Largely due to turnovers, the San Benito girls basketball team’s improbable run to the Central Coast Section title game ended Saturday with a 47-24 loss to Gunn.
Despite strong defense – the Balers allowed only eight first quarter points – the team’s offense could never find its footing. The San Benito team took just three shots in the first quarter – finishing with one point – and turned the ball over on nearly every possession. Its youthful roster struggled, combining for 30 turnovers in the game.
“They’ve never been in a game like this and it showed,” Balers head coach Mitch Burley said. “I think the moment was just too big for them. They weren’t relaxed. They weren’t in their rhythm. I told them at halftime that’s the learning experience. Hopefully they can grow from this whether you’re doing it in college or next year when you’re playing here. They will be more ready for it.”
It was obvious from the opening tip-off that they would have issues on offense. Gunn, which used a physical full-court defensive approach, clamped down on the Balers. San Benito’s first five possessions ended in turnovers without the Balers mustering a shot.
“They are better than us,” Burley said. “They are bigger, stronger and more physical. They’ve been through this several times. Their league is really strong. Every game is like this.”
The Balers didn’t score their first field goal until less than two minutes were left in the half. Overall, San Benito mustered just five first-half points.
“We couldn’t get a shot,” Burley said. “This is a game of skill and you have to have the skill and strength to get a shot and we just didn’t have that against them and that’s to their credit.”
Guard Anjelica Collins was the only Baler to find success early, scoring all five of the team’s first-half points. But Gunn had stretched its lead to 22-1 by that point.
San Benito finally found some offense in the third quarter, but it was too little, too late. Led by two 3-pointers from Taylor Fabing and one by Ellie Burley, San Benito pulled within 14 at 33-19. Gunn, though, once again pulled away.
“It was more their pressure defense,” Burley said. “It was a lot of hands. They just swarmed us as a group – all five of them.”
Fabing ended with a team-high nine points. Collins scored eight for San Benito in the loss.
It was the second time in four years the Balers were defeated by Gunn in the CCS tournament.
The loss was visibly frustrating for the Balers, but it didn’t put a damper on the team’s extremely successful season, which saw them start 4-6 before making a second half run, Burley said.
“I was very proud of them,” he said. “I wanted them to fight a little bit. Taylor made a couple of threes. Ellie got a jumper. It was 33-19 and we had a game a little bit. I had a timeout right then and told them ‘we are probably not going to win but we are seeing what it takes to compete. That’s what they learned and they are a young team.”
The Balers will lose three fifths of its starting lineup next year, but they will bring back leading scorer Denise Martinez and point guard Anjelica Collins, both sophomores, next year.
“I think it’s great,” Burley said. “Our two guards will be back for two more years. The kids from JV were brought up and got some experience from this. They all played today. That will only benefit us next year so I’m looking forward to it.”
San Benito’s season, though, will have at least one more game 7 p.m. Wednesday against Heritage High School in Brentwood. Look online for an update.
