Anzar survived Wednesday on the road at Carmel, breaking a
season-long three-game losing streak to end its regular season on a
winning note with a 40-39 victory.
Anzar survived Wednesday on the road at Carmel, breaking a season-long three-game losing streak to end its regular season on a winning note with a 40-39 victory.
The Hawks’ Ryan Waller hit a six-foot jumper in the lane with less than 10 seconds remaining and after the Padres got off several shots, Anzar finally secured the defensive rebound to get the win.
“It wasn’t pretty but we got it done,” Hawks’ coach Ed Cecena said.
With Anzar trailing by a point, senior forward Scott Benson drove down the left side of the court. He went toward the hoop but was cut off on the baseline and dished to Waller, who knocked down the shot.
Waller finished the game with eight points, and Cecena credited him with playing strong defense throughout.
“He guarded their best scorer and did a good job,” Cecena said.
The win wraps up a third-place finish in the Mission Trail Athletic League for Anzar, which will wait until Sunday to find out when and where it will begin the Central Coast Section Division V playoffs.
Until the Hawks recent slide, Cecena believed his team was in line for the second seed, but still hopes Anzar will fall somewhere in the two to four range.
“We’ve got some good wins early in the season which should help us,” Cecena said.
The Hawks took an 13-7 lead after the first quarter, but Carmel fought back to tie it at halftime. It stayed tied at the end of the third quarter and was a back and fourth battle until Waller’s shot gave Anzar the lead for good.
Benson finished with a team-high 16 points and 12 rebounds. Stephen Mockabee, stepping in at the point guard position for Adrian Monroy (illness), had a solid outing with seven points and five assists.
“Mockabee filled in nicely at the point guard at the point guard position,” Cecena said. “He did a good job handling the ball.”
Cecena was happy to see his team get back in the win column and get a little confidence and momentum entering the postseason.
“We definitely feel better about getting the win,” Cecena said. “Still didn’t execute as well as we would’ve like. But it’s step in the right direction, hopefully the momentum will carry us right into the playoffs.”
Anzar 13 9 10 8 – 40
Carmel 7 15 10 7 – 39
