Fortino said. “It was a good game.”
San Benito will play at Gilroy Friday. Tip-off is at 5:30 p.m.
Team 1 2 3 4 F
SB 10 8 13 6 37
ND 4 7 8 5 24
Frosh Note: The San Benito freshman squad cruised past Notre Dame 51-26 Wednesday to improve to 15-1 overall, 2-0 in the Tri-County Athletic League.
Mari Vallejo had 12 points, Nicole Rianda had nine, Anna Kaplanis added six and Jackie Echaorre supplied San Benito with five. The Lady ‘Balers shot 42 percent from the field, including three 3-pointers.
“This was the best team basketball the girls played all year,” coach Tom Dean said. “Everyone contributed to the victory either on offense or on defense.”
San Benito will play at Gilroy Friday. Tip-off is at 4 p.m.
Team 1 2 3 4 F
SB 15 16 10 10 51
ND 6 8 6 6 26
