San Benito girls basketball coach Mitch Burley wanted his team to end its regular season on a high note, and thanks to a season-high 25 points from Ellie Burley, the Balers did just that.
On senior night, the girls basketball team ended the Tri-County Athletic League season with a rousing 61-38 victory over Alvarez on Tuesday. The win all but confirms the Balers a slot in the Central Coast Section championship tournament, which starts Feb. 21.
“I’m glad because that’s the feeling I want them having heading into next week,” coach Burley said. “That’s what we needed to feel like. They shouldn’t have any apprehension heading into next week.”
For a while during Tuesday’s game, it looked like the Balers weren’t ready for the Eagles, who finished the season 0-11 in TCAL play. The game started on a false note for the Balers, as they didn’t score their first points until the fourth minute of the first quarter.
Behind the sharpshooting of Ellie Burley, who scored 15 points in the first half, and Madeleine LePore, the Balers went on a 7-0 run to close the first quarter. With a 11-4 lead to begin the second quarter, the Balers once again struggled to find open shots.
Once Alvarez took a 14-13 lead with five minutes left in the half, Burley once again started to catch fire.
Down by one, Burley hit back-to-back 3-pointers to give the Balers a lead they would never relinquish.
Burley scored 15 of the team’s 23 first-half points to build a 9-point halftime lead. In the third quarter, she scored 10 more points to give her a season high. Burley hit five 3-point shots on the night.
“There is no real magic,” Mitch Burley said of the run. “You either make the shots or you don’t. In the first half, if Ellie hadn’t made all of those shots, I don’t know where we would have been. Everyone else had been struggling.”
With everyone struggling to hit shots, Ellie Burley decided it was time for her to “shine,” she said.
“It just felt awesome,” she said. “I got a three and then another one. It felt great because it was my turn to shine. It felt really good – one big game.”
Burley also played well defensively, blocking two shots and forcing five of the team’s 21 turnovers.
The Balers needed every one of the turnovers after giving the ball away 21 times themselves.
“It’s always been our thing all year,” Mitch Burley said. “We need to take care of the ball and get some shots.”
Luckily, San Benito finally settled down in the final quarter. San Benito used eight players to score 25 fourth-quarter points.
“Well, we were kind of slow at the beginning,” said LePore, who scored seven points. “In the second half we started picking it up. I think it is definitely better to end on a win instead of on a loss. It’ll help end us on a good note.”
The Balers ended the contest with 10 scorers, including Kelsey Robledo, who scored four points and Elizabeth Reikowski, who scored seven points. Kiley Delgado added six points off the bench.
The victory ends the Balers’ Tri-County Athletic League season with a 7-5 record and a 14-10 overall record.
The Balers await seeding for the Central Coast Section playoffs. San Benito will find out where and who it plays Sunday.
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