Missed opportunities were the story Saturday night, but not the
whole story.
Losing the championship contest of the 29th Annual Bob Hagen
Memorial Tournament 47-38 to Aptos, Gilroy High’s boys basketball
team made three critical turnovers in the final minute to give away
any chance of mounting a late comeback.
On the other hand, the Mustangs’ gained their first lead with
1:34 remaining in the third quarter through tenacious, energized
defense. Fading down the stretch might have been a by-product of
Gilroy having little left in the tank after playing its third game
in as many days.
GILROY – Missed opportunities were the story Saturday night, but not the whole story.
Losing the championship contest of the 29th Annual Bob Hagen Memorial Tournament 47-38 to Aptos, Gilroy High’s boys basketball team made three critical turnovers in the final minute to give away any chance of mounting a late comeback.
On the other hand, the Mustangs’ gained their first lead with 1:34 remaining in the third quarter through tenacious, energized defense. Fading down the stretch might have been a by-product of Gilroy having little left in the tank after playing its third game in as many days.
“We had some bad turnovers in the end,” Gilroy coach Jeremy Dirks said, “but I can’t ask for much more” in terms of effort.
The loss wasn’t pleasant for Gilroy’s players either, but it also let them know they aren’t that far from playing the kind of basketball that can win games. At 7-4, the Mustangs are already just one win short of last season’s total.
“I think we played really hard, with a lot of intensity,” said reserve forward Dolapo Opere (eight points, 10 rebounds), who, along with Jamie Jensen (five points, five rebounds), was a key spark plug off the bench to help the Mustangs regain control of the game after trailing 24-18 at halftime. “It’s never good to lose, but it’s good to know we finished off strong.”
Tyler Hartman led the Mustangs with 14 points and 10 rebounds and earned all-tournament honors after helping Gilroy get past the Live Oak Acorns, 52-43, in the first round and Payson Lions, 36-31, in the semifinals.
The 6-foot-6 forward said Jensen and Opere provided exactly the kind of energy the Mustangs will need on a game-in, game-out basis.
“We definitely have to give credit to Jamie and Dolapo, they were killing it on the boards,” Hartman said.
Shooting guard Greg Hamik added seven points and six rebounds, Max Fishler had two points and three rebounds, and Elijah Harrell had two points.
Harrell was battling a stomach flu all weekend.
While topping the Acorns on Thursday was a bit of a breeze, beating the Lions, which traveled from Utah to attend the tournament, the next night was a four-quarter struggle in which neither team could claim any style points.
“But an ugly win is better than an ugly loss,” Dirks said with a smile after the game.
Hartman led all scorers with 11 points, Hamik had 10 and Opere had eight points to go with a team-high eight rebounds.
Hamik scored a game-high 17 points in the win over Live Oak, with Harrell adding 13.
Going 2-1 in the 29th year of the tournament, which is played in a gym also named after Hagen, was important for Gilroy not just for boosting confidence, but also in chasing down a Central Coast Section playoff spot. The Mustangs need to hold a record above .500 in preseason or the Tri-County Athletic League to qualify.
“It feels great because the more wins and we get to CCS,” Hartman said. “It sucks that we lost to Aptos, but we played hard and were going to carry that into the Sobrato Tournament.”
The Mustangs will play their first-round game of the Morgan Hill-based tournament Saturday at 3 p.m. against Anzar.
n New scoreboards were donated by Maggie Hagen, widow of the late coach, before the season started. The contribution was roughly $6,000 and was taken from the remaining funds in a scholarship foundation set up in Bob Hagen’s name.
n Gilroy has now made it to the final of the Bob Hagen Memorial Tournament for four straight years. The Mustangs have lost in back-to-back years after winning it the two years prior.
n Aptos’ Ryan Rocha, who scored 23 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in the final, was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player.
