The El Capitan High basketball team hosted Atwater High in a closely contested CCC matchup on Friday, February 6. The last time these two teams met, on January 21st, the Gauchos lost by one point in Atwater, 54-53. The Falcons entered this game on a three-game winning streak, trailing first place in the CCC standings by one game, and although the Gauchos already proved they could match up well, the moment fell upon them to show they could deliver a close contest in front of a festive home crowd.
The game started fast for the Falcons. Atwater began with a 7-0 run, establishing an early presence in the post with Peter Idaialu and Sylas Austin. The Gauchos broke the run with a layup from Charles Polk, but the Falcons’ defense stifled El Capitan for much of the first quarter. By the end of the first quarter, the Falcons were able to maintain their 7-point advantage and led the Gauchos 11-4.
Early in the next quarter, the Gauchos started to fight back by scoring a two pointer from Gauchos freshman Zach Owens, and then a three-point shot from Guerin Bliss to cut the lead to two. However, Atwater answered with a free throw shot from Austin and another field goal from Idaialu to keep their lead. By midway through the second quarter, Atwater had extended their lead to eight points at 19-11. Just when it seemed as if the Falcons would cruise into the halftime break, El Capitan went on a 6-0 run that was capped off with a layup from Bliss to bring them back within two points. However, once again, the strong presence of Sylas Austin in the post allowed Atwater to get the points they needed to maintain a stout six-point lead, 23-17, at halftime.
In the third quarter, the Gauchos came out fired up and ready to shoot. They opened the second half with a three-point shot from Anthony Jones, and after Atwater missed their next three shots, El Capitan was able to make another three-point shot, this time from J’Marion Ervin, to tie the game at 23 apiece. As the third quarter came to a close, things stayed tight. Tied at 32 with under a minute left in the quarter, Ervin sank another jump shot to give El Capitan their first lead of the night. However, just when it seemed as if the momentum was shifting, Atwater nailed a clutch three-point shot to give them back the lead, 35-34.
At the start of the fourth quarter, the teams traded baskets with Atwater pulling slightly ahead until El Capitan’s Jones tied the game with a layup at 39-39. Atwater’s Austin became the Falcon to go to when the team needed a big basket. He broke the tie in Atwater’s favor, 41-39 with a layup in the post. Later in the fourth quarter, after Bliss tied the game with just over two minutes to play, it was Sylas Austin, once again, that gave his team the lead at 48-46 with another field goal in the paint. By that point, Atwater was able to make enough free throws as the clock wound down to escape El Capitan’s Stable Center with a 51-46 victory.
With the win, the Falcons remain just one game behind first place Merced High in the CCC standings. On February 11, the Falcons will travel to Merced High to battle the Bears for first place in the CCC. El Capitan will close out the season with games against Golden Valley High, on February 11, and Los Banos High, on February 13. Game times are set for 7:15pm.
- Photos by Elijah DeWitt. ↩︎
