Teams fare well in preseason
The San Benito High boys basketball team came out of the gate
swinging this week as play in the Tri County Athletic League got
underway on Tuesday night. The Balers, which wrapped up preseason
play with a 10-5 record, picked up a hard-fought 58-54 win at
Salinas High to share first place with Palma and North Salinas.
Teams fare well in preseason
The San Benito High boys basketball team came out of the gate swinging this week as play in the Tri County Athletic League got underway on Tuesday night. The Balers, which wrapped up preseason play with a 10-5 record, picked up a hard-fought 58-54 win at Salinas High to share first place with Palma and North Salinas.
“It feels great. To win the first one is always great,” said John Becerra, San Benito High coach. “I’m very pleased with our start.”
Heading into the season Becerra expected his team to battle hard defensively but he did have some concern with its overall size and threat to score.
Against the Cowboys, senior Tyler Ruiz picked up 19 points and Brian Haggett, the Balers leading scorer this year, tacked on 16 more.
“We’re starting to move the ball very well,” Becerra said. “We’re also an unselfish team. We move the ball up the court quickly and they’re always looking to pass.”
Last night after press time, the Balers took on Palma – a game that Becerra had some concerns about.
“I would say that right now Palma is the favorite,” he said. “They don’t have the best record (8-6) but they’ve played some really tough teams.”
With the win over Salinas, the Balers extended their current win streak to three games.
Baler girls
In other action, the San Benito High girls’ basketball team picked up a 50-29 win over Salinas last Friday in its TCAL opener to move into a three-way tie for first place with Notre Dame and North Salinas. As of the Pinnacle’s press time the Balers had a 10-4 record overall.
In the win over the Cowboys, Vanessa Farias led both schools in scoring with 16 points. Her teammate, Bri Romero, also scored 10.
John Bagley can be reached at jb*****@pi**********.com.
