The Bears hosted Half Moon Bay High School on Thursday, March 3 for the consolations finals of the Open Division of Central Coast Section (CCS). The Cougars took fifth place in Open CCS, defeating M-A 61-41.
Half Moon Bay came out strong during the first quarter, shooting over 85%. The Bears struggled offensively, turning the ball over repeatedly. A 18-0 run by Half Moon Bay gave them a healthy lead, 38-19, going into the second half.
Both teams remained scoreless for the first three minutes of the second half until M-A senior Blake Henry tapped in junior Eric Norton’s shot. The Bears continued this momentum to close the gap to only 12 points near the end of the third quarter. Senior Lucas Fioretti closed the gap to 9 points by draining a three with 4 seconds remaining. With .8 seconds left in the quarter, Half Moon Bay’s Jake Salinero scored a buzzer beating half court shot that fueled the Cougars into the fourth quarter.
M-A struggled to stop Half Moon Bay’s outside shooting in the fourth quarter, ultimately loosing 41-61.
L. Fioretti led the Bears with 11 points, followed by seniors Blake Henry, Reed Fratt and Christian Fioretti with 10, 7 and 6 points respectively.
M-A will continue to Nor Cals next week. Check back for updates, photos, and recaps starting next Wednesday.
