Eric Elayda’s lay-up with 14 seconds to spare in the fourth
quarter capped another exhilarating nail-biter between the two
rivals and sent San Benito past Gilroy 70-69 in another
edge-of-your-seat TCAL battle Wednesday night in Gilroy.
GILROY
It has become second nature to assume anything can happen when the Gilroy and San Benito boys basketball teams get together.
Not surprisingly, the latest installment of the storied rivalry had more twists and turns than a game of Chutes and Ladders.
An 18-point Balers’ halftime lead shrunk to 10 by the end of the third and disappeared by the 1:46 mark of the final period.
Gilroy’s Cameron Yawary and San Benito’s Eric Elayda, two players who had six points apiece entering the fourth, combined for a whopping 30 points over the final foul-heavy eight minutes.
But it was Elayda who ultimately dealt the knockout blow.
The senior’s lay-up with 14 seconds to spare in the fourth quarter capped another exhilarating nail-biter between the two rivals and sent San Benito past Gilroy 70-69 in edge-of-your-seat Tri-County Athletic League goodness Wednesday night in Gilroy.
“I just took it, I had a feeling,” Elayda said of his game-winner. “It’s the biggest win of the season.”
With both teams jockeying for postseason positioning, Wednesday’s showdown carried significant playoff implications. The Balers’ (11-9, 6-2 TCAL) victory gives them sole possession of second place in the TCAL as well as a season sweep of the Mustangs.
“It’s a great win,” San Benito head coach Tracy Carpenter said. “For seeding purposes, it’s huge. I’m just really proud of my players.”
Elayda’s bucket came on the heels of a Yawary lay-up at the other end which propelled Gilroy to a 69-68 advantage with 20 seconds to go.
The Mustangs (12-8, 5-3 TCAL) had an opportunity to win it, but a last-second Yawary 3-point attempt from straight away ticked off of the right edge of the rim as the buzzer sounded.
“You dig yourself that hole and then you play so hard to come back and lose by one is what makes it so frustrating,” GHS head coach Matt Tait said.
Yawary posted 19 of his game-high 25 points, including nine from the free-throw line in the fourth quarter, as he and the Mustangs stormed back after looking all but dead in the water following a sluggish first half.
Yawary’s persistence in getting to the hoop landed the Balers in serious foul trouble, as both starting guards — Tyler Rickard and Jordan Belton, who had 12 points on the night — fouled out 45 seconds apart, with 3:15 still remaining in the fourth.
“The key to (Gilroy) getting back into it was the foul trouble,” Carpenter said. “We had a sophomore guarding Yawary at the end and we were just crossing our fingers. For us to pull it out is amazing.”
A pair of Yawary free throws knotted matters at 60-all with 2:22 to play. But the Balers regained the lead on an Elayda lay-up in transition. Dietrich Baumgartner stroked a clean 3-pointer on the Mustangs’ next trip down the floor, which ignited a mini run and a GHS 67-63 lead with one minute left.
Though Elayda’s final two points of the evening sealed the triumph, his circus-esque three-point play some 30 seconds earlier coincided with a 5-0 run to recapture a one-point lead, 68-67. Elayda hoisted an off-balance jumper — while being fouled — that somehow found nylon.
“I was mad and just trying to get it in, and it fell in,” said Elayda, who scored the Balers’ final seven points to seal the victory.
Rickard and Cooper Sepulveda each registered nine points while Ryan Di Salvo chipped in 10 points for the Balers. Baumgartner finished with eight points and Cameron Harrell had 10 points on the Mustangs’ side.
“A one-point loss is the worst,” said GHS guard Connor Ross, who had 12 points. “You just have to shake it off and keep working toward the playoffs.”
The hectic fourth quarter overshadowed a lopsided first half in favor of the Balers, who could do little wrong during the first 16 minutes.
While the Mustangs struggled in nearly every facet, including 8 of 28 from the floor, the Balers came out on fire, knocking down 14 of 26 with five 3-pointers mixed in.
“The lack of competitiveness and heart was frustrating,” Tait said of his team’s flat first half.
A Belton floater at the first-quarter horn gave San Benito a 16-10 lead into the second. That margin quickly ballooned as the Balers sprinted to a 41-23 halftime cushion.
“Really, we won it with our first-half play to get that far ahead,” Carpenter said. “If we played average we would’ve been done.”
A second-half team for a majority of the year, the Mustangs came to life in the third quarter, doubling up the Balers 16-8 behind a resurgent Chima Ikeme, who began to demonstrate a presence down low. Ikeme’s seven third-quarter points lifted GHS to a workable 49-39 deficit.
“You got to keep doing what you do and the more pressure you put on (San Benito) the worse it’ll be for them,” Tait said. “We know we go on runs. We can be down whatever, I know we will go on a run. Even if it’s one that doesn’t give you the lead, it will be a run to get you close at the end. But when you get to the end, you have to execute. You can’t give up lay-ups with 14 seconds left.”
Wednesday’s game gives the Balers a slight edge in the standings. However, four games remain on both teams’ schedules and it still could come down to three teams — Palma included — fighting for the valuable second spot behind Salinas High.
The Balers’ big week continues with a home date against Palma on Friday, while the Mustangs head to North Salinas.
