After the San Benito girls basketball team routed King City
56-31 in only their second game of the season back on Dec. 1, I
turned to our photographer and said, ‘I think the girls basketball
team is gonna be legit this year.’
Fast-forward some four months later, and I’m nominating myself
for understatement of the year.
After the San Benito girls basketball team routed King City 56-31 in only their second game of the season back on Dec. 1, I turned to our photographer and said, ‘I think the girls basketball team is gonna be legit this year.’
Fast-forward some four months later, and I’m nominating myself for understatement of the year.
To use the word ‘legit’ – which the kids know is short for legitimate – was practically insulting when it was all said and done.
The Lady ‘Balers increased their win total from last year by 300 percent. They took the Tri-County Athletic League by storm, the Central Coast Section by tornado, and even the city of Hollister by hurricane with their blindsided, out-of-nowhere run from Soledad (their first game) to Berkeley (their last).
Legit indeed.
I saw special announcements made at city meetings, casual fans during the year turn into Joe Haybaler come playoff-time, heck, even this particular sports section came to somewhat of a halt last week when I traveled to Berkeley to cover the team’s NorCal regional semifinal game, leaving a full slate of Thursday sports uncovered (Once again, I apologize).
In case you weren’t there, Berkeley won 50-38 at their own gymnasium – a gymnasium that was approximately 2-to-1 in favor of San Benito.
With the amount of shockers and surprises San Benito has delivered this season, it’s tough not to think that if given another chance, the Lady ‘Balers would be able to pull the upset.
Neither team shot particularly well from the field, with San Benito at 26 percent (12 of 47) and Berkeley at 29 percent (19 of 66), and the turnovers were pretty much a wash, too (Berkeley committed 27 turnovers to San Benito’s 25).
One of the few significant differences between the two teams was offensive rebounding. Although I did not keep stats for that category, the fact that the Yellowjackets had 19 more shots should say something.
Would it happen again if they played again? Maybe.
But with 19 more shots and only a 12-point differential in the end should also show how close the game actually was, and how much of a thorn the Lady ‘Balers were in Berkeley’s side all game.
In fact, the Yellowjackets were held to 50 points or less this season in only four of their 33 games.
And last Thursday against San Benito was one of them.
After looking at the NorCal Final, which took place Saturday at ARCO Arena in Sacramento, Berkeley will represent the northern part of the state at this weekend’s Division I State Championship.
They defeated second-seeded Kennedy 72-53, meaning San Benito, at the very least, gave the NorCal representative of the past three years the most problems in this tournament.
Legit indeed.
Note: The TCAL awards, for all winter sports, will be in Friday’s edition of the Free Lance.
