San Jose
– After the first bucket was scored against them, the Mustangs
got ready to inbound the ball only to have it stolen and dropped
back into the basket by Piedmont Hills.
It was the beginning of a long night for the Gilroy boys’
basketball team.
San Jose – After the first bucket was scored against them, the Mustangs got ready to inbound the ball only to have it stolen and dropped back into the basket by Piedmont Hills.
It was the beginning of a long night for the Gilroy boys’ basketball team.
The theme of Thursday night’s CCS Division I playoff: Pirate pressure and Mustang turnovers. That culminated in a 75-62 defeat for Gilroy and an exit in the first round of the postseason.
The entire night, Piedmont Hills kept the pressure high and took Gilroy out of its rhythm.
“Coach told us right when we got off the bus they would be all over us,” said senior forward Vince Mitre. “We tried to emphasize poise. That didn’t happen. We got too excited and turned the ball over.”
The Mustangs hung in there with a more athletic team as long as they could.
The ‘Stangs threatened to mount a comeback several times during the contest, especially late in the second quarter. Before the half, the Pirates extended their lead to double digits but Gilroy fought back with a scoring run of their own. The Mustangs cut down the Pirates’ lead to as little as six, but Piedmont reapplied the defensive pressure and went into the half ahead 38-29.
In the third quarter, the Mustangs were held to 10 points and fell behind 57-39. Despite an impressive 23-point fourth-quarter showing by Gilroy, that deficit was too much to overcome.
“This has been our Achilles’ heel all year,” said Gilroy head coach Bud Ogden. “We are not strong at the guard position. They pressured the guard hard and forced turnovers.”
Along with the constant pressure, Gilroy had to contend with the red-hot Pirate shooting.
The entire night, Piedmont penetrated the paint for spectacular lay-ups and short pull-up jumpers. This opened up the perimeter, where Pirate shooters proved deadly in the third.
In that quarter, Piedmont’s Jason Woods exploited the openings created by the inside game and sank a trio of 3-pointers, all but locking up victory for his team.
However, the most devastating performance was by the Pirates’ star guard Aaron Buckner, who had a 13-point second quarter on his way to a game-high 29 points.
Gilroy fought hard on the boards, especially in the second half when they pulled down nearly twice as many rebounds as Piedmont.
“We never gave up,” said junior guard Dominik Wilkins. “This team is a family. We work together and we work hard in every aspect.”
Mitre agreed, saying his teammates kept believing they were in the game through to the very end. He had some words of praise for a pair of Mustangs.
“Jeremy Teschera and Calvin (Kretz) really stepped it up tonight,” Mitre said.
“They came up big.”
Pirates 75
Mustangs 62
Scoring
1st 2nd 3rd 4th Tot.
Gilroy 12 17 10 23 62
Pied. Hills 21 17 19 18 75
GILROY (16-13)
Teschera 6 0-0 14, Kretz 6 1-2 13, Wilkins 3 2-3 7, Yales 1 2-2 4, Chisolm 2 1-2 5, Good 3 0-0 6 Valadez 1 0-0 2, DeLorenzo 1 0-0 2.
3-pointers: Teschera (2), Wilkins.
PIEDMONT HILLS (24-3)
Buckner 12 4-7 29, Paulino 6 4-4 16, Woods 4 1-2 12, Diaz 3 0-0 6, Critchlow 2 0-1 4, Gemellos 1 0-2 2, Aguilar 0 1-2 1, Deussen 0 1-2 1.
3-pointers: Woods (3), Buckner.
Playoff action in Gilroy
Still looking for that basketball fix? Never fear, CCS playoff basketball is headed to Gilroy High this Saturday.
It may not not involve either of the home teams – the boys bowed out of the playoffs Thursday night, while the girls play the rest of their games on neutral courts after their first-round win over Monta Vista Wednesday.
Still with a slate of Division IV girls’ games this weekend at the GHS Main Gym, it ought to be pretty exciting. Included in the mix are the Notre Dame Spirits and their TCAL MVP guard Jessica Ross, a native of Gilroy, as well as No. 1-ranked Sacred Heart-Cathedral.
Games are at 1pm, 2:45, 4:30 and 6:15 – though by that last time, the action will be at San Jose’s Leland HS, where the Gilroy girls face Milpitas in the DI playoffs.
