The Hollister High girls basketball team bounced back in nice
fashion to take care of host Oak Grove 55-37 Saturday in the third
place game of the Oak Grove Holiday Classic.
SAN JOSE – The Hollister High girls basketball team bounced back in nice fashion to take care of host Oak Grove 55-37 Saturday in the third place game of the Oak Grove Holiday Classic.
The Balers were outgunned 85-38 by eventual champ El Camino of Sacramento in one of Friday’s semifinal.
Baler guard Gina Caianiello was tabbed all-tournament. Trisha Lee had 19 points in the win over the Eagles of Oak Grove, while Caianiello had 10.
The Eagles (10-1) of El Camino were a different story. The Balers (9-3) were never in it as they trailed 18-0 at the start before Sarah Groman scored on an offensive putback late in the first period. The Balers were outscored 28-6 for the quarter, which put El Camino on a 112-point pace.
Hollister held its own in the second period as it was outscored just 19-14 as El Camino, which hit four 3-point baskets in the first quarter, cooled off from the outside. Baler forward Jennifer Tremblay, who was steady throughout the tournament, had all six of her points in the second quarter.
Hollister was outscored 38-18 in the second half.
“That’s about as good as we could play,” said El Camino coach Bill Baxter.
Baxter scouted the first half of the Balers’ game against Los Gatos, which was the half where the Balers scored just 12 points. The Balers played much better in the second half and in the two overtimes to hold off a game Los Gatos squad last Thursday.
“I was concerned about 24 and 34,” said Baxter, talking about Caianiello and Groman, respectively. “I knew (Caianiello) was strong to her left and (Groman) would hurt us inside if we let them set up in the halfcourt.”
The Eagles never let the Balers get into their halfcourt set, which they so much like to run, looking to pound the ball inside to Groman and Naomi Ruiz. El Camino pressured the Balers into 33 turnovers, many coming at the midcourt area when they double-teamed right across the midcourt line. And if the Balers tried to set a screen, the Eagles adeptly jump-switched, often getting the turnover.
The Eagles, who run the floor better than anyone the Balers will see all year, also have a long bench, which can wear a team down. Tournament MVP Jourdan Willard, a 6-foot center, led El Camino with 14 points. Three other players were in double figures, while 14 players in all found the scoring column. Melissa Rice, probably the fifth guard on the Eagles team, came off the bench and stroked two fourth-quarter treys for six points.
“I don’t think Hollister was used to playing against a style like ours,” said the Eagles Kelli Lewis, who made all-tourney, along with teammate Kathryn Cavileer.
“They’re like an all-star team,” said Balers coach Richard Silva. “I was glad they didn’t score 100 on us.”
Silva felt that Baxter could have called off the dogs just a little.
“I asked him after the game, ‘Can’t you slow it down some? Maybe go into a 2-3 zone, pull it back out?'” said Silva. “He said that’s the way his team plays.”
There were some bright spots for the Balers in the defeat to El Camino. One was the play of sophomore Dani Andrewson, who hadn’t received much playing time this year. Andrewson came off the bench in the second half and showed good hustle and good hands, chalking up five points, three steals and an assist. She scored five more points against Oak Grove with three more steals and two more assists.
“Dani played real well,” said Silva, who gave Andrewson a start on Saturday. “She’ll be getting more playing time.”
The Balers practice at 3:30 p.m. most of this week, then get ready for four more non-league games before the Tri-County Athletic League slate starts Jan. 16: At Alisal Jan. 3, at Monte Vista Christian Jan. 7, at home against North County Jan. 9 and at Monterey Jan. 11.
Oak Grove Classic
Third place game
Oak Grove 8 11 6 12 – 37
Hollister 16 14 13 12 – 55
OG – Vines 4 0-0 8, Barlan 1 0-2 2, Carmichael 3 1-2 7, Cota 2 0-0 4, Abram 0 2-2 2, Williams 4 0-0 8, Rivera 1 0-0 2. Totals 17 3-7 37.
H – Caianiello 2 3-4 10, Ruiz 2 0-2 4, Lee 8 3-3 19, Tremblay 0 3-6 3, Andrewson 2 1-3 5, Groman 4 0-1 8, Osborne 1 0-0 2, Kortsen 2 0-0 4, Smith 0 0-1 0. Totals 22 10-20 55.
3-point goals: Caianiello (H).
