The San Benito girls basketball team was without one of its top
players Wednesday evening but was still able to defeat Independence
52-47 in the second round of the Oak Grove Tournament.
Trisha Lee was out with the flu, but the team stepped up and
played well in her absence, said Baler coach Tom Dean.
The win puts San Benito (6-1) in the semifinals Friday against
CCS 9th ranked Palo Alto at 6:30 p.m.
The San Benito girls basketball team was without one of its top players Wednesday evening but was still able to defeat Independence 52-47 in the second round of the Oak Grove Tournament.
Trisha Lee was out with the flu, but the team stepped up and played well in her absence, said Baler coach Tom Dean.
The win puts San Benito (6-1) in the semifinals Friday against CCS 9th ranked Palo Alto at 6:30 p.m.
The Balers were 20 for 31 (65 percent) from the field and 12 for 22 (55 percent) at the free-throw line. The team also pulled in 32 rebounds. The Balers did have 29 turnovers – most of then coming in the fourth quarter.
“We had 15 assists in the game,” Dean said. “We are playing team ball right now. We were very relaxed, and the game flowed smoothly in the second and third quarters.”
Jaime Hall had a career night, going 8 for 9 from the field and 2 for 2 at the free-throw line for 18 points.
Dani Andrewson was 2 for 3 from the floor and was 4 for 6 at the free-throw line to score eight points. Mallorie Wilson also had eight points for the Balers.
Ashley Patton had six points and four steals. Cortney Almaguer had four points. And Jennifer Anaya, Jaime Flores, Johni Kieswetter and Andee Walton each had two.
Christina Osborne and Kristina Leal both had good games on defense on the perimeter, keeping Independence’s outside shooters off balance.
The Balers had a 10-2 run to close out the first half. And San Benito had an 18-9 third quarter to go up by 19 points.
“We got a little sloppy with the ball in the fourth quarter, and they moved up to within five points,” Dean said. “But we hit free throws again late in the game to put it away.”
The Balers will have a tough task against Palo Alto.
“They have two very good guards and a forward who are popping in 35 to 45 points a game,” Dean said. “They pass and move the ball very well. It will be a challenge to see if we can play against a ranked team. Who knows, maybe we might get somebody’s attention if we win.”
San Benito 10 16 18 8 –– 52
Independence 6 10 9 22 –– 47
