The boys from Pitman High’s basketball team handed Ceres High a first round loss at the Godinez tournament on Thursday, 55-39.
The Pride, led by a solid defensive effort, proved to be too much for the Bulldogs as Pitman led the entire game.
“I think were solid on defense,” assistant coach Undrea Walker said. “We held an opponent under 45(points) for the last three or four games.”
Pitman’s defense was complimented by precise perimeter shooting and an aggressive offense. By halftime the Pride had twice as many points as Ceres. After the half, Ceres was able to orchestrate an offensive run that brought them within seven points of the Pride.
“Good teams with good heart will make those types of runs,” Walker said. “Ceres made a good run and we responded down at the stretch.”
The win advanced Pitman into the second round of the tournament to face Davis High.
“Davis always gives us a great matchup. We’re going to have to step up and match their intensity right off the bat,” Walker said before the game.
When Pitman finally got on the court with Davis on Friday the two defenses battled it out. Both teams were scoreless for the first half of the first quarter. Once the scoring started it didn’t stop with four lead changes in the first quarter.
The second quarter marked the beginning of a dominate Spartan performance however. Davis’ fast and aggressive defense effectively nullified the Pride’s perimeter shooting and overall offense, only allowing them two baskets in the second quarter. The Spartan’s overall strategy was to relegate Pitman’s scoring opportunities to the top of the key, and it worked
“Our team never matched their intensity,” Walker said. “They hit us in the mouth and our team never responded.”
The combinations of Kyle Seever’s quickness and Riley Ghazeari’s size and inside presence overwhelmed the pride, ultimately eliminating them in the second round by a score of 50-32.
“We need to get tougher. When somebody’s hitting you in the mouth you have to step up to the plate and get ready to battle,” Walker said. “We have to rebound from this loss tonight and come back and play Pitman basketball.”
To contact Frankie Tovar, e-mail ftovar@turlockjournal.com or call 634-9141 ext. 2041.
