BOYS BASKETBALL: Milpitas Season Ends in CCS Opener

The Score: Gilroy 64, Milpitas 58.

The Stars: Milpitas junior post Derek Fox led his team with 22 points on the night. The lefty post player kept his team close until the game’s final moments. Sophomore guard Marcus Rita also finished in double figures for the Trojans. Rita scored 13 points, but only two came after the halftime break.

Gilroy senior Cameron Yawary was a man on a mission. The shifty guard scored a game-high 24 points en route to the Central Coast Section Division I victory over No. 13 seeded Milpitas. Yawary knocked down a tough runner in traffic to give the Mustangs a five-point advantage late in the fourth quarter. He also connected on a pair of key free throws two possessions later to sew up the home win.

The Turning Point: Gilroy, the No. 12 seed in the Division I draw, led 47-46 with a little under four minutes left to play in the tightly-contested playoff bout. With Yawary and Gilroy senior post player Chima Ikeme drawing most of the attention on offense, senior forward Dietrich Baumgartner strung together five straight points to pad the lead and pull the games momentum into the home team’s corner. Baumgartner drilled a 3-pointer off a kick out, then secured a tough offensive rebound in traffic and scored on the put back. The five-point burst put Gilroy ahead 52-46 with 3:29 left to play. Milpitas would get within three points after junior Nick Rodriguez buried his third triple of the night, but a leaner from Yawary dropped in on the other end sealing the visiting Trojans fate.

The Quote: “When it comes down to the fourth quarter, it’s all about execution—Milpitas senior guard Terrance Hartley said about how the final quarter of play finished out for Milpitas. “They executed better than we did in the fourth.”

Hartley, one of three seniors on this year’s team, spoke fondly of the fun ride he had playing with this group after the season ending defeat.  

 “With teamwork you can accomplish a lot,” Hartley said. “We bonded together and played some great basketball. We only lost two games in league. It was a lot of fun to play with these guys. They’ll have a solid team coming back for next year.

What's Next? Milpitas will have to wait until next November to lace up the sneakers and play some basketball. Gilroy will travel north to square off against No. 5 seeded Bellarmine (15-11) Prep-San Jose on Thursday night. The game will tip at 7 pm at Bellarmine Prep. The West Catholic Athletic League member finished with an 8-7 mark in league play, tying St. Ignatius for fourth place overall.

Bottom Line: It was a gritty effort by the No. 13 seeded Trojans on the road. Playing without junior forward Buddy Ames due to injury, Milpitas only trailed by a point heading into the fourth quarter. The Trojans finished in second place in the Santa Clara Athletic League El Camino Division behind first place Mountain View High. Seniors Terrance Hartley, Chuck Payumo and Brian Trinh all called it a career Tuesday night. Hartley finished with seven points, including a buzzer beating 3-pointer from half court to end the game. Now that’s going out in style.