SAN JOSE — Santa Teresa has made a behavior of getting back from large deficits at house this season.
Simply final Wednesday, the Saints trailed Westmont by double digits earlier than coming again to win in time beyond regulation. Final Friday, they trailed by 21 earlier than beating Willow Glen 91-88.
However there could be no such comeback on this Friday evening in San Jose. This time, Santa Teresa welcomed in league-leading Christopher, and the Cougars took a 36-24 lead into the halftime break.
Christopher mashed the accelerator from there, successful the third quarter 22-5 to go up by 29 factors. That was too many for even Santa Teresa to come back again from, and the Saints misplaced 75-43.
“I knew in the second half, we had to really be on point,” stated Christopher coach Adam Sax. “Being connected on defense, because I think they hit 13 threes in the second half in one game. So we knew that they were very capable of coming back. We definitely had to be ready to go.”
That they have been. The Cougars (19-2, 9-0) have been one of the best crew within the Blossom Valley Athletic League’s Mt. Hamilton Division coming into Friday, and so they appeared prefer it in opposition to a crew that has rapidly gained a status for slaying one of the best groups within the league.
The place different opponents discovered themselves on the mercy of Santa Teresa’s second-half magic, Christopher as a substitute threw a knockout punch. It’s laborious make a late-round comeback when your again is flat on the canvas.
“We felt pretty good at halftime only being down 12,” stated Santa Teresa coach Patrick Decide. “But then they come out in the second half and our first five possessions, we had four turnovers, all of which led to easy layups. That’s tough, to go from 12 to 20. That’s pretty tough to come back from, especially against a good team like Christopher.
“We like the comeback. But Christopher is too good of a team. Too big, well-coached, good guards. Hats off to them.”
No particular person performer overwhelmed Santa Teresa (10-12, 4-6 BVAL) on Friday. The Cougars as a substitute got here in waves, overcoming the Saints with the excellence of their depth.
Middle Jaxen Robinson led Christopher with 22 factors, doing his work down low and on the free-throw line. Quinn Ledesma-Outdated Elk and Anton Mendezona every chipped in 11 factors.
Sam Guenther additionally reached double figures with 10 factors, and Tyler Inexperienced added 9.
“We had a lot of returning guys from last year,” Sax stated. “We’ve got six seniors, so it’s an experienced group. So they really connected, and the chemistry has always been great. We don’t have that one transcendent player that scores over 20 points a game every day. It’s a little bit different.”
No matter works. In a health club the place so many robust groups have stumbled this yr, the Cougars’ supremacy ensured there was by no means a doubt within the second half. It was Santa Teresa’s first house loss in league play this season.
“This gym is dark and cold,” Sax stated. “So this is a tough place to play, especially when they get hot. So I was hoping we’d control the first half. And hopefully, they don’t have the same legs. Hopefully, they get a little tired by the second half. We’ve been more of a defensive team all year. That’s our strength.”
Christopher managed to deep Santa Teresa’s deep taking pictures at bay whereas additionally stopping the Saints from entering into the paint. Santa Teresa’s main scorer, Gabe Deason, put up simply 13 factors. Ayden Bobbitt, the Saints’ second-leading scorer, was held to 10.
Santa Teresa’s Ayden Bobbitt (5), proven in a file picture, was restricted by Christopher’s protection on Friday in San Jose. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Space Information Group)
“Our goal was to eliminate the paint touches, paint penetration,” Sax stated. “So I thought we did a better job on that. And contest the shots. They’re going to make some, because they’re pretty good shooters. But I thought we did that.”
