Entering the fourth quarter down by three points, San Benito's Jordan Belton looked to pull the Balers closer with the first possession of the final quarter. But a couple of bad Baler passes and turnovers later, the Balers dug themselves into a hole they couldn't recover from.
Both the Gilroy High and San Benito boys soccer teams entered Wednesday's must-win match with the feeling that there was more to be done after a 1-1 draw in the teams' first encounter.
Basketball is a game of runs, and Friday night, Palma's one run was enough to hold off San Benito 52-44 in a battle for sole possession of first place in the Tri-County Athletic League.
After going into halftime with a slim three-point lead over Gilroy, San Benito head coach David Kaplansky knew his team needed to change their style of play.
A week that started with a rousing 19-point comeback ended in the worst-possible fashion for the boys basketball team Friday. A nearly scoreless second quarter against Alvarez doomed the Balers, leading the way for the Balers' first league loss of the season.
Over the past few years, the San Benito girls soccer team has been about experience and strength. But with graduation purging its roster of its greatest tools, head coach Ben Alvarez needed to come into the new year looking in a new direction.