Though it had its way with opponents en route to a Silicon Valley championship three weeks ago, The Gilroy-Morgan Hill National Junior Basketball third-and-fourth-grade all-star team surprised itself a bit at the national tournament held in Huntington Beach over the weekend.
After advancing through the early rounds, the local hoopsters faced the daunting task of taking the court in the semifinals, or the final four, if you will, against a Yorba Linda team that had left all previous challengers in its wake, routinely and convincingly by 20 or 30 points.
Not versus these all-stars, though.
The Gilroy-Morgan Hill contingent took Yorba Linda to the wire and nearly to upset, losing a nail-biter 65-64 in overtime. That same Yorba Linda team went on to win the championship by 20 points.
“What an amazing run. I am so proud of the way our boys fought every minute against these large powerhouse basketball teams,” head coach Toni Greene said. “Every single player on the team contributed: Aidan Lee came through twice with heart stopping clutch last second shots, leading the offense along with point guard Marcus Greene hitting crucial free throws.
“Sharp shooters Justin Longworth, Kyle White and Owen Browne hit their targets on offense,” Greene continued. “But games are won on defense, and ours was stellar, led by the aggressive defensive play of Will Waxman, C.J. Colyer, Kyle Schilling, Justice Owens and Aaron Price.”
Gilroy-Morgan Hill went 3-0 to reach the semifinals, beating Hanford 46-23, then sneaking past the formidable Rancho Santa Margarita Titans 55-54 in comeback fashion (down with nine seconds left) and earning a 46-41 decision over the Victorville Lakers.
“This team of boys is very talented so we’re looking to keep them playing together, and you can fully expect us to make another run at nationals next year,” Greene said.
