It may have been a sleepy afternoon game at first, but the San
Benito girls basketball team made just enough noise against Gilroy
Saturday in a match that pitted the two hottest teams in the
Tri-County Athletic League.
It may have been a sleepy afternoon game at first, but the San Benito girls basketball team made just enough noise against Gilroy Saturday in a match that pitted the two hottest teams in the Tri-County Athletic League.
The Lady ‘Balers, riding an eight-game winning streak into the contest, overcame a seven-point fourth-quarter deficit en route to a 40-34 victory against the Mustangs at Mattson Gym in Hollister.
The triumph keeps San Benito’s perfect season intact, and snapped Gilroy’s four-game winning streak in the process.
“We had to come together as a team,” said Haybaler Bri Romero of the fourth-quarter comeback.
After the Lady ‘Balers cruised to a 61-41 win over the Mustangs on Jan. 11, Gilroy, which outscored San Benito 18-3 in the third quarter, nearly pulled off what no other TCAL team has been able to accomplish this season.
“I think we were more prepared,” said Gilroy assistant coach Laura Hennessee when comparing her team Saturday to the previous contest on Jan. 11. “We had seen them already … We’ve had more experience in the season and (gained) a lot of confidence.
“[San Benito] really wanted it … I think their fight really pulled through in the end.”
As both squads used an array of different defensive looks, it was the Mustangs which carried a 32-25 lead into the final period.
But after a seemingly dominant third-quarter performance by the Mustangs, and a complete momentum shift in favor of Gilroy, the Lady ‘Balers forced eight turnovers and outscored their league rival by a 15-2 margin in the final quarter.
“I think it showed a lot of character that we found a way to win,” San Benito coach David Kaplansky said. “I challenged them to stretch the game out … by taking advantage of the whole court and of each possession.
“In the fourth quarter, the kids played hard.”
San Benito didn’t make it easy on themselves, however, shooting 2 of 9 from the free-throw line in the final stanza, 4 of 14 for the game.
But after Lauren Ademek’s bank shot off the glass supplied the 35-34 go-ahead basket, Vanessa Farias nailed a 3-pointer some 30 seconds later and supplied enough of a cushion for the Hollister squad.
Farias finished with a game-high 14 points.
“We knew coming in they were going to play a lot harder than last time,” said Romero, who contributed four of her six points in the fourth period. “They wanted this game, but we had to prove that we wanted it more.”
‘Baler Elena Fata had 10 points for San Benito, which improves to 18-4 overall, 9-0 in the TCAL.
Gilroy’s Angela Silveira had a team-high nine points, while Lindsey Foster added eight.
The Mustangs are now 9-11 overall, 4-4 in league, and are rooted in a battle for third place with Notre Dame and Alisal.
“We’re just clicking a lot more,” said Silveira when comparing the Mustangs to earlier this season. “We have a lot more heart (now) and we really wanted to win this game … They just blew us out (last time). We were ready for this one. It just didn’t go our way.”
The Mustangs will host North Salinas Tuesday at 7 p.m.
Note: San Benito shot 27 percent (16 of 59) from the field … Gilroy was 20 percent (11 of 55) in field goals, 48 percent (12 of 25) from the line … The Mustangs had 22 turnovers. San Benito had 19.
Team 1 2 3 4 F
GIL 7 7 18 2 34
SB 9 13 3 15 40
GIL (34) – Silveira 4-17 1-2 9, Wilkins 0-11 7-10 7, Foster 4-9 0-2 8, Mah 1-4 2-5 4, Hill 2-8 2-5 6.
Three-point goals: None.
SB (40) – Aguilera 2-4 1-2 5, Ademek 1-3 0-0 2, Farias 5-21 2-5 14, Fata 4-15 0-0 10, Halstead 1-1 0-0 2, Romero 3-8 0-2 6, Russell 0-4 1-5 1.
Three-point goals: Farias 2, Fata 2.
JV Note:
SB: 43
GIL: 51 (OT)
Team 1 2 3 4 OT F
SB 10 10 8 11 4 43
GIL 3 7 12 17 12 51
Frosh Note:
SB: 56
GIL: 47
Team 1 2 3 4 F
SB 11 15 17 14 56
GIL 16 9 10 12 47
