The Gilroy boys basketball team is just 3-12 on the season but they are not that far off track. Close losses in competitive games and a young squad that is coming together are the combination of factors that give the Mustangs high hopes for a strong finish to the campaign.
In Blossom Valley Athletic League, Santa Teresa East Division play, the Mustangs started off with two competitive losses. But early league results show no dominant team and a lot of games being toss-ups.
The Mustangs opened BVAL action with tight battles against Live Oak, a 52-41 loss, and Sobrato, a 42-33 defeat.
Against the Bulldogs, Jayden Guerrero led Gilroy with 12 points, including a trio of 3-pointers. Michael Graef scored nine and Rafael Abarquez scored five. Sobrato was taller and stronger but the feisty, hard-working Mustangs got within four points midway through the final quarter.
“It’s been a struggle,” Gilroy coach Joe Te said. “We have a lot of new faces. The kids play hard. We run a continuity offense; it’s mainly on the perimeter.”
One data point to note is the close scores in the losses. If one flips four non-conference losses that were by seven points or less, Gilroy could be 7-8 for the season.
The Mustangs showed they can prevail in tight games, as two of the victories were 47-44 against Santa Clara and 43-42 over Hill, a thriller in which the Mustangs were down five points entering the final period but came from behind.
Additionally, Gilroy picked up a win with a 47-32 smashing of San Lorenzo Valley.
With more practice time and more game play, the Mustangs are improving on offense while maintaining grittiness on defense. Abarquez is using his speed and ball-handling to provide point guard contribution and leadership. He’s now got some weapons to work with.
“Michael Graef is one of our seven seniors,” Te said. “He’s our best all-around player. Shooting, rebounding and attitude.”
Graef displayed those talents in the Sobrato contest and was likely the best athlete on the floor. Guerrero provides a nice complement to the attack.
Up front, the Mustangs do not have a lot of size but they play hard. Kaiden Gonzales, Alexis Sanchez and Noah Lawrence are solid. AJ Masbate and Andres Andrade are additional contributors in the back court.
Things nearly came together for the Mustangs as they rallied back against Sobrato. In the fourth quarter, Graef drilled a left baseline three-pointer, Lawrence converted a rebound and Graef scored on a layup. Gilroy had narrowed a deficit that had been 10 points to just four, 37-33. However, they hit a rough spell of two missed shots and three turnovers and could not nail the opportunity to come even closer. Finally, Sobrato pulled away in the last minute.
“We could’ve played better,” Graef said. “We left a lot of points out there. We need to stop the transition better. But we played hard and gave it our all.”
Two years ago, Gilroy was 16-9 and in the Central Coast Section playoffs. Their success got them bumped up from the BVAL West Valley Division to the Santa Teresa East Division. The going was a bit tough last year.
Although the Mustangs are 0-2 after the first week of league play this season, success is within reach.
In the Santa Teresa East Division, only Evergreen Valley is over .500 overall and their two league wins were by five points against Oak Grove and by two versus Live Oak. Everyone else is 1-1 at this point, with every league contest decided by 11 points or less. Gilroy is not far off the mark at all.
In the coming week, Gilroy will host Mt. Pleasant at 7pm Jan. 22.
