Sports
BOYS BASKETBLL: Harbor Wins Big on Senior Night
Pirates capture their most important win of the season in head coach Mike Gruber's final home game.
Harbor 57, Aptos 47
The Star: On a night where nine Harbor seniors were honored before the game, the reigning Santa Cruz Coast Athletic League Player of the Year didn’t disappoint. Colin Gruber, who was one of the nine players recognized, scored 23 points to help his team knock off first place Aptos High for the second time in three tries this season. Gruber scored 16 points in the first half, sending off his father Mike Gruber—Harbor’s longtime head coach since 1984—with a win in his last home game. Backcourt mate Jon Bogaard earns an honorable mention in this category, scoring 22 points, including a couple big 3-pointers to set the tone early for the upstart Pirates. Ramon Coss also came through with an outstanding performance. The senior big man scored 10 points in the home triumph.
The Turning Point: Harbor (18-6, 9-3 SCCAL) took a double digit lead into the half, but with Aptos (19-4, 9-3) in the midst of a furious rally in the third quarter, senior guard Colin Gruber came through with three shot blocks on back-to-back Mariners possessions to slow down the surge. Gruber’s offensive brilliance was once again on display Friday evening, but it was his ability to defend the rim and the baseline late in the third quarter that allowed Harbor to still maintain an eight-point advantage heading into the fourth quarter of play.
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The Quote: "This win is huge for us." --- Harbor guard Colin Gruber said after the key win over first place Aptos High. “We started out pretty poorly in league. To get a win like this is very important. Hopefully we can carry this momentum into the tournament next week.”
What's Next? Harbor will take part in the Santa Cruz Coast Athletic League boys basketball tournament next week. First round action begins on Tuesday night.
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Bottom Line: A 21-10 burst in the second quarter shot the host Pirates into an impressive 34-17 lead at the halftime break. Gruber and Bogaard combined to score 28 of their teams 34 points in the first half. Aptos came out ice cold, especially from deep. Unable to adjust to the Pirates zone defense early, the Mariners missed 14-of-15 from 3-point land in the first half. Harbor head coach Mike Gruber is retiring at the end of the season. Numerous former Harbor players came out for the pre-game ceremony to honor Coach Gruber.
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