The Hollister High boys basketball team took one step closer to
the title game of the Independence Tournament when it toppled Santa
Teresa 55-45 Wednesday in first-round action.
The Hollister High boys basketball team took one step closer to the title game of the Independence Tournament when it toppled Santa Teresa 55-45 Wednesday in first-round action.
Kyle Sharp led the Balers with 14 points, while Anthony Butler had 13. Broc Sondgroth had eight points with Kevin Zanella adding six points off the bench.
“Kevin has come in and played good post defense,” said Baler head coach David Kaplansky. “And Butler had a nice game in the post.”
The Balers are 4-1 and play Wednesday night’s Fremont-North County winner tonight at 7 p.m. A victory would put them in Friday’s championship contest at 8;30 p.m.
“I left at halftime,” said Kaplansky of his Firebirds-Condors scout. “It was a good game.”
Kaplansky certainly had a lot of respect for the Saints.
“They were feisty,” said Kaplansky. “They ran a small lineup and pressured us for 32 minutes. We were able to get some layups. We only took one three-point shot. That was a big win for us. The kids are young, but are playing great.”
Independence, Alvarez, Mt. Pleasant and Irvington (Fremont) round out the field.
Girls soccer
The Balers crushed visiting North County 9-3 Wednesday as the Jennifer and Jennifer Show kept on ticking. Jennifer Rose Vandenberg tallied five goals and Jenny Maheu booted in four.
Vandenberg has an astonishing 32 goals for the early season, while Maheu has a hefty 22.
“We came out strong,” said Baler head coach Michael Schurig. “We made a couple of mistakes on defense, but we’re working on tightening those mistakes up. Our midfield is really playing well.”
The Balers (7-3-1) will not take part in a scheduled Tri-County Athletic League jamboree on Saturday, which was to be hosted by Live Oak.
“I haven’t heard anything,” said Schurig. “Nobody seems to know what’s going on. We’re not going.”
That means the next match is Tuesday vs. Seaside.
Junior varsity: Balers 1, North County 0. Melissa Lewis tallied the Hollister goal.
Baler bit: The Balers are playing varsity home matches behind the softball fields, while the junior varsity is on what has been the standard varsity pitch, adjacent to the San Benito Street parking lot. During league season, the Balers will be using the football field.
