Mustang hoopsters threaten before falling 69-57 to Salinas.
SALINAS – Head coach Michael Baumgartner was sitting in the front row of the stands at Salinas High watching the JV game prior to his varsity match-up with the first-place Cowboys when he was struck in the head with a penny.
Baumgartner – who later had the culprit removed from the gymnasium – picked up the coin and put it in his pocket.
“I kinda used it as incentive for my guys. I told them this is the type of class they have here,” said Baumgartner to his players before tip-off as he returned the penny to his front pocket for good luck. “That kinda pumped them up.”
The Mustangs (0-6 in T-CAL) came out fired up for Thursday’s road clash – taking a 34-31 lead into the locker room.
“I said, ‘Guys, here’s my penny. Let’s keep rolling and be aggressive,'” said Baumgartner to his players at the break. “We just couldn’t find the hole in the fourth quarter.”
After Salinas tied the score up at the end of the third quarter, the Cowboys went on to outscore Gilroy 21-9 in the final eight minutes to send the Mustangs home on the losing end of a 69-57 decision.
“It was closer than what the score shows,” said Baumgartner, whose squad trailed by only two with two minutes remaining.
The Cowboys’ lead extended to five when star guard Drew Sanchez drained a trey. The Mustangs tried to answer, but failed to get a shot off and then went into foul mode for the remainder of the game.
Baumgartner, who could not be prouder of his players, told them: “You played to your level. You played one of best teams in CCS not only league and had an opportunity to win. That’s all I can ask right now.”
The Mustangs’ early success on Salinas was anchored by the play of sophomore forward Vince Mitre – who netted all of his team-high 11 points in the first half. Seniors Danny Vadillo and Erik Tollison added 10 points each.
“We were much more aggressive in early going. Everyone was looking to score,” Baumgartner said. “Mitre really got us going in the first half. They were all being a lot more aggressive, pushing the ball up the floor and taking advantage of their opportunities.”
The Mustangs’ aggressiveness, however, led to 26 free throw attempts for Salinas compared to Gilroy shooting only five foul shots the entire night.
Gilroy heads to Hollister for a Feb. 12 road game at 7 p.m. before returning home Feb. 14 for a league clash against Palma at 7 p.m.
