SBHS boys rally late to win on a free throw from Kyle Sharp with
one second left
Hollister – The San Benito High boys basketball team turned an uncharacteristically flat start into a tremendous finish on Wednesday as they rallied late to beat the visiting Palma Chieftains 57-56 and improve to 6-3 in league as they head into Friday night’s regular-season finale against Live Oak.
It looked as if the wheels were going to come off for the Balers in the early stages of the game as they found themselves down 20-13 at the end of the first quarter and then 37-25 at half.
Palma displayed an effective attack from the start. Center Eric Sobotka got a couple of early buckets that opened things up for the Chieftains’ guards, who made the Balers pay for the open looks they were giving by knocking down jumper after jumper. By the end of the second quarter, Palma had hit five three-pointers on its way to the 12 point lead at the break.
“I felt that in the first half, we were very flat,” said Hollister head coach David Kaplansky. “We weren’t moving very well on offense and we weren’t pressuring the basketball on defense. We were just flat. We didn’t show up for about two-and a half quarters of basketball.”
With a little over five minutes to play in the third quarter, Palma’s Greg Frichette hit a three-pointer to stretch the Chieftains’ lead to 17 at 44-27. Hollister called a timeout after the bucket and, just when it seemed like Palma was a lock to take the win, the Balers seemed to snap back to their true form and began to chip away at the lead.
Kyle Sharp got things started with a score underneath and then the Balers held the Chieftains on defense. It was Sharp again at the other end, driving hard into the lane, getting the bucket and drawing the foul. Sharp converted the three-point play and then, after another Hollister stop on defense, Ian Whiteley scored in the paint as the Balers were able to find the open man with solid ball movement.
The Hollister defense got a third-straight stop that turned into three-points at the other end off of a nice shot from Steve Huerta, bringing the score to 46-37 as the quarter came to a close.
The momentum was clearly in San Benito’s favor to start the fourth and Sharp kept it that way by opening up the game’s final eight minutes with a three-pointer as the shot clock expired. Only one minute later, the Balers found themselves trailing by only three after a pair of free throws from Sharp.
Hollister guard Eric Davis stole a pass on Palma’s ensuing possession and was fouled on his way to the basket. Davis hit both free throws to close the gap to a single point before Sharp gave Hollister its first lead since the game’s opening minute with a powerful drive into the paint.
Palma’s shooters couldn’t get any good looks on the parameter as the combination of Davis, Darryl Baladad and Vince Bautista refused to give them any openings. And, after two-straight misses from beyond the arc, Sharp extended the Baler lead to three with another bucket down low.
The two teams battled back and forth down the stretch with neither squad able to get out front by more than three. And, with less than 30 seconds left, things were all tied up at 56 with Palma bringing the ball up the court, looking to take the game’s final shot and escape with the win.
With less than five ticks remaining, Palma’s Michael Willrodt pulled up and fired from the outside. The capacity crowd on hand at the SBHS gym went dead silent as his shot lofted towards the rim, only to miss to the left. Sharp was there for the rebound and Willrodt made an ill-advised foul on the league’s leading scorer with one second remaining and the Balers in a double bonus situation at the line, giving Sharp two shots as a result of the foul.
No pressure.
With the crowd on its feet, Sharp took his place at the line. A collective gasp rippled through the gym when his first shot missed but a roar was heard from the crowd after Sharp’s second shot fell, after a bit of bouncing around on the rim for added drama, giving the Balers the win.
“Those are tough shots to make. It was so important for us to get one of those and he stepped up and hit the second one. He showed a lot of character by being able to put it in,” Kaplansky said. “It seems like in close games, this team responds very well. The guys did a great job in the fourth quarter tonight with their defensive effort.”
The Balers close out the regular season this Friday on the road against Live Oak.
