Boys Basketball: Final Defensive Stop Springs Gauchos Over Mack

El Cerrito 52, McClymonds 49

The Star: Jamontee Condor scored a game-high 14 points and point guard Bobby Syvanthong scored five points in the crucial fourth quarter for the Gauchos.

The Turning Point: After Mack hit back-to-back 3-pointers to cut the El Cerrito lead to 50-49 with just minutes remaining, the Gauchos dug deep and stopped the Warriors on their final three possessions of the game.

The Quote: "Protect the rim and help out," said Syvanthong about the last possession. "That's what we did."

What's Next? El Cerrito will host another Oakland Athletic League school in Oakland Tech 7 p.m. Friday.

Bottom Line: Without their leading scorer to rely on down the stretch, the Gauchos had to win the game on the defensive end of the floor. That's exactly what they did.

——————————

For a game that went back-and-forth for four quarters, it was no surprise that the final possession ultimately decided the winner.

Fortunately for the boys basketball team, that final possession became a textbook display of defensive prowess.

Jamontee Condor led all scorers with 14 points and Marcellus Pippins added 10 points, as the Gauchos knocked off traditional Oakland power McClymonds High, 52-49, Wednesday night in a close contest that went down to the final seconds.

Holding a 50-49 lead with 13.9 seconds left in the fourth quarter, El Cerrito faced the possibility of a Mack score to win the ball game.

However, the Gauchos played tremendous help defense, eventually forcing a turnover to preserve the solid victory.

"We wanted to deny the ball and not allow penetration," said El Cerrito coach Michael Booker. "We packed the line and made sure that if they were going to win, they were going to have to shoot from outside."

The win for the Gauchos (6-2) was even sweeter considering the final moments came without leading scorer Jabri Jenkins, who was ejected in the third quarter after a brief stare down with Warriors' enforcer Eddie Heard.

With Jenkins out of the game, El Cerrito slowed down offensively in the final frame. However, the Gauchos continued to defend well on the defensive end, highlighted by the three straights stops on Mack's final three possessions to hold on to the victory.

Point guard Bobby Syvanthong added seven points for El Cerrito, including five clutch points in the fourth quarter with Jenkins out the game. Syvanthong also led the charge defensively against a talented but inconsistent Warriors' offense.

Syvanthong hounded Mack point guard Dulani Robinson (14 points) just enough on the final possession, forcing Robinson to give up the ball on the left wing.

Seconds later, the Gauchos were able to force a turnover, leading to a Justin Johnson (10 points) lay-in at the buzzer.

"Protect the rim and help out," Syvanthong said about the final defensive possession. "That's what we did."

Initially, the contest looked gloomy for El Cerrito. The Gauchos found themselves down 15-8 after the first quarter and had trouble to begin the second quarter as the Mack guards forced numerous turnover through its full court press.

El Cerrito quickly settled down and found a rhythm, however, outscoring the Warriors 17-6 in the second quarter to turn the game around.

Both teams traded buckets in the back-and-forth third quarter, before Jenkins and Heard were ejected with 3:21 left in the period. The Gauchos gathered themselves nicely despite the loss of Jenkins, grinding their way to the eventual win.

"We had to (adjust), because he's our number one scorer," Booker said about the loss of Jenkins. "We had to play more team oriented. We decided to make an effort (with Jenkins out) to really get down in the paint."

——————————

El Cerrito 52, McClymonds 49

McClymonds (4-4)           15             6             14             14 — 49

El Cerrito (6-2)                 8               17           16              11 — 52

INDIVIDUALS

McClymonds (fg ftm-fta tp) – Robinson 6 0-0 14, Otis 2 0-0 5, Guy 3 2-2 8, Bell 4 2-4 12, Taise 1 0-0 2, Williams 0 2-2 2, Peters 0 2-2 2, Harris 2 0-0 4. Totals 18 8-10 49.

El Cerrito – Jenkins 1 2-2 4, Pippins 3 2-4 10, Nelson 2 1-2 5, Johnson 4 2-2 10, Condor 5 3-6 14, Syvanthong 3 1-1 7, Williams 1 0-0 2. Totals 19 11-17 52.

3-point goals: McClymonds 5 (Robinson 2, Bell 2, Otis 1); El Cerrito 3 (Pippins 2, Condor 1).

Fouled out: M_Guy. EC_none.

——————————

Follow Patch Sports East Bay on Twitter

Download the movie