San Benito Uses Late Comeback to Prevail 63-58 in TCAL
Thriller
Hollister – Free throws win ballgames. And not hitting them can certainly lose games for you.
The old adage and its ugly counterpart were on full display last night as the San Benito boys basketball outlasted Salinas to walk away with a 63-58 victory.
By knocking down a respectable 9-of-15 foul shots in the fourth quarter, the ‘Balers were able to prevail in this tight TCAL contest. Meanwhile, the visiting Cowboys, who entered the final period leading 45-42, shot a brutal 4-of-13 from the so-called charity stripe to fold down the stretch.
After Salinas built up a 39-29 lead early in the third quarter on the strength of a 14-0 run bridging halftime, San Benito was forced to play catch-up. The ‘Balers answered with a 12-3 spurt to tie the game at 42 when Kevin Burley found Marty Bueno for a three-pointer with 1:42 left in the period.
The back-and-forth nature of the game continued for the next five minutes, with San Benito (8-9, 3-2 TCAL) knotting the game four more times, but never being able to quite pull ahead of the Cowboys.
Once ‘Balers guard Vince Bautista shook off Salinas defender Armand McKinzie with a ball fake to drain a jumper with five minutes remaining, San Benito grabbed a 53-51 lead and never looked back.
“Our shots were falling today,” said Bautista, who had the hottest hand and led the ‘Balers with 18 points off the bench, including two three-pointers. “It all starts in practice. We make each other work in practice.”
If it was Bautista that kept his team in the game–the senior scored 13 of 18 San Benito points in one mid-game stretch–it was Dean Wilkins that anchored the fourth-quarter surge. The senior center was everywhere on the glass and in the lane, seemingly willing the ‘Balers to the victory.
Wilkins, who finished with 16 points and 12 rebounds, secured two offensive boards and eventually converted a put-back on one lengthy ‘Balers’ possession to give San Benito a 55-51 lead, but it was his efforts in the final minute that put his team over the top.
Salinas (8-11, 1-3 TCAL) pulled within 58-56 on a three-pointer by Zack Wallace with 46.2 seconds remaining, but the Cowboys’ star, who was fouled on the play, missed the ensuing free throw and Wilkins was there to collect the miss and get fouled. Wilkins’ two free throws put the game out of Salinas’ reach.
‘Balers head coach John Becerra was pleased his team has grown into a unit capable of controlling the final period.
“In the fourth quarter, we didn’t make the errors we’d made in the past,” said Becerra. “We held our composure. We held onto the ball instead of making bad passes.”
Meanwhile, Becerra’s Salinas counterpart spoke of the high-level of defense played throughout the game.
“Anytime either defense got set, it was tough to get a good shot,” said Cowboys head coach Joe Chappell. “It’s always tough to come here to play. It’s a good, tough league match-up.”
Nine different ‘Balers found the scoring column as San Benito received 27 points off the bench, compared to four by Salinas.
San Benito senior forward Daryl Baladad finished with eight points and seven rebounds, while Bueno contributed eight points and Bautista added three steals.
Wallace scored a game-high 24 points for Salinas, including four three-pointers, but was left shaking his head afterwards about his team’s woes from the line.
“If we had made our free throws, I think we would’ve had a good chance to win that game,” said Wallace.
Salinas finished 11-of-27 on its free throws, while San Benito knocked down 15-of-22 on the night.
On the heels of Tuesday’s 57-51 win at Sobrato, the victory propelled the ‘Balers to their first TCAL winning streak.
“It raises the spirits,” said San Benito sophomore Jamil Lee of the clutch win. “It raises everyone’s hopes, most of all. Confidence. Everybody’s calm, ready to go.”
The ‘Balers shoot for three in a row when they host Palma tomorrow at 2:00.
