The San Benito girls basketball team has had two losing seasons
in a row, and they haven’t been to the Central Coast Section
playoffs since 2004.
The San Benito girls basketball team has had two losing seasons in a row, and they haven’t been to the Central Coast Section playoffs since 2004.
But already this season, they’re 3-0 and have outscored their opponents 166-72.
I’m not handing them the keys to a league championship just yet, of course. Those three wins came against Soledad, King City and Live Oak – three teams that probably aren’t stirring images of the Geno Auriemma-coached UConn Huskies, or last year’s league champ North Salinas, for that matter.
But consider this juicy little nugget: The Lady ‘Balers didn’t get their third win last season until Jan. 2.
This season, they got their third win on Monday, Dec. 3, a month better than last year. And it took them five games last season to eclipse 166 total points, something they’ve already accomplished this season in two fewer games. Heck, they put 60 up on Soledad, which they didn’t do once last season against any opponent.
I’ve been able to attend two of San Benito’s games this season – their 60-13 opener against Soledad and Monday’s 50-28 win at Live Oak – and I think it’s clear already that at the very least, San Benito will be exceedingly difficult to dispatch this year.
They probably won’t win every game, but it’s difficult to foresee any team being able to put them away early, like the Lady ‘Balers have done against Soledad, King City and Live Oak this season.
The reason is because they play a high-tempo, high-intensity, ultra-aggressive defense that is constantly forcing turnovers and leading to fastbreak opportunities.
In fact, San Benito forced a combined 77 turnovers in their two games against Soledad and Live Oak. Without knowing how many they forced against King City, they did win 56-31, so I’d imagine there were at least a few King City fumbles along the way.
And so far, they’re turning the press on and off like a switch based on how comfortable they are with their lead.
Figure Monday’s game at Live Oak. The Lady ‘Balers went out and put 10 points on the scoreboard and 11 turnovers on Live Oak’s scorecard before the host Acorns recorded a single point.
After that quick lead, coach David Kaplansky turned the press off. But even then, San Benito still managed to play near-lockdown defense.
Granted, as I already said before, Live Oak isn’t exactly a CCS powerhouse, but nonetheless, the newly-installed system seems to be working.
Trying to turn a team around that’s had two losing seasons in a row is one of the more difficult projects a coach can undertake, and it’s certainly something I do not envy.
But talking with some of San Benito’s players, they seem to like the brand new system. And Kaplansky clearly brings the passion on the sidelines that pushes the system into place (Just attend a game. You’ll know what I mean).
For a transition offense that seeks to capitalize on the scoring opportunities that are given to them, however, San Benito still needs some work on two major scoring opportunities – breakaway lay-ups and free throws.
Those were two of the areas Kaplansky noted after Monday’s win in Morgan Hill, and while I don’t have any hard figures on missed lay-ups (they had a few), the Lady ‘Balers shot 50 percent (7 of 14) from the line.
Bring those numbers up, and winning basketball games will become a whole lot easier.
San Benito will have quite the test this week when they open with the Bill Getris Classic in Salinas. They’re scheduled to play Northgate (Walnut Creek) tonight at 6:30 p.m., while other teams in attendance include Notre Dame, Salinas, Santa Cruz, King City and La Grande (Oregon).
We’ll get an idea of where San Benito stands and how far they need to go after this weekend. Although they’ll go through their ups and downs this year, the way they play defense and the way they cause turnovers, San Benito should, at the very least, be competing in the fourth quarter in most games.
After last season’s 8-15 record, a season that ended with a 65-23 loss to North Salinas, giving yourself a chance to win in the fourth quarter this year would be quite the, well, turnaround.
