The 51-50 loss to Salinas in December was still in the back of David Kaplansky’s mind entering Wednesday’s league duel with the Cowboys.
And after the first quarter and a half of Wednesday’s game, San Benito looked as if it was going to lose in an even worse way. But down 21-2 midway through the second quarter, the Balers finally made their move and to eventually win 39-36.
And it all started with tough defense and the outside shot of sophomore Hyram Miskin, Kaplansky said.
“Hyram really had a great game,” Kaplansky said. “He got it started.”
In less than a minute span, the Balers forced two turnovers and scored eight points. At that moment, the game’s momentum switched.
“They were playing a full court defense and we were struggling,” Kaplansky said. “The first quarter of the game was just like the last six minutes of the previous game. It wasn’t good. We could have lost by 30.”
After the spurt of eight points, the Balers switched from a man-to-man defense to a zone to slow down the Salinas’ offense.
After the switch, the Balers outscored Salinas 37-16 to close out the game.
“It was crazy,” Kaplansky said. “We came out like a deer in the headlights. We were flat but we started getting it going.”
Miskin, who was the only Baler to score in double digits, scored a game-high 22 points. The sophomore added to his team-high 42 3-point shots, with four 3-pointers in the victory.
Isaiah Acfalle added six points for San Benito.
The victory gives the first-place Balers a 4-0 record in Tri-County Athletic League play. The Balers have won 13 of their last 14 games.
The Balers host Alvarez at 7 p.m. Friday.
BOXSCORE:
SBHS –Â Â Â Â 2Â Â Â 13Â 12Â 12 – 39
Salinas – 14Â Â Â Â 9Â Â 6 Â Â Â 7 – 3
