After what had just happened in the second half, all the Gilroy
basketball players and coaches could do was shake their heads and
ask,
”
What happened?
”
San Jose – After what had just happened in the second half, all the Gilroy basketball players and coaches could do was shake their heads and ask, “What happened?”
Gilroy played solid basketball in the first half of its first round West Coast Classic game and held a comfortable 30-19 halftime lead.
But the second half was a completely different story.
In a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde type of transformation, the Mustangs committed 12 third quarter turnovers and blew what was at one point a 17-point lead to eventually lose to the Bulldogs 57-54.
Gilroy (1-5) held a 54-52 lead when Ogden called a timeout with 54 seconds to play. But the Mustangs made two sloppy turnovers in the final 15 seconds, which forced them to foul. Oakland Tech’s Jamal Davis made 3-of-4 free throws to give the Bulldogs the three points they needed to win.
“Oakland Tech was a team we should have beat handily,” Gilroy head coach Bud Ogden said matter-of-factly. “But we didn’t take care of the basketball, made bad decisions and surprisingly, it was done a lot by our seasoned players.”
Now the Mustangs (1-5) play the loser of last night’s game between Woodside and Lincoln (San Francisco) at 3:30pm today in the consolation bracket.
“We’ve got to come out and play better,” said a clearly disappointed senior forward Ryan Chisolm.
With 2:47 left in the third quarter, Gilroy held a 39-22 lead.
Then the wheels came off.
Oakland Tech turned up the heat on its full-court man-to-man press, forcing four straight Gilroy turnovers. Meanwhile, the Bulldogs got hot on offense too, hitting a three-pointer, three lay-ups and a free throw in a little over a minute to slash the Mustangs’ lead to 39-36.
Chisolm, whose playing time was limited in the second half because of foul trouble, said that first three-pointer was the shot that started the meltdown.
“They hit that first three and our energy went down,” he said. “We were throwing the ball to nobody, just nothing was clicking. We didn’t deserve to win.”
In all, Gilroy had 22 second-half turnovers – over three times its first-half total.
After Oakland Tech’s Terry Arnold hit a three to tie the game at 43, Gilroy guard Michael Martinez and forward Destry Jones each drained a pair of free throws. Then senior guard Jeremy Teschera, who led the Mustangs with 11 points and seven rebounds, converted a put back while being fouled. He made the free throw and Gilroy regained a 49-43 lead. But again, Oakland Tech came right back with a three and a lay-up to make it a 2-point game.
Gilroy was without starting point guard Dominik Wilkins, who injured his ankle against Archbishop Mitty on Tuesday. Christian Cania (4 pts, 3 steals, 2 assists) started in his place.
Sophomore center Jason Conrad chipped in 10 points and seven rebounds and forward Destry Jones came off the bench to score 10.
Gilroy 13 17 11 13 -54
Oakland Tech 8 11 19 19 -57
Oakland Tech – Arnold (7)-3-19, Strong 5-3-13, Peabody 4-4-12, Turner (3)-0-7, Pettus 1-0-2, Brekke 1-0-2. Totals: 21-10-57.
Gilroy – Teschera (4)-2-11, Conrad 5-0-10, Jones 3-4-10, Martinez 2-3-7, Cania 2-0-4, Chisolm 1-0-2, DeLorenzo 1-0-2. Totals: 18-9-54.
Free throws: Oakland Tech 9 of 12, .750; Gilroy 9 of 13, .692. Three-point goals: Oakland Tech 3 (Arnold-2, Turner) Gilroy 3 (Teschera). Fouls: Oakland Tech 15, Gilroy 20. Fouled out: Pettus.
