Head coach outraged with officiating in 54-49 loss to
Hollister.
HOLLISTER – The Gilroy High boys basketball team lost its seventh straight league game Wednesday as the Mustangs once again threatened for the upset before falling to host Hollister, 54-49.
“We had our opportunities big-time again,” said head coach Michael Baumgartner, who was more disturbed with the officiating than the final outcome. “It was the worst display of officiating I’ve ever seen for both sides. For some reason, the refs had in mind that they were deciding outcome of game.
“They made calls down stretch that were subjective instead of objective,” the coached continued. “I walked in (at the end of the game) and told the guys, ‘you didn’t lose this game. You were playing five against seven. The odds were against you.'”
Baumgartner – who did receive a technical foul late in the fourth quarter – highlighted two foul calls by the officials that just did not sit well with him. The first involved an intentional foul called on senior guard Danny Vadillo – who had just sank a three-pointer to tie the score with two minutes remaining.
On Hollister’s ensuing possession, Vadillo put a hard foul on a driving Hollister player under the basket. The official felt Vadillo did not make any effort to go for the ball and called him for an intentional foul – which gave the Haybalers two free throws and possession.
“Danny went straight for the ball. They both came down hard. He made an attempt for the ball but the ref saw it other way,” Baumgartner said. “For me, it wasn’t intentional… They made both free throws, got the ball back and made a basket to put them up by four. That kinda sealed it for them.”
The second debated call came later on when a Gilroy and Hollister player scrambled to the floor for a loose ball. Baumgartner said it was a tie-up if anything – but the referee called another foul on Gilroy.
“It ruined the game for everybody,” Baumgartner said. “At one time, we had 12 fouls to their four… Even the calls against Hollister were bad calls.”
The Gilroy coach, however, did not want to take anything away from the Hollister team – which used its size and power to outlast the feisty Mustangs in a game where no team led by more than five.
“Hollister played well. They played a great game. They played smart and within themselves. They knew if they played smart for four quarters and were patient, then they would beat us because they’re bigger than us,” said Baumgartner, who was proud of his squad’s effort as well. “Under that adversity, our kids probably played their best game all year.”
Vadillo led the way with a team-high 16 points on four three-pointers, while senior guard Tucker Baksa finished with four points, seven rebounds, four assists, and three steals. In addition, senior Blair Wortham stepped up with six points and six rebounds along with junior Ron Colmon (nine points, three assists).
The Mustangs (0-7 in T-CAL) were ahead by four in the second quarter before going into the locker room down by five. They cut the gap to one at the end of the third quarter and then tied things late in the fourth.
“It was a free throw contest after that,” said Baumgartner, whose squad will look for its first league win in Friday’s homecoming game against Palma. “We do match up better against Palma so we do have the opportunity to be successful.
“(In the first game against Palma), we never got down by big numbers. We just did not play a good game at all,” the coach added. “If we play the same game we did last night with that intensity against Palma, we’ll be successful.”
