You know it’s coming. Now it’s a question of when. The San
Benito girls basketball team is slowly but surely gaining a
reputation for its all-out defensive play and ever-changing
looks
– from man to zone to trap to press, just to name a few.
You know it’s coming. Now it’s a question of when.
The San Benito girls basketball team is slowly but surely gaining a reputation for its all-out defensive play and ever-changing looks – from man to zone to trap to press, just to name a few.
Coach David Kaplansky will usually implement all of them at any given moment in a game, but trying to figure out when they’ll be utilized is what opposing teams must now deal with.
Here’s my guess: As soon as you feel comfortable on the offense end, expect a change in defensive scenery.
The squad’s full-court press, when implemented correctly, is practically worth the price of admission to see in action, and it appeared to jump start the heart rate of the visiting Oak Grove Eagles on Wednesday night.
The Lady ‘Balers forced 30 turnovers against Oak Grove, and scored 31 points off those turnovers. And they didn’t even use the full-court press until the third quarter.
Kaplansky instead decided to take a wait-and-see approach, knowing Oak Grove was unfamiliar with their style of play. He threw a man and a zone coverage at the Eagles in the first half, which subsequently led to 17 turnovers and 14 points, and then hit them with pressure.
The Lady ‘Balers are somehow making a defensive basketball game exciting.
San Benito’s full-court press can turn narrow leads into comfortable, sit-back-and-relax like margins where the pressure of a close ball game vanishes about as fast as you can say the word “Black.”
That’s the term used for the full-court press, and it hit Oak Grove Wednesday like a sack of bricks.
In the third, Oak Grove’s Deondra Perkins scored seven straight points to cut San Benito’s lead to 28-26 with 6:30 remaining. From my viewpoint in the stands, Oak Grove was getting comfortable with what they were seeing, but Kaplansky yelled “Black” for the full-court press, and that ended the Eagles’ run.
Fast forward to about two minutes left in the third, and San Benito’s two-point lead blossomed into a 46-26 sit-back-and-relax like margin.
At the beginning of the season, San Benito used the press right at the tip-off to jump out to quick leads. Now, they seem to be using the press rather stealthily, almost like an x-factor, waiting for the appropriate time to pounce.
Against Oak Grove, it was hook, line and sinker.
The Eagles are a legit team, as they were a Division I Central Coast Section qualifier last year, but San Benito will get a fair estimate as to where they truly stand next week at the Seaside Sweet 16 Tournament.
In attendance will be Notre Dame, Seaside, North Monterey County, North Salinas, Alisal, Buhach Colony (Atwater), Westmoor (Daly City), Orestimba (Newman), Aptos, Live Oak, Whittel (South Lake Tahoe, Nev.), Georgetown (Austin, Tex.), Harbor, Carmel and Scotts Valley.
Notre Dame will be near the top this season in the Tri-County Athletic League, North Salinas was at the top of the TCAL last season, Westmoor is ranked No. 9 in the latest poll from the San Jose Mercury News, and although I know nothing of Georgetown, I do know they didn’t come all the way from Texas to finish in last place.
A win over Scotts Valley on Wednesday will put San Benito up against the winner of North Salinas and Buhach Colony.
If we play Where Are They Now, the Lady ‘Balers won eight games out of 24 last season, while they’ve already won seven of nine this year.
-n Speaking of basketball, the boys team will play their first home game tonight. The Haybalers have already played 10 games this season, and will host Santa Cruz at 7 p.m. in Hollister.
Hopefully, playing in the confines of Mattson Gym will lend itself to another win against the 3-10 Cardinals.
So far, San Benito’s best win may have come last week when they beat Pacific Grove 70-53, a team some have pegged to take the Mission Trail Athletic League, while they nearly upset Watsonville last weekend, a team the Mercury News recently ranked No. 15 in the CCS.
After Friday’s contest, the ‘Balers will play in the Condor Christmas Classic at North Monterey County in Castroville. Teams attending include Carmel, North County, Soledad, Alvarez, Salinas, Chowchilla and San Lorenzo Valley, who San Benito will open with on Thursday at 6:30 p.m.
If we play Where Are They Now, the ‘Balers won eight games out of 26 last season, while they’ve already won six of 10 this year.
– The San Benito boys soccer match against Seaside was canceled Thursday after the visiting Spartans failed to show up. This, I’ve been told, happened last year.
‘Tis the season, I guess?
