Gilroy to face Monterey in finale after 22-point win over
Harbor
Gilroy – If the Gilroy boys basketball team keeps playing the way it has the past two nights, it should win much more than the Bob Hagen Memorial Tournament. But as coaches love to say, let’s take it one game at a time.
And today, that game will be for the Hagen championship. After cruising to a 57-35 victory over Harbor last night, the Mustangs advanced to meet Monterey this afternoon in the title game.
A day after posting a 30-point blowout over St. Francis Central Coast Catholic, Gilroy used a balanced scoring load and a stifling defense to streak to its second straight comfortable win.
For all practical purposes, this game was over nearly before it started. The ‘Stangs (6-6) came out firing, with forward Ryan Chisolm collecting two offensive rebounds to score five points within the game’s first 90 seconds.
Gilroy raced to a 12-0 lead before Harbor (4-3) managed its first basket with 1:52 left in the first quarter.
“One thing we’ve been stressing is intensity,” said ‘Stangs head coach Bud Ogden. “I think we came out with much more intensity.”
After Gilroy seniors Jeremy Teschera and Chisolm picked off Pirates’ passes on back-to-back possessions and converted the steals into lay-ups early in the second quarter, the ‘Stangs built up a 25-6 advantage and never looked back.
“Our man-to-man defense, which we’ve not been featuring, was a lot better tonight,” said Ogden, “and I think that helped us on our offensive end.”
Center Jason Conrad, who led Gilroy with five rebounds and three blocks, agreed.
“Defense really helped out,” said Conrad, who also scored nine points. “We held them to five points in both the first and second quarters.”
The Pirates used a 12-2 run to pull within 35-25 with 1:36 left in the third quarter, but the ‘Stangs fired back with a 12-0 fourth-quarter burst that put the game away.
Harbor head coach Mike Gruber pulled no punches when relating his teams problems.
“We’re not very good and [the ‘Stangs] are very big,” said Gruber, whose team defeated Alvarez 53-27 in the opening round. “That’s a bad combination when you’re not very good and you’re small. We got clobbered on the boards. We turned the ball over in key points.”
Chisolm led Gilroy with 12 points, while Teschera and senior Vinny DeLorenzo added eight and seven points, respectively.
“That’s exactly the way I want it,” said Ogden of his team’s versatile offensive attack, which saw ten ‘Stangs score. “Spread it around, find each other on the court. Share the ball, share the wealth and I think the whole team flourishes.”
Gilroy, which hasn’t won its own tournament since 2001, has to like its chances against Monterey, a team the ‘Stangs defeated by 17 points last weekend at the Valley Christian West Coast Classic. But the Toreadors, who received double-digit scoring from four players in defeating Aptos 61-50 last night, are playing much better with star guard Micheal Phillips in basketball shape now after returning from his quarterbacking duties.
“It could be altogether different [today],” said Ogden, “because they already look like a better team.”
Gilroy junior Frankie Tomasetti, who got the loudest cheer of the night with two-handed dunk in the fourth quarter, spoke of the ‘Stangs need to stay focused.
“We’ve just got to play hard and make sure we take the championship home,” said Tomasetti, who finished with six points and two steals. “[It’s] just hustle and intensity like we came out with tonight.”
HARBOR (35)
Brittan 3 3-5 9, Vahradian 2 2-2 7, Sullivan 3 0-0 6, Muirhead 2 0-0 4, Bloomstrand 2 0-0 4, Venable 1 1-2 3, Mosse 1 0-1 2. Totals: 14 6-10 35.
GILROY (57)
Chisolm 5 2-3 12, Conrad 3 3-5 9, Teschera 4 0-0 8, DeLorenzo 3 0-0 7, Tomasetti 3 0-2 6, Martinez 1 2-4 4, Cania 1 1-2 3, Jones 1 1-2 3, Wilkins 1 1-3 3, Yates 1 0-0 2. Totals: 23 10-21 57. Three pointers: Harbor (1) Vahradian; Gilroy (1) DeLorenzo.
