After falling in semis, boys take third on last-second bucket;
mixed results for soccer squad
The new guy can play.
Gilroy sophomore Cameron Handy, seeing his first action since transferring from Valley Christian, capped off a solid weekend of play at the Aptos Invitational by hitting a game-winning three-pointer in the closing seconds of the Mustangs’ 71-68 overtime victory over Watsonville in Saturday’s third-place game.
It was the second straight close game for Gilroy, which staged a furious second-half rally Friday before falling just short in a 60-57 loss to host Aptos.
Against the Mariners, the Mustangs dug themselves a 14-point halftime lead. Against the Wildcatz, though, it was back-and-forth nearly the entire game.
“I think our youngness and their tenacious play kept up us from putting them away in regulation,” GHS head coach Bud Ogden said.
But in overtime, Handy scored seven points, three of which came with the score tied and just four seconds remaining. The 6-foot-1 swingman ended up with a team-high 14 points and 10 rebounds.
“I wouldn’t say he took over the game, but he definitely affected the outcome,” Ogden said. “He can go to the basket on just about anybody. I was impressed he could do that in a game. He’s a pretty confident kid.”
Handy, who scored 30 points for the weekend, was joined on the all-tournament team by center Ryan Chisolm. The junior averaged 13 points a game and scored 20 in the narrow loss to Aptos.
“And we still didn’t get him enough touches,” Ogden noted. “We’ve got to go inside first. Ryan had some key, key baskets for us in those last two games.”
So did senior forward Adam Moon, who came up big on the final day with 12 points. Senior guard Vince Mitre did his part by averaging 10.3 ppg over the entire weekend.
Asked about the team’s overall play, Ogden said he was “happy, but not ectastic.”
“I think we really could’ve played better, especially on the defensive side,” he said. “But it’s a young team and I’m pretty happy with the way they’ve come out to start the year. They’ve definitely got a big upside.”
Mixed results for soccer
After Saturday’s surprising 2-1 loss to Sequoia High in the Christmas Cup, the Gilroy boys’ soccer team rebounded with a 6-0 shutout win at Soquel Monday afternoon.
Senior midfielder Alfonso Montgalvan scored the first and last goals for the Mustangs (3-1-1). In between, fellow senior Marco Aguilar put on a show.
“He was really on fire,” co-head coach Brian Hall said.
Before the game, Aguilar was moved from forward to outside midfield, switching positions with Joel Vera. The move worked wonders.
Aguilar notched two goals and an assist, while Vera added one of each.
“The tandem worked well,” Hall said.
Sophomore Jose Velasquez also added a goal for the Mustangs, who now prepare for Wednesday’s showdown with national power Watsonville.
