The Haybaler basketball put together a solid second half against
visiting North Salinas on Tuesday night to win 58-39.
After matching North Salinas pretty much point for point in the
first half, the Balers went on a 33-16 run in the second.
Early in the game, the Balers had trouble getting any type of
momentum going against the speedy Viking crew that features one of
the fastest athletes in the state – Ronnie Drummer.
Drummer, who was fourth in the state in the 100-meter and second
in the 200-meter race, led North Salinas with eight points. The
Balers kept everyone out of the double digit category in
scoring.
The Haybaler basketball put together a solid second half against visiting North Salinas on Tuesday night to win 58-39.
After matching North Salinas pretty much point for point in the first half, the Balers went on a 33-16 run in the second.
Early in the game, the Balers had trouble getting any type of momentum going against the speedy Viking crew that features one of the fastest athletes in the state – Ronnie Drummer.
Drummer, who was fourth in the state in the 100-meter and second in the 200-meter race, led North Salinas with eight points. The Balers kept everyone out of the double digit category in scoring.
“We weren’t playing defense in the second half, and everyone was wanting to score,” said North Salinas coach Tim Kirkland, whose team is 12-8 and 1-2 in league. “We just shut down defensively. They got to understand that everyone can’t score 30 points.”
That was a concept that the Balers had no trouble understanding with a solid team effort overall.
“It was one of our best team wins of the season,” said Baler coach David Kaplansky. “They were having trouble getting off shots, and they never really got in sync the whole game. We showed a lot of character in the second half.”
The Baler guards handled the pressure well and made several good passes. Mike Moisa, who had a pair of three pointers in the first quarter, had several nice no-look passes to set up easy baskets inside to players like Kyle Sharp, who led all scorers with 16 points, and Anthony Butler, who had 14 points. Eric Davis and Vince Bautista also were solid on top for the Balers.
“They tried to put pressure on the ball, but we were able to get the ball down low,” Moisa said. “We needed that win to put us back in contention for the league title.”
Daniel Isaacson, who had nine points, was another recipient of the passing efforts by the Balers. He had a couple baskets off well executed plays and hit a key three pointer in the second half as well.
“We were able to execute in the second half and get some easy buckets,” Butler said. “We had a lot of good passes. Everyone was able to contribute.”
Darryl Baladad and Kevin Zanella kept the Balers in the game with their hustle and rebounding.
Sharp was a big reason for the Balers’ success in the third quarter. He had 10 of the team’s 16 points after being held to just a pair of field goals in the first quarter.
“They’re a good team and a league contender,” Kaplansky said. “As long as we keep getting on the passing lanes and keep attacking, we will be successful. It’s when we are on our heals and become attacked that we start to lose it.”
The Balers (13-6, 2-1 TCAL) play at Salinas on Thursday before facing Palma at home the following Tuesday in two important league matchups.
San Benito 14 11 16 17–58
North Salinas 12 11 8 8 –39
San Benito: Moisa 2 0-0 6, Davis 2 0-0 4, Bautista 1 0-0 2, Isaacson 4 0-0 9, D. Baladad 0 0-0 0, Sharp 6 4-8 16, Zanella 2 0-0 4, Butler 6 2-4 14, Whitely 0 1-2 1, Taylor 1 0-0 2. Totals 24 7-14 58.
North Salinas: Woo 1 4-6 6, Drummer 4 0-1 8, Johnson 2 1-1 5, Berlanga 0 1-2 1, Ramos 3 1-3 7, Towner 1 1-2 3, Petty 3 1-1 7, Perry 1 0-2 2. Totals 15 9-18 39.
Three pointers: SB Moisa (2), Isaacson.
