Sean Martin
Special to the Dispatch
Jeremy Teschera threw up a 40-foot runner as the clock expired in the third quarter of Friday’s TCAL matchup between Gilroy and first-place North Salinas in Bob Hagen Memorial Gym.
The improbable shot, which was launched from just in front of the halfcourt line, rattled around the rim before finally falling, sending the near-capacity crowd, and the Mustang bench, to their feet.
“When I released it I didn’t think it would go in,” Teschera said. “But as it got closer I hoped and prayed. It definitely gave us a confidence boost.”
The shot helped Gilroy to a 65-55 win in its Homecoming game. It was led Friday by junior guard Dominik Wilkins and senior Vince Mitre, who had 11 points apiece.
“(Teschera’s) shot absolutely was a lift,” head coach Bud Ogden said after the game. “I wanted the kids and the fans to savor it, so I stayed out of the huddle for a couple seconds. The game ended up getting close, so who knows where we would have been without that shot.”
And when Teschera, a junior forward, made a free throw to complete a 3-point play early in the fourth quarter, he had scored six straight Gilroy points to extend the Mustang lead to 16 points. He came off the bench to score 10 points Friday, all of them coming in the second half.
Not a bad night for a guy who was named his class’ Homecoming king before the start of the game.
The win extended the Mustangs’ winning streak to four games after starting TCAL play 0-4.
Their victory on Wednesday clinched a playoff spot. Friday’s effort kept alive Gilroy’s hopes of an improbable league title. The Mustangs (15-10 overall, 4-4 TCAL) are two games behind North Salinas (14-9, 6-2) with two games remaining. Salinas and San Benito are also still alive in the TCAL title race.
Gilroy ran its way to the win Friday. It immediately passed the ball upcourt after grabbing defensive rebounds in an attempt to beat North Salinas’ press. Their uptempo style led to many transition layups. The Mustangs only had two 3-pointers in the game, one of them being Teschera’s 40-foot runner.
“We ran the ball well enough to win,” Ogden said. “It wasn’t an artistic effort, but it was good enough.”
The team had its fair share of turnovers against the Vikings, but the mistakes can be expected in a fast-paced game that consistently saw players diving on the floor after loose balls and wayward passes. Wilkins even leapt out an open door and into the lobby while pursuing a loose ball in the second quarter.
But more often than not, Gilroy players found their teammate that was left open by North Salinas’ double teaming. They ran the fast break despite Adam Supnet, who usually leads the break, being slowed by the effects of a Charlie horse.
While Salinas moved the ball effectively, North Salinas did not, allowing Gilroy’s zone defense to rotate to whichever Viking held the ball.
“We just didn’t move the ball,” North Salinas head coach Tim Kirkland said. The Vikings were led by Marco Ramos’ 20 points; Orlando Johnson pitched in 16.
The loss was the second straight for the Vikings, which started TCAL play 6-0. Kirkland blamed the losing streak on turnovers and free throws.
The Vikings did pull within six points, 59-53, with 25.2 seconds to play, but Gilroy went on a 6-0 run to put the game away.
The Mustangs host Live Oak at 7 p.m. Wednesday.
North Salinas 10 9 12 24–55
Gilroy 13 13 20 19–65
NS – Smith 0 1-1 1, Gonzalez 1 0-0 2, Perijil 1 0-0 2, Johnson 5 4-7 16, Berlanga 1 0-0 3, Pope 1 4-5 6, Ramos 5 10-10 20, Ferolino 1 1-2 3, Perry 1 0-0 2.
G – Wilkins 4 3-4 11, Kretz 1 1-3 3, Jackson 1 1-1 3, Mitre 4 2-2 11, Supnet 1 1-3 3, Teschera 4 1-4 10, Chisolm 4 1-2 9, Moon 1 0-0 2, Good 4 2-3 10, Kennedy 1 0-0 2, Valadez 0 0-2 0.
3-pointers: NS – Johnson 1, Berlanga 1. G – Teschera 1, Mitre 1.
