Gilroy takes Balers out of their game

Gilroy High came to Mattson Gym loose and ready to give
Hollister High its best shot in a Tri-County Athletic League girls
hoop Saturday afternoon matinee.
Gilroy High came to Mattson Gym loose and ready to give Hollister High its best shot in a Tri-County Athletic League girls hoop Saturday afternoon matinee.

The Mustangs did just that, eclipsing the turnover-plagued Balers 52-50 in front of nearly 300 spectators, most of whom made noise for the Balers in the the final minutes.

But Hollister (14-4, 1-1), largely due to spotty shot selection down the stretch and an unwillingness for anyone to take the clutch shot, could never get the big bucket necessary to either tie the score or go ahead with a trey.

“I thought we were motivated in the beginning when we were warming up,” said Baler guard Trisha Lee, who led the Balers with 12 points. “They came out with their full-court press and we didn’t know how to handle it even though we went over it in practice. We were lackadaisical in our passes. We were throwing over the top when we should have bounce-passed.”

The Mustangs (12-7, 1-1) played a smart game, pressuring the Balers whenever the likes of Sarah Groman or Naomi Ruiz gathered in a defensive board. That slowed down the Balers’ transition game, which clicked on occasion, but not often enough.

And in the half-court defensive set, the Mustangs scrambled and trapped out on the perimeter, which in essence, took Groman and Ruiz out of being a major factor on the offensive end.

Groman and Ruiz had 10 points and seven rebounds each, but with their size advantage, it could have been much more.

“My girls did everything I asked them to do,” said first-year Gilroy coach Kari Williams. “We were aggressive with our press. It takes guts to win in this league. This league is so tough.”

It looked like the Balers, who led precariously for most of the game, would pull it out at the end. The Mustangs, who had their share of unforced turnovers, turned the ball over with 25 seconds left. But Lee’s three-point attempt with 14 seconds remaining fell short and the Mustangs controlled the rebound.

The Balers didn’t react quick enough to foul and Gilroy adeptly played keep away until a foul was committed with the ball across the mid-court line and with :00.9 seconds left on the game clock. A Gilroy violation on the charity toss gave the ball to the Balers out of bounds with no timeouts afforded to them to set up a play.

Instead of heaving the ball down court for a possible miracle shot, Ruiz opted to roll the ball on the ground, since the clock doesn’t start until a player touches it inbounds. The Balers Desina Gonzales picked it up after a 10-foot roll and there was no hope for the miracle hoop.

“They’re (Gilroy) in this league for a reason,” said Baler head coach Richard Silva. “We didn’t get it inside. We didn’t run our offense enough. Gilroy’s second and third chances killed us. Every time we made our run and we built up a five or six point lead, we got too comfortable with that and they came right back. Free throws might have cost us the game.”

There were two sides to the free throw equation. One, Hollister was just 2-for-8 or 25 percent. Two, the Mustangs went to the line 26 times officially but converted just 11.

The big numbers there are eight and 26. Usually the bigger team gets to the line more often and the Balers were clearly the bigger team.

Not helping the matter, Groman endured some foul problems and eventually fouled out while trying to draw an offensive foul with 1:23 left. The call was one of those 50-50 calls, which could have gone either way.

“We had some calls go against us, but we should have overcome them,” said Lee, who, herself, had three fouls at the half.

Gilroy received good play from guard Laura Hennessee, who had a game-high 18 points, seven more than her average. And center Sarah Hoeft came off the bench for 16 points to aid the Mustangs’ cause.

The Balers’ biggest lead was six points late in the third period. Gina Caianiello assisted Groman for a basket and 33-31 and Ruiz threw long to Lee for a hoop, then Lee returned the favor to Ruiz for 37-31.

But the Balers couldn’t extend the lead, which allowed the Mustangs to hang around and steal one on the road.

It doesn’t get much easier for the Balers, who host North Salinas (10-7, 1-1) Wednesday at 7 p.m.

Baler bits: Hollister had 26 turnovers. – Twice the Balers scored with about one second left on the shot clock. Ruiz banked one in from 14 feet and Erika Rodriguez heaved in a banker from beyond the arc as the shot clock buzzer sounded. Apparently the banks were open at that time of day. – The shot clock was in operation for the first time in three weeks, a welcome sight for game officials, no doubt. – Sporting a Baler basketball T-shirt with the number 3/4 on the back was Silva’s 3 1/2 year-old daughter, Corrine. – The game started a half-hour late because of the great amount of whistles in the preliminary freshmen and junior varsity games. – The Balers are at Gilroy Feb. 11.

JV score: Hollister 55, Gilroy 19. The Balers (17-2) had 17 points from a dominating Jaime Hall, 12 from Jamie Flories and eight points from Jen Crepeau.

Frosh score: Gilroy 45, Hollister 23. “We came out flat,” said Baler coach Javier Flores. “We’d go up for a block and they’d call the foul on us. I predict we’ll beat them the next time we play them.”

Gilroy 13 14 8 17 – 52

Hollister 14 15 8 13 – 50

G – Dow 3 0-2 7, DiFiore 0 3-6 3, Olvera 2 2-4 6, Hennessee 7 2-4 18, Miller 1 0-0 2, Correa 0 0-2 0, Hoeft 6 4-6 16, Okere 0 0-2 0. Totals 19 11-26 52.

H – Caianiello 3 0-0 7, Groman 5 0-1 10, Lee 5 2-3 12, Ruiz 5 0-0 10, Rodriguez 2 0-0 5, Andrewson 1 0-0 2, Gonzalez 1 0-4 2, Tremblay 1 0-0 2. Totals 23 2-8 50.

3-point goals: Dow, Hennessee 2 (G); Caianiello, Rodriguez (H).