The Gilroy boys basketball team put up a fight against North Monterey County, but a third quarter barrage sank the Mustangs’ hopes in their season opener at the Alvarez Tournament.
Kevin Azcueta had 9 points with 8 added from sophomore Elijah Melendez. NMC rode the hot hand of Jeremy Heitzman, who scored 19 for the win.
“Coach Carlos Boles and I were very proud of the effort our student-athletes put in preparing and opening up our season against North Monterey County,” said coach Mike Suarez. “Going up against a team that competes in the Gabilan who have players that have two years of CCS playoff experience, we knew this game would be a challenge.”
The Mustangs actually held a 16-13 lead going into the half time break, holding NMC to 7 and 6 points between the first and second quarters, respectively.
The defense wasn’t able to keep it up in the third quarter, as the Condors took over the game with a 15-point quarter.
“In the second half, we got into some foul trouble with three of our starters in the third quarter and they capitalized by getting Jeremy Heitzman going in the second half,” Suarez said. “A lot of credit goes to Coach Ames and his program for making the second half adjustments that posed problems for us in the third quarter.”
The Mustangs actually put together their best quarter in the fourth, putting up 15 points.
Gilroy will next take on Kennedy of Delano Friday to continue in the Alvarez tourney.
“We have a lot to improve on but we can take the learning and experience with us moving forward in preparation for our next opportunity,” Suarez said. “Our collective defensive effort was led by our team captains Kevin Azcueta and Eric Heiser.”
