Santa Rosa holds off rally by Casa Grande boys

Visiting Santa Rosa had enough reserve in the tank to hold off a spirited rally by Casa Grande in the final three minutes, and the Panthers escaped with an exciting 53-51 win in North Bay League hoop action Friday night.

The Gauchos, heading into the game with six consecutive losses, had their chances to end the skid during the nip-and-tuck fourth stanza, but they could not pull away from the energetic Panthers. Long-range 3-point shots in the final minutes by Vikram Singh and Garrett Siebels of Casa pulled the Gauchos even at 50-50, but they could not close the deal.

With the game on the line, and only seconds to play, an open shot from the corner by Casa’s Noah Bailey had good arc and distance, but it spun out as the frustrated Gauchos fell to 0-4 in the NBL.

It was an evenly played contest from the get-go, with neither team separating by more than six points. The ability to successfully battle for second shots under the basket was a big difference for Santa Rosa. Isaiah Steele (6-4) was a dynamo underneath, and he kept the ball alive four times for put-back shots or a fresh shot clock.

Steele, who plays with tremendous energy, had 17 points to lead the Panthers (2-2 NBL), and it was his second efforts that kept Santa Rosa close. Twice he wrestled the ball away from battling Gauchos on the boards when the game was on the line in the final minutes.

Long-distance shooting kept coach Jake Lee’s club on the heels of the Panthers throughout the game. Casa Grande converted at least one 3-pointer in every period.

Siebels came off the bench late in the first period to provide a big spark as Casa left at intermission with a narrow 20-18 advantage. Siebels knocked in a pair of shots from distance, and led his club with 10 points in the half. Overall, the hot-shooting sophomore made the most of a quick release, finishing with 16 points, including a clutch triple in the final minutes to pace the Gauchos.

Singh quietly posted good numbers, including three shots from behind the arc to end with 15 points. While not spectacular, Singh was efficient by converting on 5-of-8 from the floor, and he helped keep his team in business in the second half. Eleven of his points came in crunch time, and each of his shots kept Santa Rosa from pulling away.

The Panthers eventually outlasted Casa because they were able to put up more shots. On several instances, the home-standing Gauchos had empty possessions with passing turnovers.

In the final minute, a misdirected bounce pass in the direction of a cutting Frank Gawronski on the low block was tipped away by the ball-hawking Panther guards. The Gauchos needed a basket during that next-to-last possession to tie up the game.

Gawronski had eight points and nine rebounds for Casa Grande, while Ian Cerutti closed quickly with all six of his points coming in the second half.

Chris Langer tossed in 12 points to support Steele as the Panthers improved to 9-7 for the season.

Casa Grande’s junior varsity continued to have a solid season by hanging a 64-47 defeat on the Panthers. The Gauchos built a 20-point lead throughout much of the second half.

Vikings score long

Earlier in the week, Montgomery’s long-range shooting Vikings gunned down the Gauchos, 68-37. Montgomery hit 13 shots from 3-point distance in recording its third straight league win without a defeat.

Guard Alex Soria knocked down five of the long-range shots, and finished with 17 points. Evan Poulsen added 14 points an Riley O’Neill scored 11.

While the Vikings were burning the nets from the outside, Casa Grande was having a difficult time scoring from anywhere. Casa was led by Singh’s seven points.

Despite their troubles scoring, the Gauchos hung with the Vikings through the first half, reaching the break down 28-23.

Montgomery dominated the second half to improve to 12-3 on the season.