‘Balers First TCAL Team to Lead Gilroy After Any Quarter, But
Falter in Second Half to Lose 62-45
Hollister – The only way San Benito was going to beat Gilroy was if the Haybalers turned Tuesday night’s basketball game into a track meet.
“We don’t want to play a half-court offense with them because they’ve got a good defense,” said sophomore Elena Fata.
The solution? Get the fast break going.
“We’re a small team,” said San Benito girls basketball head coach Al Rowe. “So we have to make up for that.”
And for two and a half quarters, the ‘Balers did. San Benito even led the Mustangs after the first quarter, the only quarter Gilroy has trailed a league opponent this season.
But that wasn’t enough against the Tri-County Athletic League’s first-place team. San Benito, which suffered a 62-37 defeat against the Mustangs in Gilroy Jan. 6, were within two points of Gilroy with six minutes to play. However, the Mustangs turned up the defensive pressure down the stretch and converted ‘Baler turnovers into points to pull away with a 62-45 win.
Freshman guard Vanessa Farias led San Benito with 15 points and six assists. Senior Ari Romero added 10 points and eight rebounds and was 4-for-4 from the free throw line.
“They took it to us hard last time so we basically wanted to get it back and try to make up for it,” said Fata, who chipped in 12 points and three assists for the ‘Balers. “But that didn’t happen.”
Had the ‘Balers not been held to two points in the second quarter, the game might have been a different story.
“That was the quarter that killed us,” Rowe said.
It was also the quarter when the meat and potatoes of the ‘Baler game plan was abandoned.
“We had no fast breaks,” Rowe added.
But there were plenty other times during the game when San Benito (8-11 overall, 2-5 TCAL) had Gilroy (18-4, 7-0) back on its heels with its run-and-gun style.
The ‘Balers trailed 38-34 going into the fourth quarter. But Gilroy’s Kristen Campos drained a three-pointer from the right baseline and Jessica Groppe (16 points) scored on a putback in the Mustangs’ first two possessions to take a 43-34 lead.
Farias responded with a jumper at the other end. On the following Gilroy possession, Romero stole the ball and started the ‘Baler break the other way. Fata finished with a lay-up off a pass from Farias. Moments later, Farias came up with a steals on the Mustangs’ end and sprinted down floor for another lay-up. She was fouled, but converted the basket and the free throw for the 3-point play which cut Gilroy’s lead to two.
Gilroy opened its lead after senior Katherine Hussey (16 points) scored on a a short jumper off the glass and Dana Schoeneman (16 points) made two free throws. Hussey picked off a pass for a steal on the ‘Balers’ next possession and went downcourt for a lay-in. The quick Gilroy run prompted Rowe to call a timeout with 5:04 to play.
But things didn’t get much better for the ‘Balers after the short break. The Mustangs started pressuring and trapping San Benito’s ball handlers and forced the ‘Balers to turn the ball over six consecutive times. Gilroy made use of the turnovers and built a 56-41 lead that San Benito would never surmount.
“It’s come down to three games now like that,” said Rowe, whose squad beat Notre Dame by a point last week. “The team that makes the mistakes on the floor is going to go down.”
At the beginning of the game, the ‘Balers didn’t waste any time going for the upset bid, taking advantage of a sluggish Gilroy zone defense and building a 9-2 lead. Later in the quarter, Farias broke an 11-all tie with a three-pointer and sparked a 9-2 San Benito run, which it literally was. The ‘Balers ended the quarter with six straight points off fast breaks.
“My girls are really jelling right now,” Rowe said. “We’re going to be tough in the second half (of TCAL play).”
