‘Stangs Crush ‘Balers, 62-36, in Both Teams TCAL Opener
And rally the fan support.
Gilroy – When word came down Friday morning that the girls basketball game between Gilroy and Hollister would be moved to Gilroy because the scoreboard in the Hollister gym was broken, the ‘Stangs had to take a different mental approach going into the Tri-County Athletic League opener.
And rally the fan support.
“We were like, ‘Tell everyone it’s here!'” said senior forward Katherine Hussey. “We were really excited for the game especially because we were playing San Benito.”
Come game time, the fans showed up and so did the ‘Stangs, who beat the ‘Balers easily 62-36 to improve to 11-4 overall and 1-0 in TCAL. The ‘Balers dropped below .500 to 6-7 overall and 0-1 in league.
Hussey led a balanced offensive attack with 14 points and chipped in defensively with five steals. Senior forward Jessica Groppe added 11 and led the team with 10 rebounds while senior guard Marissa Nowakowski dropped in 10 points and had four steals.
Freshman guard Vanessa Farias’ seven points led the ‘Balers.
“We were mentally prepared to go to San Benito to play and it turns into a home game,” said Gilroy head coach Kari Williams. “Our first few runs we looked great.”
Right after the tip-off, the ‘Stangs looked ready to run the ‘Balers right out of the gym. A three-pointer from senior point guard Kristen Campos (7 steals, 4 assists), a jumper from sophomore guard Vanessa Wilkins (9 points, 9 rebounds, 6 steals, 3 assists) and a lay-up from Campos put Gilroy up 7-0 and forced San Benito to call a time out.
But the ‘Balers didn’t roll over. They fought back to get within 10-7.
Then came the fouls. By the time the first quarter came to a close, Gilroy held a 17-7 lead while San Benito had already been whistled for nine fouls. The physical play didn’t let up, even as the ‘Stangs built a 29-18 first-half lead.
That’s all part of the Gilroy/San Benito rivalry, said Hussey.
“We knew it was going to be (physical),” she said. “That’s always how it is with us.”
Added Williams, “It doesn’t matter what sport we play them in. There’s going to be contact in a San Benito/Gilroy badminton match,” she said, laughing. “And that’s great. It’s what makes it fun.”
Fun for Gilroy, but not so much for the ‘Balers. Gilroy went on a 8-0 run in the third quarter to widen the gap further to 41-20. Groppe scored six of those points off a putback and back-to-back lay-ups.
San Benito didn’t help its cause in the fourth quarter, turning the ball over seven times to Gilroy’s one before both teams emptied their benches. On top of that, the ‘Balers lost the hustle play of Ari Romero when she fouled out with 6:50 to go. The scrappy 5-foot-5 senior pulled down 10 rebounds and scored five points.
San Benito head coach Al Rowe felt the near-capacity crowd threw off the team’s game plan.
“You can tell them and make them aware of it but this was the first time (they played in this environment),” Rowe said. “The intensity of the crowd of a (league) game, it’s a big difference than the preseason.”
Gilroy 62, San Benito 36
San Benito 7 11 8 10 – 36
Gilroy 17 12 16 15 – 62
Gilroy (11-4, 1-0), San Benito (6-7, 0-1)
Hollister (36)
Farias 2 3-5 7, Fata 3 0-0 6, B. Romero 3 0-2 6, A. Romero 1 3-5 5, Lee 2 0-0 5, Patton 2 0-2 4, Archulate 1 1-2 3. Totals 14 7-16 36.
GILROY (62)
Hussey 5 3-4 14, Groppe 5 1-4 11, Nowakowski 5 0-0 10, Wilkins 3 3-5 9, Campos 3 0-0 7, Preeshl 3 0-0 6, Schoeneman 0 2-5 2, Spellman 0 2-6 2, Blas 0 1-4 1. Totals 24 12-30 62.
Three pointers: Gilroy (2) Campos, Hussey; San Benito (1) Lee.
