SALINAS VALLEY — With just a win separating second-place Soledad and first-place St. Francis, the final two weeks of Cypress Division play in high school boys’ basketball could be a fight to the finish.
The Aztecs had a 7-1 league record against the 8-0 Sharks as of Monday’s showdown at Soledad High, the results of which came in after press deadlines. The outcome will go a long way in determining the Cypress title.
On Jan. 28, the Aztecs beat Gonzales (3-4, Cypress) 55-28, with scoring led by Pablo Morales, who had 22 points, five rebounds and four steals. Pedro Morales added 12 points and had four steals, while Anthony Medina pounded the boards for 11 rebounds. Anikan Tavarez was credited with three assists.
Two nights later in Greenfield (3-5, Cypress), Pablo Morales scored 22 points with three steals and his brother Pedro filled his stat sheet with 19 points, five rebounds, three assists and two steals for the Aztecs. Tavares grabbed 15 rebounds and Medina added seven rebounds of his own.
Naythen Hernandez led Greenfield in scoring against Soledad with 15 points.
Greenfield began the week with a 75-73 overtime loss to host North Salinas. Christopher Morris led the Bruins with 18 points. Joining Morris in double figures were Hernandez (14 points), Jonathan Miranda (13 points) and Fabian Serrano (12 points).
According to Bruins head coach Mark Hadden, his team had the lead at the end of regulation and in the first minutes of OT.
“We were leading in regulation, but North High scored a two and hit a bank-in three with three seconds left,” Hadden said. “Also leading in overtime 73-71, but we fouled them two straight times down and they shot 4-4 from the line. We qualified in the pre-season for playoffs but really need to win three of our last four games to be selected.”
The Gonzales boys played just the game with Soledad last week and were led in scoring by Ray Blanco with 19 points and Jayden Vasquez with 13 points.
King City (2-6, Cypress) played two games last week, falling 71-33 at St. Francis on Jan. 28 and beating Pacific Collegiate 53-48 last Thursday in the Mustang gym. Leading scorers for King City in the Pacific Collegiate contest were Antonio Rodriguez (15 points, six assists); Timothy Lopez (12 points, five rebounds); and Cesar Celedon (nine points and nine rebounds).
In a full slate of boys’ games this week: Soledad played St. Francis on Monday, plays at Pacific Collegiate on Wednesday and will host King City on Friday; Gonzales played at Greenfield on Monday and plays at St. Francis on Wednesday; Greenfield concludes the week at St. Francis on Friday; King City plays at North Salinas on Wednesday and is at Soledad on Friday.
GIRLS’ BASKETBALL
Soledad High girls’ basketball team narrowly lost on the road to Monterey, 53-51, on Jan. 28 and fell 39-36 to the visiting Alisal Trojans last Thursday night.
Justina Botello led Soledad (3-5, Gabilan) in scoring in the Monterey game and finished with five steals and eight rebounds. Delylah Ocampo added 16 points and Valeria Segura scored nine points and had seven rebounds.
In the Alisal game, Ocampo led the Aztecs with 13 points and Segura scored 12 points with 17 rebounds, four steals and four blocked shots. Botello contributed with 11 points, nine rebounds, three steals and two assists.
Greenfield (3-5, Cypress) had a 37-30 setback on Jan. 28 to Palma and finished the week with a forfeit win against the Seaside Spartans. Aleena Salas led the Bruins in scoring against Palma with 19 points.
King City Mustangs (6-3, Cypress) also split their contests last week, losing 54-39 at home on Jan. 28 to St. Francis. Amity Hearne had a double-double with 21 rebounds and 13 points, and Janesa Lopez had double figures in scoring with 10 points.
On Jan. 30 at home with Pacific Collegiate, King City beat the Pumas 46-34. Hearne just missed another double-double with 12 points and eight rebounds, and Lopez had nine points in the win.
This week’s girls’ games include: King City hosted Santa Catalina on Monday, plays at Palma on Wednesday and will host Seaside on Friday; Greenfield hosted Pajaro Valley on Monday, has a game at Santa Catalina on Wednesday and completes the week by hosting St. Francis on Friday; Soledad was at Hollister on Monday, will host Everett Alvarez on Wednesday and travels to Watsonville on Friday; and Gonzales will host Oakwood on Thursday.
