Tyler Rickard delivers game-high 15 points, six rebounds; San
Benito just a half-game out of second place in the TCAL
HOLLISTER
For a split second, San Benito head coach John Becerra said, Thursday night’s showdown with North Salinas unfortunately mirrored the previous time the two teams met up.
In that game on Jan. 13, San Benito carried a 43-35 lead to the fourth quarter, only to be outscored by the Vikings 19-8 in the final period en route to a 53-52 defeat.
Not exactly the game a team wants to replicate, by any means.
“We began to turn the ball over in the second quarter (Thursday) when we had a lead,” Becerra said. “And that’s what happened in the first game, only it happened in the fourth quarter.”
And luckily for Becerra and the ‘Balers on Thursday, it was only for a split second.
Tyler Rickard had a game-high 15 points and six rebounds, Eric Elayda contributed 13 points behind three 3-pointers and San Benito won its fourth straight game Thursday when it outlasted visiting North Salinas 58-49 at Hollister’s Mattson Gym, avenging that one-point loss from January.
Jason Canchola and Dominic Zanella each had nine points apiece, while Zanella also had six rebounds.
San Benito, which started the Tri-County Athletic League in an 0-4 hole, is suddenly the hottest team in the TCAL and 4-4 in league. Salinas, which lost to Palma Thursday and now sits at 5-4, is just a half-game ahead of the ‘Balers for second place.
“This was a must-win game for us,” Rickard said. “I guess we’re just more confident now because we have that win streak going.”
Despite winning by a somewhat comfortable nine points on Thursday, San Benito didn’t pull away until the very end. In fact, North Salinas held a 37-36 lead with less than five minutes remaining in regulation.
That is, of course, until Rickard came through with the game-changing play. The sophomore guard drove into the paint and literally bounced off a North Salinas post player in mid air, only to draw the foul and convert the and-1 opportunity.
San Benito went up 39-37 with 4:47 remaining as a result, and the Vikings never reclaimed the lead.
“When they started catching up, we had to go up to a different gear,” Rickard said.
And the ‘Balers certainly did, scoring 27 points in the fourth quarter alone.
Elayda pushed the lead to six points with back-to-back jumpers following Rickard’s three-point play, while frustration quickly set in for North Salinas when Mark Ramos was called for a technical foul.
Rickard made 1 of 2 free throws as a result, and was 4 of 5 in the game.
Both teams came out somewhat stagnant offensively, however. Missed shots, frequent turnovers and few trips to the free throw line prevented either team from getting any sort of a foothold in momentum, and led to a lowly 8-7 North Salinas lead after one quarter.
Although San Benito opened the second quarter on a 13-2 run behind 3-pointers from Elayda and Canchola, the Vikings erased much of the 20-10 lead before halftime and trailed 22-18 at the break.
“Neither team could get much going, but we became physical on the boards, started stripping the ball and were getting down there and laying it up a couple of times,” Becerra said. “The refs weren’t calling much, and so we just started getting more physical, it looked like, and just stole the ball a couple of times.”
North Salinas cut into San Benito’s lead in the third quarter as well, and were behind 31-30 going into the fourth. But the ‘Balers shot 8 of 11 from the field in the final period, and 10 of 13 from the free throw line.
The Vikings pressed for much of the game, but clearly upped the intensity in the waning moments on Thursday. Trailing by 13 with 25 ticks left, North Salinas forced two turnovers and converted each when Donte Mosley drained a pair of treys to bring the Vikings within seven. But a pair of free throws from Zanella secured the victory.
“They put a lot of pressure (on us). They’re quick,” Becerra said.
Mosley finished with 12 points, while teammates Marcus Holley had 13 and Ramos had 11. North Salinas falls to 4-5 in the TCAL with the loss.
San Benito will look to avenge another one-point loss from earlier this season when they visit Gilroy on Tuesday at 7 p.m. The ‘Balers lost to the Mustangs 44-43 on Jan. 15.
“When we got that first win, we just kept building off of it and off of it and off of it,” Elayda said. “I think we’re building up to it every time we win.”
Notes:
San Benito shot 40 percent (21 of 52) from the field in the game … North Salinas shot 31 percent (18 of 58) from the field, 10 of 15 from the line … San Benito committed one more turnover, 18 to 17, than North Salinas … San Benito’s bench outscored the Vikings bench 17-2.
TEAM 1 2 3 4 F
NS 8 10 12 19 49
SB 7 15 9 27 58
North Salinas (49): K. Chappell 1-5 0-0 2, M. Holley 5-10 3-3 13, M. Martinez 2-8 1-4 5, D. Mosley 5-12 0-0 12, N. Nunez 1-5 4-6 6, M. Ramos 4-9 2-2 11.
Three-point goals: D. Mosley 2, M. Ramos 1.
San Benito (58): J. Canchola 3-10 2-2 9, I. Corral 1-1 0-0 2, E. Elayda 5-7 0-0 13, C. Sepulveda 1-2 0-0 2, T. Rickard 5-10 4-5 15, T. Von Urff 1-2 0-0 2, K. Vallejo 2-5 2-3 6, D. Zanella 3-14 3-4 9.
Three-point goals: J. Canchola 1, E. Elayda 3, T. Rickard 1.
