San Benito can’t overcome Milpitas’ height; sees season end in
57-38 loss
Heading into last night’s Central Coast Section playoff opener, No. 12 San Benito knew that it was going to need a small miracle to defeat No. 5 Milpitas given the Trojans’ distinct height and talent advantages. What this ‘Balers’ team has been known all year is its tenacity and ‘fight ’til the end’ determination. Although San Benito once again displayed this fight, it simply was not enough to defeat the Trojans on their home court as the ‘Balers saw their season end in a 57-38 loss.
Entering the night, the opposing coaches expressed contrasting ideas concerning what would allow their teams to be successful. For the ‘Balers and head coach John Becerra, it was going to be all about effort.
“We’re going to try to run [the Trojans],” said Becerra, “and, because they are bigger than we are, hopefully we’ll get shots and set up before they set their defense.”
For Milpitas, head coach Steve Cain knew that his Trojans needed to maximize their height advantage as well as their potential.
“We’ve been trying to take advantage of our height all year,” said Cain. “Also, we haven’t peaked yet, even though we are 19-6. I just feel like we haven’t played up to our ability.”
As the game began, San Benito (13-14) got off to a solid start. Senior Dean Wilkins paced the ‘Balers with six of his team’s 10 first-quarter points. Wilkins finished the game with a team-high 10 points and three assists. Daryl Baladad added seven points and two steals, while Sterling Wilson added six points and four rebounds in the loss.
“When you are in a close game against a higher seed, you want to come in, put up a good fight and make it a close game,” said Wilkins.
Going into halftime, San Benito trailed by a manageable 28-20 deficit and felt good about how it had played to that point. Entering the second half, however, the ‘Balers allowed the Trojans to go on a 15-4 run, increasing the deficit to 19 points.
“We weren’t at our best tonight, and they were playing at a higher level,” said Wilkins.
Reminiscent of its character and pride, San Benito, which entered the game having won four of its last five games, went on a spurt of its own to trim the deficit to 12 points entering the final quarter. As the fourth quarter began, Milpitas (20-6) relaxed, allowing San Benito to continue to chip away. Amazingly, with just under four minutes remaining in the contest, the ‘Balers trimmed the lead to just 10 points. Nevertheless, that would be as close as they would get.
Milpitas’ advantage came with having four players 6-foot-6 and taller. That include 6-foot-10 Spencer Ford, who had four of the Trojans’ seven blocks on the night. Eric Rush, Milpitas’ leading scorer, had a solid game. Rush scored a game-high 19 points while adding four rebounds. Adam Close, the Trojans’ leading rebounder, scored 14 points while grabbing eight rebounds.
Following the game, an upbeat ‘Balers’ team reflected on its season.
“I want to say that nobody expected us to get this far,” said junior Todd Janisch. “We played hard throughout the entire season and we played very well against them, especially considering the size differential.”
In a sport where athleticism and height often dominate, it’s nice to see a squad like San Benito get to a level that couldn’t have been predicted. There is no doubt that these ‘Balers have left an impression on its school, its coach, other teams in the Tri-County Athletic League, as well as Milpitas.
“A lot of teams in our league are at home right now,” said Janisch. “I’m proud to have played in CCS playoffs. It’s a great atmosphere and a great honor.”
