Gilroy opens 27th Annual Bob Hagen Memorial Tournament with
73-32 win over Pajaro Valley
Gilroy – Gilroy was a team in desperate need of a win.
It didn’t matter who the opponent was. After losing three straight, the Mustangs needed to get untracked and they needed to do so immediately.
Even without big men Jason Conrad and Spencer Ford, Gilroy had way too much for Pajaro Valley. Getting quality from players who are normally reserves, the Mustangs started fast and ended even faster in a 73-32 win over the outmanned Grizzlies.
GHS moves to a semifinal meeting at 8pm today against former Tri-County Athletic League foe Live Oak, which edged St. Francis-Watsonville 37-35.
“This will be a confidence booster, definitely,” said Derek Jensen, who had a season-high 14 points for the Mustangs. “We’ve gone through some tough times. It was good to get a win. It will bring us together as a team.”
GHS (5-4) went “small,” starting a lineup in which 6-4 Marshad Johnson was the tallest Mustang. It didn’t matter. Kevin Siha hit a trey 10 seconds into the game and Gilroy never trailed. After Miguel Cedillo hit a foul shot for Pajaro Valley (0-6), the Mustangs reeled off 14 unanswered points for an 18-1 lead.
Gilroy briefly faltered in the second quarter when the Grizzlies closed within 22-15 with 3:48 left until halftime. But Kameron Handy responded with three 3-point plays in a 39-second span as the Mustangs closed fast for a 37-17 halftime advantage. The Grizzlies never got closer than 15.
“We needed a win in a lot of different ways,” GHS coach Bud Ogden said. “More important, we had to prove we could play as a team. Teamwork and (running) set plays were what we were in dire need of.”
Handy led the Mustangs with 17 points and had eight rebounds as he played mostly forward. Frontcourt players Jason Conrad (illness) and Spencer Ford (personal family business) were absent from the GHS lineup. Lorenzo Dobson had a team-high 10 rebounds. Javin Charlot had seven steals and seven assists.
“We have to play through (absences),” Jensen said. “Give Kevin (Siha) and E.J. (Harrell) credit. They stepped up big.”
Harrell and Siha combined for 15 points and six steals, and played tenacious defense as they harassed the Grizzlies’ guards. Also, Gilroy, which got at least four points from all nine players, easily had its best shooting game of the season, making 30-of-52.
Juan Sanchez led Pajaro Valley with 10 points and 11 rebounds.
Live Oak 37, St. Francis 35-The Acorns’ pressure defense in the second half was the difference as Live Oak got its first win of the season. Jeff Mounteer and Alika Bantilan had eight points apiece for Live Oak (1-4).
Alvarez 76, Aptos 65-Harvey Todd and Matt Baker combined for 10 points as the Eagles jumped ahead 19-11 in the first quarter. Todd scored 24 points, James Smith had 19 and Baker added 11 for Alvarez (5-1), which has won five straight. The Eagles entered the tournament averaging 79 points per game.
Harbor 52, Scotts Valley 45-The Pirates used a 16-4 second-quarter to break open a close game and GHS alum Abrem Estorga his first defeat as Falcons’ coach. Daniel Vahradian scored 25 points to lead Harbor (5-3). Patrick Ahrens scored all 12 of his points in the second half for Scotts Valley (5-1), which trailed 25-9 at halftime and got as close as five.
Junior varsity-Gilroy used balanced scoring to hold off St. Francis 52-48 in the first round of the Hagen Junior Varsity Tournament. Kendrick Azcueta had 14 points, Stephen Galtman had 12 and Jamie Jensen 10 to pace the Mustangs.
Pajaro Valley (32)-Contreras 6, Fortuno 2, Holbert 0, Cedillo 4, Austen 9, Magana 1, Sanchez 10, Torres 0. Totals 12 2-6 32.
Gilroy (73)-Siha 7, Handy 17, Martinez 4, Harrell 8, Charlot 4, Jensen 14, Johnson 5, Dobson 7, Jones 7. Totals 30 11-17 73.
Pajaro Valley 4 13 7 6 – 32
Gilroy 20 17 15 21 – 73
3-point goals: PV, Austen 3, Contreras 2, Cedillo. Gil, Siha, Jensen.
