Lady ‘Balers easily defeat Everett Alvarez Wednesday at home,
56-14
Hollister – Even on those cold nights when the offense struggles to warm-up at the start, the San Benito girls basketball team is able to rely on their defense.
That’s exactly what they did Wednesday in Hollister, where the Lady ‘Balers shot 25 percent (4 of 16) from the field in the first quarter, but forced eight turnovers on visiting Everett Alvarez to hold an 8-2 lead after eight minutes.
Once the offense was primed, though, San Benito shot 41 percent (17 of 41) for the remainder of the game, and easily cruised past the Eagles at Mattson Gym, 56-14.
It’s San Benito’s fourth win in a row, as they now hold a 4-0 record in the Tri-County Athletic League, and are suddenly one of two remaining undefeated teams in the league with Alisal.
Early on, though, it was the ‘Balers defense that kept them afloat. Although San Benito’s defense was forcing the Eagles to take difficult shots, coach David Kaplansky noted the squad’s lack of aggressiveness.
“I felt like we were playing really passive on defense,” Kaplansky said. “We were playing defense after they caught the ball … I felt like we weren’t anticipating passes.”
Alvarez, however, struggled to find their shot nonetheless. The Eagles shot just 9 percent (3 of 33) from the field, and didn’t pocket their first field goal until 17 seconds remaining in the first half.
After the opening stanza yielded only eight points for San Benito, though, the squad exploded in the second and third quarters. They forced 21 of Alvarez’ 35 turnovers in the two middle periods, and took an 8-2 lead and pushed it to a 48-9 blowout.
“I challenged their character and their passion for the game,” Kaplansky said. “The second half is the way we play … It seemed like it was contagious.”
One play that certainly stirred San Benito into action came after Elena Fata deflected an attempted pass by Alvarez.
The point guard hustled toward the sideline after her deflection, and slapped the ball back into play. As the ball rolled quickly down court, Kelsey Russell sprinted toward the Alvarez baseline to retrieve the loose ball just before it went out of bounds.
Russell then scooped it and found Lauren Ademek under the hoop, and the San Benito post-player banked in a jumper and drew the foul on the play.
Ademek hit the free-throw, and in one of the more gripping three-point plays this season, the lack of aggressiveness in San Benito at the start of the game clearly vanished.
“We ran the floor a lot harder,” Kaplansky said of the second half.
Vanessa Farias led San Benito with a game-high 14 points, and Ademek added 10 on the night. In total, 10 different scorers contributed for San Benito Wednesday.
Sarah Packwood scored 11 for Alvarez, which shot 70 percent (7 of 10) from the free-throw line.
San Benito was 37 percent (21 of 57) from the field, 57 percent (12 of 21) at the line.
The Lady ‘Balers (13-4) will look to remain perfect Friday at Alisal, which defeated North Salinas 51-49 last week. Tip-off is at 7 p.m.
Team 1 2 3 4 F
SB 8 15 25 8 56
EA 2 7 0 5 14
SB (56) – Aguilera 1-4 0-0 2, Ademek 4-6 2-4 10, Cabrera 0-1 2-4 2, Farias 6-14 0-0 14, Fata 3-9 3-6 9, Halstead 1-2 3-5 5, Guerrero 1-1 0-0 2, O’Brien 1-2 0-0 2, Romero 3-7 2-2 8, Zamani 1-3 0-0 2.
Three-point goals: Farias 2.
EA (14) – Madrid 0-6 1-2 1, Packwood 3-11 4-4 11, Urzua 0-4 2-2 2.
Three-point goals: Packwood 1.
JV Note:
The San Benito junior varsity girls basketball team rebounded with a 52-12 victory over Everett Alvarez Wednesday at Mattson Gym in Hollister.
“The nice thing about it was that we played good team ball,” coach Karen Fortino said. “Every single person that played on our team tonight scored. It was a very good team effort.”
Melisah Cortez and Arielle Rianda led San Benito with 10 points, and Kim Warner supplied the Lady ‘Balers with eight.
San Benito will head to Salinas Friday night to take on Alisal. Tip-off is at 5:30 p.m.
Frosh Note:
The San Benito freshmen girls basketball team also bounced back with a win Wednesday when they defeated Everett Alvarez 51-19 at Mattson Gym in Hollister.
“The press at the beginning of the game was smothering,” coach Tom Dean said. “All the girls played very well on both sides of the ball.”
San Benito forced 25 steals and dished off a total of 10 assists on the night. Mari Vallejo had 19 points, seven boards, four assists and four steals for the Haybalers, while Erin Glasspool added 11 points and seven steals. Jeanett Rodriguez and Jessica Vest supplied six and four steals, respectively.
San Benito (16-2, 3-1 TCAL) will play at Alisal Friday. Tip-off is at 4 p.m.
