Elite All-Net team goes 16-1, will head south for nationals
HOLLISTER
National Junior Basketball’s Hollister Elite won the Silicon Valley NJB sectional tournament on Sunday with a 64-55 victory against Redwood City, and will advance to the national tournament in Los Angeles later this month as a result.
The Elite, which are an All-Net Level I team made up of Hollister sixth-graders, will vye for a national title when the tournament kicks off on March 26. They are the first-ever Level I team in Hollister.
Entering the sectional tournament as the No. 1 seed, Hollister advanced all the way to the tournament championship against No. 2-seeded Redwood City, a team they had previously defeated twice before.
Sunday’s nine-point win at Valley Christian High in San Jose not only provided the Elite with a third straight win over Redwood City this season, but improved Hollister to 16-1 overall.
Coached by Joel Anderson and Steve Gularte, the team is made up of players Will Gularte, Canyon Anderson, Carter Aldrete, Wyatt Maker, Jack Brusa, Josh Keselica and Andrew Sotelo.
The team was sponsored by Earthbound Farms, K & S Properties and Realty, Ocean Mist Farms, Basketball Jones Hoop Camps, Logo Locker Sports and G & M Auto, while the Elite gave a special thanks to Gene Cotter of Basketball Jones Hoops Camps for his dedication to youth basketball in the area.
NJB Eighth-Grade Boys
Also heading south at the end of the month will be the Hollister NJB eighth-grade boys’ all-stars, who won the Silicon Valley sectional title on Saturday as well and earned a berth in the Mikasa All-Star National Tournament in Southern California on March 27-28.
Hollister, which will be sending an all-star team to the national tournament for the second straight year, beat Gilroy 49-39 and Willow Glen 73-56 to earn the title at Fisher Middle School in Los Gatos.
Against Gilroy, Hollister got off to a relatively slow start, trailing 11-8 after the first quarter and 23-21 at the half. In the third quarter, Hollister outscored Gilroy 11-4 to take a five-point lead into the fourth, when it pulled away for the 10-point victory.
Hollister, coached by Mike Miguel and Adam Breen, had eight of its 10 players score in the game, including nine points by Wesley Don Juan, eight each from Damien Botelho, Chris Soto and Hyram Miskin, seven by Jared Penzo, six by Andrew Breen, a bucket by Mason Miguel and a free throw by R.J. Collins.
In the championship game against Willow Glen later that day, Hollister relied on a full-court zone press and the inside scoring of Soto to keep their opponent at bay.
Hollister raced to a 15-9 lead in the first quarter, as Tony Diaz scored three of his eight points and Soto began a scoring rampage with seven points. Hollister led 35-27 at half and 52-44 after three as Soto deposited 33 points in the paint to maintain the cushion.
A 21-12 run in the fourth quarter sealed the championship for Hollister. In that game, Don Juan scored eight points, Miskin and Breen had six each, Penzo scored four and Botelho had three.
NJB Fifth- and Sixth-Grade Girls
Meanwhile, a pair of Hollister NJB teams met up in the Division II championship for the girls, where Hollister Team 2 defeated Hollister Team 1 37-23.
Team 2 was awarded four points at the start of the game because Team 1 had less players (league rules), and managed to blossom the early lead into a 14-point victory.
Kirsten Pina led Team 2 with nine points, six of which came in the second quarter, while teammate Madisyn Gutierrez-Urban added seven points. Coached by Marlene Villegas, Lalo Villegas and Wes Finley, Hollister Team 2 received great defense from Suzy Brookshire, Marisa Villegas and Barbara Jayda Botelho.
Hollister Team 2 finished with a 12-0 record.
Heat Kick-Off 2010 Season
The Hollister Heat girls fastpitch league held its Opening Ceremonies on March 5 at Veterans Memorial Park in Hollister.
The event drew close to 1,000 people with players, coaches and family members in attendance. The event was kicked off by the presentation of the flag by the San Benito County Sheriff’s Office Honor Guard.
Hollister Heat player Valerie Garcia then sung the National Anthem in front of the Heat players, board of directors and family members in attendance.
“It was a really special event to have one of our own players, in a Hollister Heat uniform, sing our National Anthem,” Heat Vice President George Ramirez said. “She sang beautifully.”
Ramirez also said a large number of players signed up this season, resulting in 300 girls registered for 28 teams in five different divisions, with players ranging from 5 to 15 years old.
“Our numbers are indicative of great community support,” Ramirez said. “Not only do we have sponsors for all teams, we also have coaches who have stepped up to do their part. Our league is as strong, if not stronger, than it has ever been.”
San Benito County Sheriff Curtis Hill was selected to throw out the ceremonial first pitch to catcher Katie Ramirez.
