Salinas
– When the game was on the line, there was little doubt who
would have the ball for Palma.
Salinas – When the game was on the line, there was little doubt who would have the ball for Palma.
And as he has during a storied career, Orlando Johnson delivered. His trey with less than a second remaining Thursday lifted the host Chieftains to a pulsating 58-56 Tri-County Athletic League win over Gilroy.
“I knew it was good when it left my hand,” said Johnson, who turned in a riveting 26-point, 10-rebound, five-assist performance. “This is what we wanted, a playoff-type game. Gilroy’s a great team. They’ve got their chemistry together.”
There was little in common with the first meeting of the teams when Palma (18-2 overall, 7-0 TCAL) ran away from the Mustangs in the second half. This time, the Chieftains ran away from Gilroy in the first half. Only, the Mustangs gave it right back to Palma in the third period.
With Kameron Handy and Derek Jensen hitting one big shot after another, GHS fought back from a 14-point halftime deficit to trim the margin to 44-41 entering the fourth quarter. And then Jensen brought the Mustangs even for the first time on a trey 13 seconds into the fourth quarter.
Palma responded with a five-point run, but Gilroy had plenty of fight left. Another Jensen trey with 4:50 left capped a seven-point run and put the Mustangs on top 54-52. Javin Charlot’s drive to the basket made it 56-54 with 21 seconds left to set up a wild finish.
Twice, the Chieftains went to the line and twice they came away with offensive rebounds on missed free throws. The final came with 15 seconds left when Johnson tied up Lorenzo Dobson with the possession arrow in Palma’s favor.
Johnson dribbled the ball outside as the clock wound down. His shot from the right side of the key from 20 feet was true. Only then was Palma’s 10th straight win secured.
“We got great heart and effort from our guys,” Palma coach Paul Alioto said. “Offensively, we started really well. They made a great run at us. That team (Gilroy) is starting to play like everyone thought they should. We haven’t been in a close game for a while which was good from a coaching standpoint and for the kids.”
Johnson nearly had a double-double at halftime with 15 points and nine rebounds as the Chieftains led by as many as 15 points twice and settled for a 37-23 lead.
But the Mustangs scored the first nine points of the second half to make a game of it.
“I thought everyone gave a great effort,” coach Jeremy Dirks said. “I wish they realized how good they can be. They can keep their heads up because they played a great game. I liked the effort from everyone.”
Handy led the way with 19 points and handled the defensive chores for the Mustangs on the 6-5 Johnson in the second half. Jensen had his best offensive performance of the TCAl season with 16 points, making 6-of-9 shots. Charlot handed out five second-half assists.
“Orlando Johnson gets what he gets for a reason,” Dirks said. “He deserves everything he gets.”
Sub-varsity: Palma won the junior varsity game 65-50 and the freshman contest 45-43.
Gilroy (56)-Siha 0, Handy 19, Ford 2, Charlot 7, Jensen 16, Johnson 4, Dobson 4, Tomasetti 0, Conrad 4. Totals 22 5-8 56.
Palma (58)-Ramirez 0, Benavente 5, Jackson 3, Bonano 10, Fox 3, Johnson 26, Morris 4, Reader 2, Vasiljevic 5. Totals 19 12-18 58.
3-point goals: Gilroy, Jensen 4, Handy 2, Charlot. Palma, Johnson 4, Bonano 2, Benavente, Vasiljevic.
