Defense holds back Balers girls’ basketball
The San Benito High girls’ varsity basketball team has been
struggling this season
– and things would surely be worse if Vanessa Farias weren’t in
the lineup.
This year Farias has found her niche playing out on the wing in
the No. 3 guard position.
Defense holds back Balers girls’ basketball
The San Benito High girls’ varsity basketball team has been struggling this season – and things would surely be worse if Vanessa Farias weren’t in the lineup.
This year Farias has found her niche playing out on the wing in the No. 3 guard position.
“She’s just an awesome shooter,” said Baler coach Al Rowe. “She has played travel ball for years and just seems to have a love for the game.”
On Wednesday night, the sophomore standout took command of the game again. And although the fifth-place Balers lost 66-48 at first-place North Salinas, Farias walked off the court the game’s high-scorer with 18 points.
“She’s just an excellent shooter,” Rowe said. “But what we need right now is more team ball. We need to control the offensive boards and get more [shot] attempts.”
As it stands now, the Balers are too one-dimensional, according to Rowe. They rely heavily on Farias to make shots and they are also struggling on defense.
Farias is currently leading the team in scoring, field goals, free throws, and three point shots, which is pretty impressive for the 5-foot-7 athlete.
“Vanessa is playing great. We just need more team ball. We need to get more girls scoring out there,” Rowe said. “Defensively, we just haven’t been shutting teams down all season. We’re scoring enough points, around 50 a game, but we need to step our defensive play up, box out and control the boards better.”
With six games left in the season, the Balers will have to go on a solid run to have any hope of making the playoffs. Rowe is hoping that a decision this week to play more of a man-to-man defense will put enough added pressure on opposing teams to create more turnovers and give the Balers the spark they need down the stretch.
While Farias is making the most of the headlines courtesy of her 14 points per game scoring average, she’s not the only Baler player who has looked impressive on the court this year.
Junior guard Elena Fata has been averaging nearly 10 points a contest this year. In the loss to the Vikings she put 14 points on the board. Sophomore forward Megan Halstead has also been able to put up nearly 9 points a game. She scored 10 against North Salinas and senior forward Morgan O’Laughlin has been one of the team’s top threats on the boards.
“Rebounding is really a big part of it. Especially the offensive rebounds. The more offensive rebounds you get, the more attempts you get,” Rowe said. “If we can pick up more offensive and defensive rebounds we’ll be a lot better off.”
The Balers next game will take place on Wednesday, Jan. 31 at Gilroy High. The Mustangs are currently in third place in league with a 4-2 record. Overall, Gilroy High is 12-5.
