BOYS BASKETBALL: Saints Cool Trojans in Home Win

The Score: Santa Teresa 59, Milpitas 46

The Star: Milpitas senior forward Buddy Ames who had 19 points, 12 coming in the second half and five rebounds.

The Turning Point: Santa Teresa had a 5-0 run at the end of the first quarter, taking the lead 16-9. The Saints would have the lead for the rest of the game.

The Quote: "We keep beating ourselves," said Milpitas head coach Champ Wrencher. "We need our guards to step up; once that happens, we'll be fine."

What's Next: Milpitas will come home to face Balboa High School of San Francisco Thursday at 7 p.m.

Bottom Line: Poor ball handling, several turnovers and the inability to get defensive rebounds were the cause of failure in Tuesday night's loss.

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Before Tuesday night's game against Santa Teresa High School, Milpitas High boys basketball coach Champ Wrencher knew exactly how the game would play out if his backcourt didn't play to their ability.

Unfortunately for  Milpitas, the same early-season issues crept up once again Tuesday night as Santa Teresa cruised to a convincing 59-46 win in front of a rowdy crowd at Santa Teresa.

"We keep beating ourselves," Wrencher said. "We need our guards to step up. Once that happens, we'll be fine."

Milpitas started the game out strong against Santa Teresa's full-court press with smooth ball handling and baskets from junior forward Buddy Ames and senior point guard Terrance Hartley.

Ames had two blocked shots in the first half.

Soon after, the Trojans fell apart, as they were outrebounded on the defensive boards and made several costly offensive turnovers.

Milpitas also went cold from the field and failed to capitalize at the free throw line.

Senior forward Spencer Koopmans led the Saints with seven points in the first half and finished with 15 on the night as Santa Teresa went up 27-20 at half time.

Santa Teresa dominated the passing game and used their size to get down low and make easy baskets.

They were also led by senior point guard Denzel Copeland who had 10 points and senior center Daniel Gunther with 8 points.

Ames led Milpitas in scoring with seven points in the first half, including a three-point field goal in the second quarter.

The 6-foot-5 forward finished with 19 points and five rebounds on the night.

Ames said that in order for his team to overcome defeat Tuesday night, he and his team would have to play a smoother style of basketball.

"I tried to get to the basket and make something happen," Ames said. "We played sloppy tonight and didn't take care of the ball. I tried to give everyone good looks and tried to cut down the lead."

Unfortunately, cutting down the lead wasn't a reality for Ames and the Trojans, as they saw their deficit increase in the second half.

Santa Teresa went on two separate 8-0 runs and led by as much as 20 points with just under three minutes left in the game.

Junior guard Nick Rodriguez also chipped in five points for Milpitas.

 "We can't take care of the ball," Wrencher said. "Soon as we can find someone to take over the guard spot, we'll be fine. Everything we do works. We just need the right personnel to get in there and get it done. As long as we don't turn the ball over, we'll be fine."

Tuesday night's loss puts Milpitas at 1-5 on the season, but they have yet to play a league game. League play begins in two weeks.