SHP outduels HMB in CCS Division IV overtime thriller

So, when Garduno-Martin got an open 3-point look in the closing seconds of regulation to tie the title game, and force overtime, Osterloh could do little else but roll his eyes.

“His shooting has always been next-level,” Osterloh said. “And when he got free at the end of that fourth quarter ... I was a little worried about that one. I mean, he’s a hell of a player.”

Osterloh ain’t a bad player himself, and it was the SHP senior’s team-high 18 points that led the No. 1-seed Gators’ 71-64 overtime victory over No. 2 Half Moon Bay.

After Garduno-Martin scored a quick cutting layup to open OT to give HMB its first lead since early in the second quarter, the Gators responded with a 10-0 run to crush the Cougars’ spirits.

SHP sophomore Matthew Osterloh drove for a scoop layup that swirled around the rim before nestling to tie it 59-all. Then junior guard Zack Beals connected for a corner 3 to give the Gators the lead. Garduno-Martin looked to tie it at the other end, but his 3-point attempt missed front rim. Osterloh was unforgiving toward his old rival, pulling up for a short jumper, before free throws by sophomore Pat Bala and junior Alberto Bernardis upped the lead to 67-59.

“We’ve been in several overtime games this year,” SHP head coach Jeff Wurbrun said. “You stick to your game plan. I reminded them a couple times, there’s going to be ebbs and flows in the game, and then you’ve just got to weather them with poise and composure.”

The Cougars, who took care of the ball so well in their 83-59 CCS semifinal win over Menlo School, totaling just seven turnovers in that one, committed 14 turnovers Saturday. SHP scored off most of those turnovers, a key factor in overcoming a 20-16 deficit with a 10-0 run in the second quarter.

SHP (16-11) went on to shoot a proficient 45.8% from the field, but HMB made more shots and at a higher clip at 49.0%.

“That was really the Achilles’ heal for us today, was just taking care of the ball,” HMB head coach John Parsons said.

Bala was the bolt from the blue for SHP in the first half. The sophomore was one of three Gators to score in double figures with 15 points, including nine in the second quarter, an and-1 to close the gap to 20-19, and — after a 14-foot Osterloh jumper put SHP ahead — a pair of Bala 3s late in the half built the lead to 37-25 by the break.

“Pat, in his own, he reflects our whole team,” Wurbrun said. “The tremendous growth that he’s had as a player, from the beginning of the season as a sophomore playing his first minutes on varsity, to stepping in as a confident player and knocking down 3s early in the game, giving us quality minutes; and that’s who we are as a team.”

HMB (16-11) responded in the second half with an unsung hero of its own in junior guard Preston Wyatt, as the Cougars came out of the locker room playing faster and more precise.

“That’s what we talk about is just playing our game, and we’re good at playing fast,” Wyatt said. “So, that’s what we’re trying to do, get our shots up.”

While Garduno-Martin scored a game-high 21 points, Wyatt added 18.

The Cougars opened the half on a 10-0 run, including a Wyatt 3-ball from well back of the arc. SHP adjusted its defense to man up the Cougars’ hot hand, but it didn’t matter as Wyatt hit a contested 3 later in the third quarter to close the deficit to 42-38.

SHP led 46-42 heading to the fourth, but the Cougars twice closed the gap to 2, first on a layup by senior Owen Perez, who got fouled on the play for an and-1 try, but missed the free throw to make it 49-47 Gators. After Osterloh missed an and-1 try after scoring a fast-break layup at the other end, HMB kept it at 51-49 when the 6-9 Perez powered for a layup.

Perez finished with 15 points and six rebounds, but had to work hard in the paint to build his line after a slow start.

The physicality of SHP’s defense was the difference, though. Trapping ball screens, helping from the weak side, doubling the low post, these were the ingredients of the Gators’ effort to disrupt the mighty HMB offense, Wurbrun said.

“Our personality, defensively, is we need to disrupt,” Wurbrun said. “If we guard you, teams are going to be really effective, and we have been very intentional about trying to disrupt ... and we weren’t going to change that today.”

The Gators pushed the lead to 5 in the closing minutes, but a pair of late free throws by Garduno-Martin put HMB within striking distance. Then, the senior got the call for a pick-and-roll 3-ball with just seconds remaining in regulation to send it to overtime.

“We joke all the time, whether it be fall, summer, it’s like: ‘Hey! Why don’t we just fast forward to four minutes to go and it’s a one-point game,’” Parsons said. “Because they always come down to the end, no matter who’s up at the start.”

De Bernardis delivered a double-double for the Gators, with 13 points and 10 rebounds, including three free throws in OT.

The CCS title marks the ninth for SHP, and the first for Wurbrun, who took over this season for the man who led the program to six of those titles, Tony Martinelli.

“Credit to them, they rallied back,” Parsons said. “I mean, we had all the momentum going into that overtime. So, credit for them. They were kind of resilient and just made more plays than us in that overtime.”