Two Hollister National Junior Basketball Division I boys’ teams
met in the championship game of the Silicon Valley south division
postseason tournament last Sunday, with the winner advancing to a
showdown with the northern division champion this weekend.
SAN JOSE
Two Hollister National Junior Basketball Division I boys’ teams met in the championship game of the Silicon Valley south division postseason tournament last Sunday, with the winner advancing to a showdown with the northern division champion this weekend.
Hollister Team 2, coached by Adam Breen, faced Adrian Valdez’s Hollister Team 4, in a game that pitted two 10-1 teams against each other in their second meeting of the year. Team 4 handed Team 2 its only loss of the year on Jan. 3 — a 42-38 contest. Both teams are made up of local seventh- and eighth-graders.
The teams were knotted at 12-12 after the first period at Los Gatos High School, with Team 2 extending its lead to 27-19 at halftime behind 10 second-quarter points from Andrew Breen.
Team 4 came out strong in the third period, quickly erasing the deficit and taking the lead behind four points from Wesley Don Juan, five points from Hyram Miskin and a bucket by Chris Manderson. Team 2 mounted a comeback and the teams were tied at 30-all entering the fourth period.
During that period, Team 2’s Greg Steinbeck, who finished with 10 points, hit two 3-pointers and a free throw, Tommy Hernandez scored three points and Michael Marler hit a 3. However, Team 4 had six buckets and two free throws to take a 44-43 lead entering the fifth period.
In the decisive period, the teams traded baskets throughout, with Team 4 getting six points from Miskin and two points each from Don Juan and Connor Fabing. Team 2 got five points from Hernandez, who finished with 13; the fourth 3-pointer of the game from Breen, who had a game-high 19 points; and six points from Damien Botelho, including the deciding layup that put Team 2 up for good in its 57-54 victory.
Miskin led Team 4 with 13 points.
Hollister Team 2 is slated to play the NJB Silicon Valley Northern Division champion on Sunday at a place and time to be announced.
