The San Benito boys basketball team couldn’t have started the 2012 Palma Luis A. Scattini Memorial Tournament any better. The Balers raced out to a 22 point lead and held on to defeat Santa Cruz 53-48 Thursday to advance to the tournament’s second round.
The Balers (8-1) advance to play St. Mary’s (8-2) at 6:45 p.m. Friday.
Behind Jacob Tonascia’s 15 points, San Benito got off to the fast start.
“We got off to a great start,” SBHS head coach David Kaplansky said. “The gameplan was executed perfectly. But it was a tale of two halves.”
The Balers fed Tonascia in the post, as the Baler center scored most of his points in the game’s first 16 minutes.
The second half, though, was a different story. With more pressure from Santa Cruz, San Benito struggled to get the same open looks as the Cardinals made a second-half run. Outscoring the Balers by 17 points, Santa Cruz pulled within three points.
“We knew Santa Cruz would go on a run,” Kaplansky said, “We just didn’t know when it would happen. But we played so well in the first half, that’s why we won.”
San Benito held off the Cardinals because of Michael Breen’s fourth quarter. Breen finished with 15 points, but was strong in the game’s final moments, Kaplansky said.
“Michael’s play was the reason why we won,” Kaplansky said. “He did a great job. He was really feeling it.”
Monterey Bay League opponents Alvarez (87-87 win over Davis) and Palma (91-47 win over Burton) also advanced to the second round Thursday. The two teams play each other at 8:15 p.m. Friday.
