Gilroy jumps out to early lead; Thwarts Palma’s late rally for
49-45 victory
Gilroy – Gilroy’s Kameron Handy really wanted to make up for missing practice on Monday, especially when he checked into the game before the fourth quarter.
“It was important for me to get in,” Handy said. “I didn’t show up to practice yesterday and I just had to prove myself.”
The junior wasted no time.
Up 31-30, Gilroy needed a spark. The ‘Stangs hadn’t scored a point for five minutes of play.
In Gilroy’s first possession of the quarter, Handy used a tight crossover to shake a defender and move down the right baseline to the basket for a lay-up. On Gilroy’s second trip down the floor, Handy finished a fast break with another lay-up. The crucial hoops put the Gilroy up 35-30 and upstarted the ‘Stangs.
Handy scored eight more points for a total of 12 for the quarter and the game to help lift the Mustangs to a 49-45 victory over the Chieftains.
Though the junior’s gutsy performance made Gilroy head coach Bud Ogden nervous, he was happy to see Handy step up.
“It was like ‘No, no, no, no. Nice shot,'” the coach said. “Kameron was huge.”
Gilroy, the only unbeaten team in the Tri-County Athletic League, improved to 3-0 in league and 12-6 overall. Palma dropped to 12-4 overall and 1-2 in TCAL.
Fueled by senior forward Ryan Chisolm’s two game-opening jumpers and a baseline three from senior guard Dominik Wilkins (11 points), the ‘Stangs jumped out to a 7-0 lead. The hot shooting mixed with the effectiveness of Gilroy’s box-and-one defense on Palma star forward Orlando Johnson put Gilroy up 26-13 three minutes into the second quarter.
“If he was going to beat us, it would be from the line,” said Ogden of Johnson, who had been averaging nearly 20 points per game.
Johnson didn’t beat the Mustangs with his foul shooting, but he had plenty of chances. Gilroy – which was whistled for 23 fouls to Palma’s nine – sent the junior transfer from North Salinas High to the line 11 times. The 6-foot-4 Johnson made 12 of 22 free throws and just one field goal to finish with a game-high 14 points.
The junior’s biggest free throws of the night came with 20 seconds to play when Gilroy held a 48-35 lead. Johnson missed both chances. Gilroy senior guard Jeremy Teschera (6 points) grabbed the rebound, was fouled and made the front end of a one-and-one opportunity with 17 seconds left to seal the win.
The Mustangs’ foul trouble did catch up with them in the second quarter. After Teschera swished a jumper from the right elbow to put the ‘Stangs up 26-13, the Mustangs didn’t score for the remaining five minutes until halftime. Meanwhile, the Chieftains scored six points – all on free throws – to get within 26-19 at the half.
As the game went on, the team became more and more frustrated with the calls being made.
“It was so one-way, I think it was eight (fouls) to none at one point,” said Chisolm, who fouled out with 12 points in the fourth quarter. “(Johnson’s) a very physical, big guy. He knows how to get to the line. I’m not going to dis him.”
Palma wasn’t whistled for its second foul of the game until the 6:42 mark in the fourth quarter. When the call was made, the crowd began cheering. Ogden also clapped, put his hands in the air and bowed once to the official.
Sophomore center Jason Conrad (8 points) and senior guard Vinny DeLorenzo (6 points) also contributed for Gilroy.
