Carmel, Palma set for showdown on hardwood
The stage is set for an early season showdown between a pair of unbeatens in boys basketball in the Gabilan Division after Carmel and Palma both rolled to wins Tuesday.
The defending champion Padres erupted for a 72-44 rout of Salinas, while Palma built as much as a 41-point lead in defeating Alvarez 65-41.
The two teams will go into Thursday’s meeting at Carmel both 5-0 in league play.
CARMEL 72, SALINAS 44 >> J.T. Byrne led three players in double figures with 24 points as the Padres improved to 13-1 since joining the Gabilan Division last season.
“I thought we played hard on the defensive end,” Carmel coach Kurt Grahl said. “It felt like we stayed focused on assignments and executed our defensive game plan.”
Amir Brown tallied 12 points
for Carmel, which is 15-2 overall this season. Kai Lee chipped in with 11 points.
Isaiah Duarte, Hector Perez and Ryan McKinley all had 10 points for Salinas, which fell to 2-3 in the Gabilan Division and 11-6 overall.
PALMA 64, ALVAREZ 51 >> The Chieftains tuned up for Thursday’s showdown with unbeaten Carmel, building a 41-point lead in the third quarter before emptying the bench.
“I like the trend we’re on for sure,” Palma coach Kelley Lopez said. “We’re getting closer.”
Aaron Garibay led Palma with 20 points, while sophomore Joey Finley finished with 15. Javey Alvarez was a bright spot for Alvarez with 20 points.
Palma will take an eightgame winning streak into its meeting with the reigning Gabilan Division champion Padres.
ST. FRANCIS 69, NORTH SALINAS 61 >> The Vikings fell from the unbeaten ranks in the Cypress Division to 3-0 St. Francis of Watsonville.
Andy Almaraz ignited North Salinas (2-1) with 16 points, while J.P. Sibal and Jacob Guico each had 10 points.
NORTH COUNTY 73, SEASIDE 49 >> The Condors won their seventh straight game with arguably their most impressive
effort to date, improving to 3-0 in the Mission Division.
Cryus Coffelt produced a team-high 20 points for North County, who after a 1-8 start, is 8-8 overall. Jason Mellin added 13 points, while Sergio Teran and Sergio Anaya combined for 19 points.
Christian Hernandez had 14 points while Jeter Olivares added nine for Seaside.
ALISAL 47, PACIFIC GROVE 46 >> For the third time in five league games, the Breakers were involved in a one-point game. For the second time, they came up short in falling to Alisal.
Jopel Gaveria hit two free throws with 18 seconds left for the Trojans, who then kept Pacific Grove from scoring at the buzzer to earn their first Gabilan Division win of the season. Izahias Carrillo had 13 points.
Jamar Howard scored 19 points for Pacific Grove, which fell to 1-5 in league play. Zach Lewis and Reed Samuels each had nine points.
STEVENSON 72, SAN BENITO 50 >> Luke Driscoll dropped in 34 points as the Pirates remained undefeated in the Mission Division.
Sophomore Evan Johnson added 11 points for Stevenson, while Sam Fontaine tallied nine. Benjamin Soria recorded 14 rebounds and four blocks.
GILROY 64, SOLEDAD 29 >> The Aztecs were held to a season low in falling to Gilroy.
Marcus Tirado scored nine for Soledad.
Girls basketball
STEVENSON 41, CARMEL 15 >> The Pirates put the clamps down on defense, holding defending Cypress Division co-champion Carmel to a season-low in points in a battle of unbeatens in league play.
“We got a ton of good looks,” Carmel coach Kevin Price said. “It was just a brutal night of shooting. A big developmental challenge for this program is to shoot better. We’ll get there.”
Rhea Cosand and Gaby Perez combined for 25 points for Stevenson, which is 3-0 in league and 13-3 overall. Cosand finished with 13 points and Perez 12. Dana Diniz added six points.
Erin Trotter finished with four points and 12 rebounds for Carmel, who is 8-8 overall.
PACIFIC GROVE 56, SOLEDAD 54 >> Lyndsey Llantero had a double-double with 17 points and 16 rebounds, to go along with five steals in the Breakers’ narrow win.
Maddy Sepagan added 12 points and four steals, while Tianna Battistini finished with 11 points and eight rebounds. Molly Momberger pulled down 10 rebounds and recorded five steals.
Girls soccer
ALVAREZ 2, NORTH SALINAS 1 >> Sofia Camacho scored on an assist from Lizbeth Ayala in the Vikings’ loss to Alvarez. Karla Paredes was a standout on defense.
MONTEREY 5, STEVENSON 3 >> Alma Resendiz had the hat trick with three goals in the Toreadores’ win. Marcelina Ramirez and Anette Bonilla each produced one goal.
Helen Yang and Romi Marckx both had a goal and an assist for Stevenson, while Larkin Stephensen tallied a goal.
GONZALES 2, SANTA CATALINA 0 >> Caroline Maguire was a standout in goal in the Cougars’ loss.
Boys soccer
STEVENSON 5, RANCHO SAN JUAN 0 >> Rolando Ortiz scored four goals as the Pirates remained undefeated in the Santa Lucia Division.
Bush Sricharoenlumsam also produced a goal for Stevenson. Quan Bui compiled two assists, while Nathaniel Hahn and Michael Barbera both had one. Ardan Dorrian earned the shutout. MARINA 1, SEASIDE 0 >> Chris Campos scored on an assist from Kevin Foss as the Mariners knocked Seaside from the unbeaten ranks in league play. Norberto Tolentino earned his first shutout of the season.
YORK 4, OAKWOOD 1 >> Justin Vu and Kaeden Ellawendy each scored a pair of goals as the Falcons improved to 2-1 in the Arroyo Division. Jason Khan, Kevin Daliri and Fletcher Gaucher all had assists.