Nick Rodriguez dismantled very tenacious 2-3 defenses as Milpitas High’s designated zone-buster. His shooting rhythm seemed so effortless that the crowd would hold up three fingers even before he caught the ball. Even his passion for the game was on par with his technique, as he arrived more than four hours before his own game to watch the entire competition at Piedmont Hills.
That kind of passion was enough to carry a team in search of the right team chemistry all the way to the CCS Division I quarterfinals. However, despite the fact that the last shot of his senior campaign swished in beautifully for a deep corner three, Rodriguez's effort was not enough to continue a Cinderella run to the championship as his Milpitas Trojans fell short, losing 77-70 to the San Benito Haybalers Saturday night. With the win, San Benito (19-6) advances to the CCS semifinals Wednesday night at Independence, where they will take on second-seeded Piedmont Hills (26-2) at 7:15 pm.
Despite a late second half rally, a trend Milpitas has followed in its previous two games, the Trojans could not overcome the athleticism of Jordan Belton and the Spartan-like defensive intensity of the Haybalers. Down 45-29 at halftime, the Trojans clearly could not keep up with the more agile, energetic Haybalers. That long walk out of the locker room must have triggered something in the Milpitas seniors, as they came out with more energy and determination.
Guards Rodriguez, Marcus Rita, and Daryl Purificacion capitalized on steals and translated them into fastbreak points. Buddy Ames realized he had the biggest advantage with his size and strength so he forced his way to the free-throw line. What was finally becoming a game made heading into the fourth quarter so suspenseful, as the Haybalers led the Trojans 58-52.
San Benito coach David Kaplansky was furious at his team’s third quarter letdown, denying his players the right to justify their turnovers. But as they listened to all his yelling, they learned. Being undersized meant nothing to the Haybalers as they battled in the paint against two prolific big men, the 6-foot-7 Fox and 6-foot-6 Ames. Belton was relentless in attacking the basket, scoring 12 of his 33 points in the fourth quarter.
Fox opened up the quarter with an elbow jumper, but Isaiah Acfalle, who went cold after scoring seven in the first quarter, answered right back with his own 3. Ames and Rodriguez split two free throws each and Fox, who also finally used his size, took it strong to the paint and pounded his chest to pull Milpitas within three points.
Milpitas would get away with two crucial calls – a Jacob Tonascia travel and a loose ball possession – but Belton would ultimately take over. He picked off Fox’s inbound passes to turn two clutch steals into the game-sealers. He also had a George Gervin-esque finger roll over Fox, the man he battled all night.
Acfalle and Brian Becerra contributed in the final minutes with a steal and drawing of a charge, respectively. Acfalle finished with 19 points despite battling foul trouble. Hyram Miskin also tallied 19 points for the Haybalers. Kaplansky could not be any more prouder of his boys:
“We picked it up offensively, that was the best we’ve done and the most we’ve scored all season," said Kaplansky. "Our kids were confident and played the whole game.”
Three of Milpitas’ seniors ended their varsity campaigns on a great note. Ames and Rodriguez scored 16 points each. Rodriguez had four 3-pointers, including two in the third quarter to help Milpitas come back. Fox led Milpitas with 28 points. The unranked Trojans’ CCS run, which included two one-point victories, ends in the quarterfinals as Milpitas finishes 14-13.
The win sets San Benito up with an opportunity to take down one of the top public school teams in CCS in the second-seeded Pirates.
“We’re just going to go out and we’re going to compete," Kaplansky said. "Piedmont Hills is a great, great team, so we have to give it all we got again."
