Mustangs drain seven trifectas vs. Palma, win third in a row
For the past few days, exit exams at Gilroy High have forced the boys’ basketball team to just one side of the court during practice.
“So for about an hour and a half each practice,” senior Calvin Kretz said, “all we’ve done is shoot because of the testing.”
With a CCS berth on the line, the Mustangs faced an important test of their own Wednesday night against Palma.
And thanks to some stellar shooting, they passed it with flying colors.
Buoyed by a 7-of-11 performance from behind the 3-point line, Gilroy was able to hold off the Chieftains, 57-47, to clinch at least a .500 record – and thus clinch a berth in the postseason.
After an 0-4 league start, the Mustangs (14-11/3-4) have now won three in a row.
“Coach (Bud Ogden) told us after that start that it was a six-game season from that point on,” Kretz said. “And we haven’t lost since.”
After a sloppy start against Palma, the Mustangs finished the rest of the first half on an almost ridiculous run, one that began quite appropriately with a GHS 3-pointer.
Before Jeremy Teschera sunk a trey late in the first quarter, Gilroy trailed 9-5. At the time, it was looking much like the team’s hideous 39-34 loss at Palma back on Jan. 22, when the ‘Stangs scored six in the first quarter and three in the fourth.
Soon after Teschera’s 3, that first matchup became a distant memory.
Unlike in last month’s meeting, the Palma defense waited until the second half to turn up the pressure – and the Mustangs took full advantage.
After the Teschera bucket, Gilroy went on an 11-0 run that turned into a 24-3 run that turned into a commanding 18-point halftime lead.
During that stretch, the Chieftains (12-10/2-5) notched just one basket, while the Mustangs hit 5-of-6 from behind the arc. Teschera added another one, along with a trey from Dominik Wilkins and a pair from Adam Supnet.
“It’s absolutely contagious when they get on a roll like that and the confidence is flowing,” Ogden said.
Wilkins agreed, saying confidence was “definitely a factor during that.”
“When everybody is just hitting everything they shoot,” he said, “you look around and say ‘Hey, I wanna be one of those guys.'”
There were plenty of those guys for Gilroy on this night.
In an impressive show of balance, 10 players scored for the Mustangs and only one – Kretz with 10 points – reached double-digits.
“We’re the kind of team where no one guy is usually every gonna score in the 20s,” Ogden said. “And quite frankly, as a coach I like that.”
Despite its early struggles, Palma did make things interesting in the third quarter. In a 15-3 run to start the half, the Chieftains came out firing and hit five straight three-pointers of their own.
Just like that, the Mustangs’ 30-12 lead was trimmed to just six in a matter of five minutes.
The shaky Gilroy team from early in the season might have found a way to lose.
This is apparently not the shaky Gilroy team from early in the season.
Ryan Chisolm’s offensive board and put-back capped a 7-2 run to end the third and the Mustangs slowly built the lead back up – with the margin never again dipping below double-digits.
Do the Mustangs withstand the furious rally two months ago? One month ago?
“Probably not,” Ogden said. “That’s certainly one of their areas of growth … sustaining the lead. There was no deer-in-the-headlights look … they made plays when they had to.
“They made plays tonight.”
Gilroy will no doubt have to make them again on Friday. The Mustangs face fired-up and first-place North Salinas, which suffered its first league loss of the season in a 62-59 setback at Hollister last night.
Two weeks ago in Salinas, the Vikings rallied for a hard-fought 56-49 victory over the ‘Stangs.
The Sweep
Gilroy went a perfect 3-for-3 against Palma Wednesday night. The freshman team upped its record to 22-3 with a 42-25 win, while the junior varsity squad improved to 20-5 with a 57-41 victory.
Against a previously unbeaten Chieftains team, the JV Mustangs were led by the 12 points of both Christian Cania, who also added seven assists, and Michael Martinez, who also threw in some stout defense.
Palma 9 3 17 18 57
GHS 10 20 10 17 47
GHS (14-11/3-4): Kretz 4 1-1 10, Mitre 2 0-0 5, Teschera 3 0-0 8, Good 2 0-0 4, Supnet 3 1-2 9, Moon 4 1-1 9, Wilkins 2 3-4 8, Chisolm 1 0-0 2, Strametz 0 0-1 0, Valadez 0 1-2 1, DeLorenzo 0 1-2 1
3-pointers: Kretz, Teschera (2), Supnet (2), Wilkins, Mitre
PALMA (12-10/2-5): Jackson 1 2-6 3, Dunham 1 2-2 4, Frichette 5 0-0 13, Goldman 2 1-2 6, Sobotka 1 0-0 2, Willrodt 3 1-2 10, Marcus 0 0-2 0, Fischer 0 1-2 1, DeLosey 1 0-0 2, Benavente 2 0-0 5, Dingsum 0 1-2 1
3-pointers: Frichette (3), Willrodt (3), Goldman, Benavente
Rebounds: GHS 21, Palma 18
Turnovers: GHS 17, Palma 21
