Despite 15 points from sophomore Denise Martinez, the San Benito girls basketball team dropped to 4-5 with a 58-41 loss to Soquel in Hollister on Tuesday.
The Balers fell behind 9-3 to Soquel early and could never recover as the Knights’ Madison Rocha finished with a game-high 18 points. The Balers struggled to find open shots against the tough Knight defense.
In the first quarter, only Martinez could make a shot from the field, as Ellie Burley and Taylor Fabing struggled.
Burley finished with nine points – five coming in the third quarter – and Fabing finished with four points – hitting only one 3-pointer.
But it was the third quarter when Soquel truly pulled away. With a 10 point halftime lead, Soquel scored 24 points in the third. Rocha scored eight of her 18 points in the quarter.
“That team will probably win our league,” SBHS head coach Mitch Burley said. “They are a really good team. They are well organized and they’ve played a lot together.”
The Balers season continues at 1:30 p.m. Dec. 27 against Santa Teresa in the first game of the Del Mar Tournament.
Look for more in Friday’s Free Lance.
AHS girls basketball
The Hawks moved to 4-2 on the season Monday, losing 66-27 to Monte Vista Christian.
In the loss, Tera Reed scored a team-high 17 points for Anzar. Megan Carvalho added four points for Anzar. Five Hawks scored in the game.
