The postseason path came to an abrupt halt for the Gilroy High
boys basketball team, encountering a roadblock in the way of
Bellarmine in the second round of the Central Coast Section
Division I playoffs Thursday night in San Jose.
SAN JOSE – The postseason path came to an abrupt halt for the Gilroy High boys basketball team, encountering a roadblock in the way of Bellarmine in the second round of the Central Coast Section Division I playoffs Thursday night in San Jose.
Using an aggressive defense and a lightning-quick transition game, the fifth-seeded Bells constructed an insurmountable first-half advantage and cruised to the finish with a 61-42 victory over the No. 12 Mustangs.
“You can’t judge your whole season based on what happened tonight,” GHS head coach Matt Tait said. “Bellarmine’s a good team. They are tough, they’re physical and they’re disciplined.”
Bellarmine pulled its starters midway through the third quarter after the lead ballooned to 30 points.
GHS briefly overcame a slow start in the first quarter, turning a 12-2 deficit into a manageable 14-8 hole following a pair of 3-pointers from Nick Chang and Cameron Harrell. But just as quickly as the Mustangs clawed back into matters, the Bells pulled away in a blink, ripping off six straight points to close the quarter.
Bellarmine took a 39-17 cushion into the break, which grew to 55-23 by the end of the third.
Compounding the issue, the Mustangs shot just 30 percent from the floor while Bellarmine netted 53-percent of their shots, many coming in the paint.
Despite the lopsided numbers, the Mustangs stayed true to themselves and continued to play. When their names were called to enter the game, the hop in their step was there.
“They are upset now, but they competed the entire game,” Tait said.
Whether it was Robby Filice scrambling for a loose ball, Steven Hebert knocking down an uncharacteristic 3-pointer late in the game or Cameron Yawary still attacking the basket – the Mustangs battled to the bitter end, even though their fate was sealed long before the final buzzer.
“They played hard all year,” Tait said. “They had some big wins and some tough losses. It was a good season overall and you have to look back at it like that.”
Yawary, who was held in check a majority of the contest, registered a team-high 12 points. Harrell finished with nine and Jon Lester contributed eight points. Ten different Bells scored at least two points. Blair Mendy led the way with 13 points while teammates Alex Chapman and Kristoffer Olugbode had 10 and 13 points, respectively.
