Todd Janisch scores a season-high of 39 points
Two of the top scorers in the Tri-County Athletic League went toe-to-toe Wednesday, and while San Benito’s Todd Janisch had the scoring edge on Alvarez’s Harvey Todd, it was the Eagles who rallied for a 74-72 victory over the visiting Haybalers.
Janisch, the league’s third-leading scorer averaging 17.2 points per game, went for a season-high 39 while Todd, the league second-leading scorer, had 31, but Alvarez got some contributions from other keys players to pull out the win.
Erik Rodriguez scored 16 points for the Eagles (12-10, 5-5 TCAL) and James Smith added 10, while Marty Bueno (10 points) was the only other ‘Balers to score in double figures.
“He had a tremendous game, just a monster game,” San Benito (8-16, 4-6) coach John Becerra said of Janisch. “We just need somebody else to step forward and score a few more points.”
The ‘Balers took the early advantage, holding a 23-15 lead at the end of the first quarter.
But in the second quarter, Todd began to heat up and used some aggressive drives to get San Benito in foul trouble.
“In the second quarter we went zone because we were in foul trouble,” Becerra said. “Then other kids made shots for them, so we went back to man.”
Todd had a big night at the free-throw line, connecting on 14-of-18 attempts. Bueno, who had the responsibility of guarding Todd, gutted out a solid effort before fouling out late in the game.
The Eagles trimmed the deficit to one point by halftime, but a solid third quarter by San Benito allowed it to push the lead back to four entering the final period.
The ‘Balers had a six-point lead with 2 1/2 minutes remaining, but turnovers proved costly and Alvarez rallied for the victory.
“We were a little impatient and turned the ball over at critical points,” Becerra said.
San Benito wraps up its home schedule Friday when it plays Alisal at 7pm.
San Benito 23 14 18 17 – 72
Alvarez 15 21 14 24 – 74
