Boys’ basketball held up by 3-pointers
Alvarez wing Preston Juarez sunk six 3-pointers and the Eagles
simply soared from behind the 3-point arc Tuesday, connecting on 10
treys total en route to a 69-53 league-opening victory over the San
Benito boys’ basketball team in Hollister.
Juarez finished with 18 points.
Boys’ basketball held up by 3-pointers
Alvarez wing Preston Juarez sunk six 3-pointers and the Eagles simply soared from behind the 3-point arc Tuesday, connecting on 10 treys total en route to a 69-53 league-opening victory over the San Benito boys’ basketball team in Hollister.
Juarez finished with 18 points.
“They did a whole bunch right,” San Benito head coach John Becerra said. “I thought we controlled [Juarez] in the first half. But in the second half, he just came out and fired off.”
If it weren’t for the 30 points off 3-pointers Alvarez made, many of which were contested shots, it would have been a far different outcome.
San Benito’s Tyler Rickard scored 17 points, 10 of which came in the first quarter.
San Benito jumped out to a 13-5 lead in the first four minutes of regulation, but the Eagles hit four 3-pointers to close out the first quarter and cut the deficit to 21-19 after one period.
It was the second and third quarters where Alvarez did their damage, however, as they outscored the Balers 32-15 in those two periods alone.
Dominic Zanella had 10 points for San Benito, which falls to 0-1 in the TCAL, 8-7 overall. The Balers, which finished runner-up to Salinas last week at the Condor Christmas Classic, also lost to Santa Cruz last Saturday, 52-50.
San Benito boys’ soccer
Having not played a game in nearly a month, the shorthanded San Benito boys soccer team was unable to start 2009 fresh on Tuesday when it lost to the defending league champion Alisal Trojans 4-0 in Hollister.
Sans four starters, including two forwards, a mid and a goalie – all were on vacation, San Benito head coach Ramiro Ramos said – the Haybalers couldn’t keep pace with the Trojans early on and fell behind late when Alisal pocketed three second-half scores.
Ramos added that his San Benito squad, which hadn’t played since a 5-1 defeat to Palma on Dec. 11, started strong, applying a couple of high-percentage shots on net.
San Benito falls to 0-2 in the TCAL, 3-6 overall at press time. They played at North Salinas on Thursday, although that match took place after The Pinnacle’s press time.
San Benito girls’ basketball
With an offense highlighted by four players dropping double-digit point totals and a defense that held a high-scoring team to single digits in the first half, the San Benito girls basketball team delivered perhaps its biggest win of the early season last Wednesday when it routed Evergreen Valley 66-37 in the championship final of the Dons Club Holiday Tournament in Campbell.
The victory finalized a four-game slate through the Del Mar High tournament, which included a 64-9 win over Branham, a 50-24 victory against Westmont, a 45-29 triumph over Prospect, and Wednesday night’s wallop against a team that was expected to be in the CCS Division I title game later this season.
San Benito played its league opener at Everett Alvarez on Wednesday, although that game took place after The Pinnacle’s press time.
San Benito wrestling
Led by a second-place finish from 119-pound Junior Davila, the San Benito wrestling team took fifth place out of 66 teams at The Bash tournament in Clovis East last week, edging out Red Bluff by three and a half points for the top-five standing.
Northview High took the tournament championship with 231 points, beating second-place finisher Clovis East (221) by 10 points.
Davila fared the best for the Balers, finishing runner-up at 119 pounds, while Enrique Lucatero at 171 took third. Josh Ramirez battled back through the consolation bracket as well to take fifth place, and Steven Borba (140 pounds) was seventh.
