The San Benito girls basketball team moved into a tie with Seaside for third place in the Monterey Bay League’s Gabilan Division on Tuesday, defeating the Spartans 52-47 in Hollister.
During senior night, the Balers overcame a five-point half time lead to rally past the Spartans over the final two quarters. In the game, the Balers also got a lift by the return Kim Sparrer, who missed nearly two months because of an ankle injury.
Using a zone defense, the Balers limited the Spartan chances on the offensive end and created easy opportunities on the other end.
“I don’t know if it made the difference, but it helped us out,” SBHS head coach Mitch Burley said.
Sophomore Denise Martinez finished with a game-high 18 points for the Balers. Ellie Burley contributed 12 points and Elizabeth Reikowski added nine points in the victory.
With the victory the Balers are now 6-4 in the MBL – good for third place behind North Salinas and Christopher. After already qualifying for the Central Coast Section playoffs, if the Balers finish in the top three of the MBL, they will receive an automatic berth in the playoffs.
“That’s our goal right now,” Burley said. “If we can win at least one of next couple of games we should be good.”
San Benito finishes its regular season with a pair of road games against Notre Dame and North Salinas. The Balers travel to the Spirits’ home at 7 p.m. Thursday.
