BOYS BASKETBALL: Aptos Gains Some Revenge

Aptos 54, Harbor 37

The Stars: Aptos senior guard Nick Grieves and junior center Jake Harrell each scored 19 points in the convincing Santa Cruz Coast Athletic League tournament semifinal win Thursday afternoon at Scotts Valley High. Grieves was a volume shooter last Friday night in a loss at Harbor, but things played out in a much different fashion less than a week later. Greives, Conlin Henderson and Charlie Hinga all were hot from behind the arc while Harrell handled all the dirty work inside. The big man finished the game with a double-double (points, rebounds).

The Turning Point: While most of the tournaments spectators were still arriving to the gym, Aptos (21-4, 11-3 SCCAL) exploded out of the gates in the first quarter. The Mariners outscored their opponent 18-6 in the opening eight minutes of play. Harbor(19-7, 10-4 SCCAL) was forced to play catch up the rest of the way. The balanced Aptos team moved the ball efficiently throughout the night. Early offense patience helped the Mariners get quality shots all over the court. Starters Conlin Henderson, Charlie Hinga, Jake Harrell and Nick Grieves all played well early, helping their team move on to Saturday’s tournament finale.

The Quote: "The last couple times we played them we dug ourselves an early hole and had to play from behind the whole game." —Aptos senior guard Nick Grieves said about the difference between this meeting and the other two games against Harbor. “It was a team effort tonight. We wanted to come out and play with a lot of energy. If we play like this on Saturday, it’s going to be a really good game for us.”

What's Next? Aptos will square off against regular season champion Santa Cruz High on Saturday night at Aptos High in the Santa Cruz Coast Athletic League tournament final. Tip time is set for 7 pm.

Bottom Line: It was a convincing win from a highly-motivated Aptos team. After a second loss against Harbor last Friday night bumped Aptos into third place in league, the No. 3 seed rebounded with a stellar showing on both ends of the floor in the semis.  Only four players scored in the win for the Mariners. Squaring off against a deep Cardinals team this weekend, more players will have to contribute offensively if the Mariners want to claim the tourney crown.

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Aptos Scoring

Harrell-19

Grieves -19

Hinga-10

Henderson-6