Gilroy’s height too much for Andrew Hill; Mustangs advance to
second round
You always hear about how there’s no substitute for experience when playoff season arrives.
Apparently, sophomores Jason Conrad and Marshad Johnson weren’t listening to that argument.
The two forwards, both playing in their first Central Coast Section basketball playoffs, combined for 28 points and 18 rebounds Wednesday night to lead fourth-seeded Gilroy to a 65-48 first-round victory over 13th-seeded Andrew Hill. The Mustangs (21-7) will play fifth-seed Milpitas in Saturday’s quarterfinals at Independence High at a time that has yet to be announced. The Trojans beat No. 12 San Benito 57-38 Wednesday night.
“At first I didn’t think I was going to get any playing time,” said Johnson, who was moved up from the JV squad for the playoffs. “I just wanted to come in and do everything I could do.”
Wednesday night, that meant coming off the bench to score 10 points, rip down 15 rebounds and get three steals. Six-foot-nine Conrad led all scorers with 18 points. The sophomore, who has struggled in recent games while battling knee pain due to growth and Osgood-Schlatter disease, also had 13 rebounds and four blocks. Junior guard Kameron Handy added 11 points.
“It felt good (to play well). My knees still hurt. I just try to work through it,” Conrad said. “Once I stop growing, hopefully it’ll go away.”
Considering Gilroy’s significant height advantage over Andrew Hill, whose tallest player was listed at 6-foot-3, the game plan was for the Mustangs to go to big men Conrad and senior Ryan Chisolm. But when Chisolm picked up his second foul three minutes into the game, Conrad’s role became even more important. Chisolm was forced to stay on the bench for the rest of the half.
“It’s nice that when Ryan gets in foul trouble, others can step up,” said Gilroy head coach Bud Ogden. “Jason, we don’t get him the ball enough and it’s a mix of our ability to get the ball into him and his ability to post up.”
The Mustangs were up just 6-5 when Chisolm went to the bench in the first quarter. A few possessions later, senior guard Dominik Wilkins missed a three-point attempt, but Conrad was there for the rebound and the putback. A jumper from junior reserve Frankie Tomasetti (8 points, 6 rebounds) and a bank shot from Conrad, who received a nice feed from senior guard Vinny DeLorenzo (4 assists), put the Mustangs up 12-5.
In the second quarter, the Falcons clawed their way back. Gilroy held an 18-5 lead after senior guard Christian Cania made two free throws with 6:24 until halftime. But Andrew Hill scored 10 unanswered points to get within 18-15.
“We were looking to run and put up 3’s,” said Andrew Hill head coach Greg Dunlap. “I’ve got a tough group of six seniors, but we’ve been fighting the flu all season.”
Gilroy’s Johnson broke Andrew Hill’s scoring run with a baseline jumper from the right side, his first shot attempt in a varsity game. The Mustangs’ half-court pressure disrupted the Falcons’ offense and forced four turnovers in the final minutes of the first half. Meanwhile, Gilroy outscored Andrew Hill 8-4 to take a 28-19 lead at the break.
Midway through the third quarter, Andrew Hill charged back again. After Conrad scored on a putback to put Gilroy up 37-28, the Falcons’ Jeffrey Peeters fired in back-to-back three-pointers and Adoness Walker converted a lay-up to cut Gilroy’s lead to 39-36. Ogden called a timeout to regroup and sent Handy and Johnson into the game. Again, Johnson helped swing the momentum back Gilroy’s way. The sophomore converted a short bucket off the glass. On Gilroy’s next possession, the forward went strong to the hoop. He was fouled and made both free throws. A trey from Handy in the final minute of the third quarter put Gilroy up by 10. A 12-0 Gilroy run early in the fourth quarter helped the Mustangs seal the win.
The Mustangs now face a big Milpitas team Saturday.
“It’ll be no picnic,” Ogden said. “We’re going to have to shoot the ball better or it’s going to be a long afternoon or evening.”
Notes: The Gilroy girls basketball team will face No. 7 seed Carlmont Saturday in the quarterfinals at Milpitas. Carlmont beat No. 10 seed Santa Teresa 58-44 in the first round Wednesday. Second-seeded Gilroy had a first-round bye.
(4) Gilroy 65, (13) Andrew Hill 48
Hill 5 14 19 10 -48
Gilroy 14 14 20 17 -65
Gilroy (21-7), Andrew Hill (12-13)
CCS Scoreboard
Wednesday’s First Round Results
Division I Boys
(8) Carlmont 56, (9) Piedmont Hills 46
(7) Santa Teresa 50, (10) M. Atherton 48
(3) Bellarmine 63, (14) Silver Creek 39
(6) Alisal 74, (11) Evergreen Valley 48
(5) Milpitas 57, (12) San Benito 3
(4) Gilroy 65, (13) Andrew Hill 48
Division I Girls
(6) Evergreen Valley 59, (11) M. Vista 38
(7) Carlmont 58, (10) Santa Teresa 44
(5) N. Salinas 64, (12) Independence 49
(4) Piedmont Hills 51, (13) Andrew Hill 32
(9) San Benito 44, (8) Alisal 39
Division 2 Boys
(5) Aptos 62, (12) Live Oak 47
Division IV Girls
(8) King’s Acad. 74, (9) Anchorpoint 14
Division IV Boys
(5) Eastside Prep 61, (12) Anchorpoint 27
Mustangs Notebook
Up next Gilroy vs. Milipitas
Saturday, TBA
Independence
