West Valley defeats Gavilan Wednesday 62-58
Gilroy – It was another game of what-ifs for the Gavilan men’s basketball, as the Rams lost for the second time in three conference games by a combined five points.
Gavilan had its chances Wednesday in the 62-58 loss to visiting West Valley but wasn’t able to capitalize.
“We need to focus on the details of the game,” Gavilan coach Tito Addison said. “We don’t have super athletes, so we have to pay attention to details. That is what hurt us tonight.”
With the game tied at 57 with 50.5 seconds remaining, West Valley called a timeout but was unable to get a shot off. Gavilan countered with a timeout of its own with 26.5 seconds left to try and get off a set play.
Scott Benson, who had nine points, was able to get a shot off under the rim but couldn’t get it to fall, and Jessie LoBue ended up picking up an offensive foul, his fifth, in the scrum for the loose ball.
“We knew they were going to trap,” Addison said. “We got a play off, but we just missed the shot. It was a matter of inches.”
West Valley made both its free throws, and Gavilan’s John Williams was called for a charge, his fifth. After Gavilan was forced to foul, the Vikings again drained both free throws.
Addison said his team needs to do the little things like not giving up the offensive rebounds on free throws like they did in the first half.
“We had plenty of chances,” Addison said. “We’re two or three plays away each half from turning these games in our favor. At this level, the motivation thing is tough to do. Being consistent is tough to do. Our job as coaches is to get them ready to play.”
The Rams (7-15, 1-2 Coast Conference) fell behind early in the game but quickly recovered against West Valley (9-12, 1-1 CC), and it was back and forth the rest of the game, with neither team gaining a significant advantage. The game was tied 29-29 at the half.
With 3:40 left in the game, Gavilan took a 54-50 lead as Williams found Ben Chambliss, who had six points, under the basket on an alley-oop.
LoBue led all scorers with 24 points, including four 3-pointers. Williams had 11.
Gavilan will be at De Anza on Wednesday. Tip-off is at 7 p.m.
