Alisal starts game 9-0, San Benito mounts comeback for 62-56
win
Immediately following San Benito’s 62-56 triumph over visiting Alisal Thursday night at Mattson Gym, an enthusiastic John Becerra waved his towel around with elation.
“Once in a while, I get excited,” said the San Benito coach afterward.
The rather high spirits seemed to be mutual after the ‘Balers rousing victory, from the crowd to the coaches and to the players.
San Benito defeated a team in Alisal (9-8, 2-2 TCAL) who started the game on a 9-0 run, and a team who edged Palma 58-56 on Tuesday.
The ‘Balers didn’t even have a lead until a buzzer-beating layup by Tyler Ruiz at the end of the third quarter. Ruiz finished with a team-high 18 points.
“Being down so far in the first quarter, that made it special,” Becerra added. “For a while it didn’t look good. It took us a long time just to make a basket.”
The ‘Balers certainly did not start the game on the right foot. They picked up their first points off a Brian Haggett jumper more than three minutes into the game, and shot a dismal 13 percent (2 of 16) from the field to open.
But the team’s transition offense immediately vaulted the squad back into the game in the second quarter.
Highlighted by 10 Alisal turnovers, San Benito marched back into the contest with defensive pressure, and trailed at the half 27-24.
“We put a little more pressure on them – just get going,” Becerra said. “We were too sedated for a while.”
San Benito outscored Alisal 22-17 in the third stanza to grab a 46-44 lead, and finished the game by forcing Trojan Elias Rivera to take low-percentage shots.
Rivera had a game-high 19 points on the night, but the ‘Bales kept Alisal at bay by hitting 4 of 4 free throws down the stretch, and 7 of 8 for the game.
“It gives them confidence,” Becerra said of the gritty come-from-behind victory. “No matter what the score is, every team has a chance.”
Haggett had 14 points and Marty Bueno scored 13, adding six assists and six rebounds. Jason Canchola also had 13 on 4 of 6 shooting from the field, including three 3-pointers.
The ‘Balers improve 14-6 overall, 4-1 in the TCAL.
San Benito will play at North Salinas next Thursday. Tip-off is at 7 p.m.
Note: San Benito shot 26 of 60 from the field for the game … Alisal was 21 of 42 from the field, 5 of 5 at the line … Kevin Burley led the team with six rebounds to go along with two points … Last year, Alisal defeated San Benito twice by a combined four points.
Team 1 2 3 4 F
SB 6 18 22 16 62
ALI 15 12 17 12 56
SB (62) – Bryant 1-1 0-0 2, Bueno 6-16 1-2 13, Burley 1-7 0-0 2, Canchola 4-6 2-2 13, Haggett 5-11 4-4 14, Ruiz 9-16 0-0 18.
Three-point goals: Canchola 3.
ALI (56) – Alejo 1-1 0-0 2, Rivera 7-15 4-4 19, Lapitan 2-5 0-0 6, Sandoval 1-3 0-0 2, C. Camacho 4-7 0-0 10, Ramirez 1-2 0-0 2, Sosa 5-9 5-5 15.
Three-point goals: Rivera 1, Lapitan 2, C. Camacho 2.
JV/Frosh Note:
The San Benito junior varsity and freshmen teams both won their matches against Alisal Thursday at Mattson Gym in Hollister.
The JV squad defeated the Trojans 64-61, while the frosh team did the same, upending the visiting Alisal team 72-38.
The JV’s will play at North Salinas next Thursday at 5:30 p.m. The freshmen team will also play at North Salinas, with a tip-off of 4 p.m.
