Gilroy, Palma to set the tone early for rest of TCAL
Gilroy – Nobody would dare come right out and say it.
And yet tonight’s Tri-County Athletic League opener between Gilroy and Palma figures to set the tempo for the season and establish the winner as the team to beat.
After all, these are the team that battled it out last year with each team winning once on the other’s homecourt. The Chieftains still have talented Orlando Johnson and a fine supporting cast. And the Mustangs are probably the deepest they have been in the Bud Ogden era.
Alvarez figures to be the most improved team in the league, led by junior Harvey Todd, the league’s top scorer averaging better than 28 points per game. San Benito has a dangerous offensive weapon in sharp-shooting Todd Janisch. Salinas has raw talent and has won five of its last six, led by senior guard R.J. Pua. And Alisal will trap teams from the opening tap and brings the most wins (14-3) into the league season.
But the road to a TCAL title will undoubtedly run through Gilroy or Palma. And one of the teams will have a leg up on the other after today’s 7pm game at Bob Hagen Memorial Gym.
“This game will set the tone (for the league season),” GHS coach Bud Ogden said. “If we play hard I think we’ll be fine.”
Ogden knows that for the Mustangs to be successful they must defend Johnson. The 6-5 senior may be the most talented player in the league and is averaging around 24 points and seven rebounds. The Chieftains, who are solid up front with 6-7 junior Clark Fox, are off to a 12-2 start with their losses to Archbishop Mitty and Oak Ridge (El Dorado Hills).
“We have to be aware of where he is at all times,” Ogden said of Johnson. “And we have to help out on defense.”
Gilroy has won four straight and is 9-4. Its losses are to Valley Christian, Berkeley, McClymonds and Oak Grove, teams that have a combined 38 wins this season. The Mustangs are led in scoring by Javin Charlot (12.3 points) and Kameron Handy (12.0).
Ogden is happy for the early league test, but prefers he would have had one game prior to facing Palma. And yet he is confident in a team that has as deep a bench as any he has coached at Gilroy. He would like to see the team build on its last game, a one-point win over previously unbeaten St. Francis-Mountain View.
“I have a lot of confidence in all the kids,” said Ogden. “I think our bench is just as long as anybody’s. I am not afraid to use any of them at any time.”
