Local CIF battle favors Eagles
EL CENTRO — The first round of the CIF-San Diego Section boys’ basketball playoffs took place Tuesday night with a pair of local teams meeting for a chance to reach the Div. IV final.
The local contest featured Southwest High and Calipatria High, who were seeded No. 8 and No. 9 in the Div. IV bracket, respectively.
As the higher seed, the Eagles hosted the Hornets in an exciting game here that ultimately favored Southwest High, 76-50.
“I have to give it to Calipat,” said first-year Eagle head coach Danilo Montialli. “They executed their game plan and made it difficult for us, but we were able to withstand that pressure and play the full 32 minutes.”
The Eagles were able to hold off a second-half surge by the Hornets in part due to the presence of Grant Hansink in the paint.
The senior starter finished with a double-double and a game-high of 22 points and 16 rebounds.
“(Hansink) definitely makes up the foundation of our team on offense and defense,” Montialli said.
In addition to Hansink, the Eagles had two other players finish in double figures including Ryan Silva with 21 points and eight rebounds and Tyler Saikhon with 18 points, seven rebounds, five assists and two steals.
The aggressive play from the Eagles is nothing new as they carry 12 seniors on their roster and are now 17-11 on the season.
While the result ends to season of one local team, it pushes another to the Div. IV quarterfinals, set for 7 p.m. Friday.
The Eagles will be on the road, traveling to face the No. 1 seed, Maranatha Christian.
“I believe Maranatha Christian is about 23-5, but I think if we’re able to play like we did (Tuesday night) and withstand pressure for long periods of time, we’ll have a good chance to win that game,” Montialli said.