Greyhounds take bite out of 'Jackets

EDCOUCH - San Benito coach Roy Garcia knows that in order to stay in a ballgame against the Edcouch-Elsa Yellowjackets, foes must run the court with them and match them basket-for-basket.

The Greyhounds did just that as they were very aggressive underneath the basket and took advantage of the Jackets turnovers as they cruised to a 74-61 non-district win Tuesday night.

"We knew coming into this game the Edcouch-Elsa was going to run and gun all night long and we had to stick with them," Garcia said. "We did a nice job of attacking the basket and kept the ball under control.

"There is no question that we are not an outside shooting team, so we have to rely on hitting the shots underneath. Also, we did a nice job tonight of converting on turnovers. This was a big win for us tonight. Edcouch-Elsa is a very good team and we are lucky to come out on top."

Leading 6-4 with 4:39 left in the first quarter, San Benito (4-0) went on a 7-0 run as it hit multiple layups and took advantage of crucial turnovers by the 'Jackets, giving them a 13-4 lead with 3:51 left in the first.

But E-E (3-1) fought back as it went on a 7-0 run and cut the lead to 13-11 with 2:49 left in the first quarter. The run was sparked by Ernest Hernandez's 3-pointer.

San Benito extended its lead to 23-13 at the end of the first quarter as it closed out the period on a 10-0 run.

Edcouch-Elsa finally got back on track as it took its first lead of the night 30-29 with 1:52 left in the first half. Arti Tanguma made quite an impact in his first game after finishing football season and scored eight hard earned points in the second quarter and led the 'Jackets with 21 points on the night.

But the Greyhounds took a 37-30 lead into the half as they hit back-to-back three pointers before the end of the quarter.

San Benito continued to dominate underneath the basket in the second half as Oscar Gonzalez scored 15 points in the half and led the Greyhounds with 21 points on the night.

The 'Jackets trailed by as many as 16 points in the third quarter before cutting the lead to seven. But San Benito regained its composure and outscored the 'Jackets 16-10 in the fourth quarter.

"It was a hard-fought game and I liked our hustle tonight," Edcouch-Elsa coach Robert Capello said. "We did some good and bad things tonight. But I have to give credit to San Benito. They are a very good team and this was a very good test for us."