SAN JOSE — On the cusp of advancing to a Central Coast Section playoff final for the first time in school history, the San Benito boys’ basketball team had to endure heartbreak instead.
The top-seed Haybalers couldn’t protect a five-point lead late in regulation before eventually succumbing to No. 4 seed Bellarmine 55-53 in double overtime in a Division I semifinal on Wednesday night at Independence High.
“As a coach, it’s going to be hard to see this team go because you looked at how hard these guys played and how they persevered through every situation we put them through, that you just want to keep going with these guys for as long as possible,” Balers coach David Kaplansky said. “I loved the effort of my basketball team. They played outstanding basketball all season.”
San Benito’s Tony Diaz came close to giving the Balers a miraculous finish, as his 75-foot desperation heave at the buzzer hit the back side of the rim to end the game. It was Diaz’s clutch 3-pointer from the right wing that gave San Benito a 45-40 lead — equaling the largest lead of the game — with 1:30 left in regulation.
So close to making school history, the Balers simply couldn’t finish. They committed turnovers on their next two possessions, and Bellarmine converted those miscues into five unanswered points, the last two coming on a Dylan Tarpening (20 points) driving layup with 10 seconds to go to make it 45-all.
San Benito inbounded the ball, only to have the Bells deflect a pass out of bounds with 7.8 seconds left. Kaplansky then called a timeout, but the Balers could only muster a 30-foot desperation heave from Diaz that barely grazed the front end of the rim.
“We made a couple of key turnovers (at the end of regulation) that we wish we could’ve had back,” Kaplansky said. “But at the same time it’s a situation we ran into where they put a lot of pressure on the inbound. Unfortunately, our ball security could’ve been a bit better, especially since we’ve been a team that’s taken care of the ball so well this year.”
Neither team could generate much offensively in the first overtime, as the squads combined for just four — yes, four — points. That made it 47-47 entering the second overtime, and that’s when the Bells (11-16), who finished second to last with a 2-12 record in the vaunted West Catholic League, took control.
They scored the first four points in the second overtime period and never trailed the rest of the way. A Shraee Harrison (15 points) free throw got the Balers to within 55-53 with 35 seconds left, but they would get no closer.
San Benito had one solid look at the end, but Hyram Miskin (14 points) missed a 3-pointer from the left wing with 2.5 seconds remaining. The Bells missed the front end of the ensuing 1-and-1, and Diaz got the rebound before heaving a football-like shot that nearly went in.
Despite missing 13 of their first 15 shots, the Balers only trailed by one point, 7-6, after the first quarter. But they started the second quarter with a flurry, going on a 8-2 run. Bellarmine retook the lead — one of 15 in the game — in the final minute before halftime, only to see Harrison connect on a putback at the second-quarter buzzer.
Harrison provided some timely offense, as did R.J. Collins, who finished with nine points. But San Benito didn’t have one of its better shooting nights, as it finished only 18 for 62 (29 percent) from the field, and 6 for 28 from the 3-point line (21.4 percent).
Part of that was due to Bellarmine’s tough defense, and part of it was San Benito simply having an off shooting night.
“When you play a West Catholic team, it’s difficult because they do such a good job of handling the paint,” Kaplansky said. “We’re a great shooting team, and I thought on (the drive and) kick our best offense would be the perimeter shots. We’ve got some guys who can shoot the ball real well, and I thought our best opportunity to score was from the perimeter. I just wish we could’ve scored a couple of more baskets at the end of the game.”
Despite coming one game short of reaching their first-ever CCS tournament final, the Balers had a tremendous season. They finished in second place in the Monterey Bay League’s Gabilan Division, and no team out-worked them in any aspect of the game.
“I’m going to remember how resilient these guys were, along with their mental and physical toughness,” Kaplansky said. “We didn’t have a guy over 6-2, and they just played their tails off every night. That’s what I’m going to miss the most, how these guys just laid it all on the line every night.”
