Castroville – A day after suffering a defeat to highly-touted Serra despite its superb effort, the San Benito boys basketball team took the court against an underwhelming Carmel squad. To their credit, the Haybalers played the same gritty game that surprised Serra the night before and, this time, walked away with a feel-good victory.
San Benito (5-7) topped the Padres 47-38 in the consolation round of the North Monterey County Tournament, displaying an intensity and nose for the ball that allowed the team to overcome some offensive struggles.
“It’s a great win for us,” said ‘Balers head coach John Becerra, whose team rebounded after falling 67-43 on Wednesday. “If you play a tough team like Serra, you get used to that type of physical play.”
San Benito’s determination was on display from the opening tip. Three different ‘Balers–Kevin Medeiros, Marty Bueno and Brian Haggett–recorded assists as San Benito jumped out to a quick 6-2 lead.
Though Carmel (2-9) fought back to close within 10-9 near the end of the first quarter, the ‘Balers turned to the bench to pad their lead. Erstwhile starter Todd Janisch gave San Benito a needed jolt, scoring seven consecutive points and grabbing five rebounds to help his team to an 18-11 lead before departing with 4:11 left in the half.
Asked what the key to the ‘Balers win was, Janisch said, “I’d say it’s the hustle, the effort. We were hustling, we were diving for loose balls, stuff like that.”
San Benito center Dean Wilkins thought his team was inspired by the Serra game.
“Serra’s a real tough team … great defense,” said Wilkins, who finished with ‘Baler highs of 10 points and seven rebounds. “We just wanted to kind of mimic that–play the whole game, four quarters.”
Though San Benito took a 21-13 lead into the locker room, Carmel showed its resilience with a third-quarter run. Three three-pointers, including two by Ryan Knight, highlighted a 10-0 run that put the Padres on top 23-21 just three minutes into the second half.
But selfless play again enabled the ‘Balers to make a run of their own. First, Kevin Burley and Janisch found Bueno for back-to-back three-pointers. Then Bueno dished to Carlos Ramos for a bank shot in the paint that gave San Benito a 33-27 lead, one it wouldn’t relinquish. Becerra gave credit to his team’s scrappy defense, too.
“I got a little worried there in the third quarter because we had a nice lead … and all of a sudden it evaporated,” said Becerra. “Luckily, when we changed to that zone, it bothered them a little bit and we were able to get ahead again.”
Though Carmel seemed intent on a fourth-quarter rally, ‘Balers center Dean Wilkins simply refused to let his team squander its lead. The senior opened the period with a lay-up on a Bueno assist, but Wilkins’ most valuable contributions were on the boards and in the open court. He was a blur, collecting two offensive rebounds, a defensive rebound, two steals and a block–all in the fourth quarter.
“I think it was all there tonight,” said Wilkins of his team’s performance. “If we just play hard like that in TCAL, we’re going to be trying to go all the way.”
Bueno and Haggett contributed a well-rounded effort for the ‘Balers, with identical lines of eight points and one steal. Bueno notched a team-high five assists, while Haggett recorded four.
Truth be told, San Benito could have pocketed a much more resounding victory if not for its struggles converting open looks into baskets.
“[The ‘Balers] ended up getting a lot of good looks and they probably would have beaten us by more had they made some lay-ups,” said Carmel head coach Ryan Sanchez. “This game, for whatever reason, our defense just wasn’t there and it just killed us.”
Phil Johnston scored a game-high 12 points for the Padres and Justin Vandenberg scored 10, but the two needed a combined 25 field-goal attempts to manage their output.
After a disheartening early exit from the Bob Hagen Memorial Tournament earlier in the month, San Benito was thrilled to earn a third game. The ‘Balers face Alvarez–a 56-42 winner over Soledad–in the consolation championship game at 4:00 this afternoon.
“Usually we’re going home on Day No. 2, but that’s not happening,” said Janisch, who finished with nine points and six rebounds. “We’re very happy with that.”
