Lady ‘Balers rout Notre Dame 50-33, now 8-0 in TCAL
Hollister
The last time they played, it was all about defense.
Earlier this season, when the San Benito girls basketball team was 1-0 in the Tri-County Athletic League – a mere blip on the league radar – they went down to Salinas and stole a win at Notre Dame.
They trailed by one point with three seconds remaining in that game, as all Notre Dame needed to do was inbounds the ball and run out the clock.
But San Benito’s Elena Fata drew a blocking foul on the Spirits during the inbounds. She went to the line and sunk 1 of 2 free throws, sending the game to overtime.
The Lady ‘Balers won, of course, as they have done so in every other TCAL game they’ve been in.
With that being the closest game San Benito has come to losing this season, though, Thursday’s rematch at Mattson Gym in Hollister carried added significance.
San Benito beat Notre Dame 35-33 in their previous contest on Jan. 9. On Thursday, while holding the visiting Spirits to the same point total, the Lady ‘Balers routed Notre Dame 50-33.
It was still all about the defense for San Benito, but the 50-point surge on offense certainly made the game a little easier in the end.
“The 3-point shot was the difference,” coach David Kaplansky said. “We knocked down some 3-point shots and it really opened the game.”
San Benito (17-4, 8-0 TCAL) hit five treys, to be exact, and took a 7-7 tie after one period and pushed it to a 27-9 halftime score – a 20-2 second-quarter run.
“We went to the full-court press, started creating turnovers, and really dictated the game,” Kaplansky added.
San Benito’s full-court press, also known as “Black,” forced four straight turnovers in a row before Notre Dame was forced to call a timeout.
Vanessa Farias had a game-high 16 points and Elena Fata added 12 for San Benito, which had eight different scorers on Thursday night.
“When more people are involved and more people are confident,” Kaplansky said, “we’re a little more dynamic.”
It’s San Benito’s eighth win in a row, a winning streak that has not been matched since the Lady ‘Balers started their 2001-02 preseason 9-0.
In league, however, San Benito’s current winning streak equals that of the 2000-01 team, which won the Monterey Bay Athletic League that year.
San Benito will look to make it nine in a row when they host Gilroy on Saturday at 2 p.m.
“They’re on a roll,” Kaplansky said of the Mustangs, which are winners of their last four games. “They had a bye [Thursday], so they’ll have fresh legs.”
Team 1 2 3 4 F
SB 7 20 14 9 50
ND 7 2 9 15 33
SB (50) – Fata 1 3 1 12, Farias 3 2 4 16, Zamani 2 0 0 4, Russell 1 0 2 4, Halstead 1 0 0 2, Ademek 1 0 0 2, Romero 3 0 0 6, Aguilera 1 0 2 4.
JV Note:
The San Benito junior varsity girls basketball team rebounded to defeat Notre Dame Thursday night 46-37 at Mattson Gym in Hollister.
“What a game,” coach Karen Fortino said. “These girls came out wanting to win.”
Cassie Pate had a game-high 11 points behind a perfect 5 of 5 performance from the free-throw line. Crystal Perreira added 10 points, while Kim Warner supplied nine points and three blocks. Melisah Cortez also had three blocks.
“They were intense and executed the defense we designed perfectly,” Fortino said. “What an awesome performance from these ladies.”
San Benito will host Gilroy Saturday at Mattson Gym. Tip-off is at 12:30 p.m.
Team 1 2 3 4 F
SB 14 6 8 18 46
ND 9 10 5 13 37
Frosh Note:
The San Benito freshmen team cruised past Notre Dame 48-22 Thursday night at Mattson Gym, and improved to 7-1 in the Tri-County Athletic League.
Erin Glasspool led the Lady ‘Balers with 12 points, six of which came in the fourth quarter, while Jessica Vest added 11.
“She got us out of a funk on offense,” coach Tom Dean said of Glasspool.
Nicole Rianda had 10 points in the contest for San Benito, which shot 9 of 10 from the charity stripe. Michelle Fortino, in particular, shot 8 of 8 from the line.
San Benito is now 20-2 overall, with both losses coming at the hands of Gilroy.
San Benito will host Gilroy on Saturday. Tip-off is at 11 a.m.
Team 1 2 3 4 F
SB 10 11 10 17 48
ND 2 9 9 2 22
