Gavilan hits 13 3-pointers in 81-78 victory
By the end of the season, Gavilan men’s basketball coach Tito Addison may need to start teaching Conditioning 101.
Just two days removed from their one-point overtime loss to Cabrillo College in the Coast Conference opener last Wednesday – which was a tough 65-64 defeat to a team that finished tied for first place in the league last year – the Rams returned to the floor Friday at Monterey Peninsula College, and may have opened some eyes along the way.
Gavilan’s John Williams scored 29 points and the Rams nailed 13 3-pointers en route to an 81-78 double-overtime victory at MPC, and looked as fresh and energetic at the end of 50 minutes of basketball as they did at the opening tip-off.
The squad now sits 1-1 in the league, 7-14 overall.
“This was a big win for us,” said Addison, who added that his team’s record is deceiving as six of the 14 losses are by a combined 15 points. “For one, it was a road win. They are mentally tough like that … in this kind of fashion on the road.3
“We’re gearing ourselves up for the conference where are now.”
And the conference may need to begin gearing up for Gavilan, a team that finished 6-21 last season and last place in the Coast Conference at 2-10.
“We’re not sneaking up on anyone, especially with the one-point loss to Cabrillo,” Addison said. “The message we’re sending is that we’re going to be a tough time out.”
Williams’ 29 points came on 7 of 17 shooting, 12 of 15 from the line, while Gavilan’s prowess from behind the arc seemed to come at rather opportune times.
Micah Jones hit a clutch trey off an inbounds pass at the end of regulation to send the game to the first overtime, while Williams did the same, hitting a 3-pointer off a high screen to send the game to its second overtime.
In the second extra period, two more 3’s by Williams and Luke Murrell gave the Rams a slight cushion, but one they would be able to protect from the free-throw line. At the charity stripe, Gavilan made 6 of 6 free throws in the second overtime, 16 of 22 in the game.
“The message we’re sending is that we’re not that automatic win anymore,” Addison said. “We’re gonna try and win this conference.”
With a healthy Williams, who is a sophomore from Oak Grove, the Rams have a chance. The 6-foot-2 guard is only in his second game back after injuring his thumb earlier this season. Said Addison, “He’s our engine.”
Williams led Gavilan with 13 in the first half and pushed the Rams out ahead with a 38-27 lead at the break. More importantly, MPC’s James Sandoval, who entered the game as the league’s leading scorer (18.3 ppg), was held to just four first-half points after getting into foul trouble early.
Addison said the game plan going in was to force Sandoval to take shots he wouldn’t normally take, and the coach added that Gavilan’s Jessie LoBue did a great job defending MPC’s go-to guy in the first half.
Sandoval, though, poured in 19 points in the second half and MPC came roaring back, and eventually reclaimed the lead with a little over one minute remaining in regulation.
The story of the night for MPC, however, came at the free-throw line. Although the home team did manage to close the 11-point halftime deficit and send the game to extras, they shot 18 of 31 from the line on the night.
Gavilan shot 41 percent (26 of 63) from the field, while MPC shot slightly better at 48 percent (28 of 58). MPC, however, lost the turnover battle 28-24.
Stephen Vargas was the second leading scorer for Gavilan on the night with 13 points, while Murrell added 12 for the Rams. Jermaine Carter helped bring MPC back into the game in the second half, where he scored 20 of his 22 points.
Gavilan will host West Valley College Wednesday in Gilroy. Tip-off is at 7 p.m.
Team 1 2 1OT 2OT F
GAV 38 23 6 14 81
MPC 27 34 6 11 78
GAV (81) – Chambliss 1-3 2-2 4, Murrell 4-8 0-1 12, Vargas 5-8 0-0 13, Jones 2-5 0-0 6, Williams 7-17 12-15 29, Wortham 2-7 1-2 5, LoBue 4-11 0-0 9, Benson 1-2 1-2 3.
Three-point goals: Murrell 4, Vargas 3, Jones 2, Williams 3, LoBue 1.
