Sequoia seals PAL boys’ tourney title

The common denominator over the past four seasons for Sequoia has been center Ziggy Lauese, who battled through early foul trouble Saturday to post team-highs of 18 points and eight rebounds. But the Cherokees were a determined bunch, utilizing a pristine team passing tempo and inspired defense to lead the championship showdown wire-to-wire.

“I always use the Warriors (as an example),” Sequoia head coach Fine Lauese said. “Everybody looks to pass the ball assuming there’s going to be a breakdown somewhere. … It’s good to see. When the ball is moving, we play well.”

The benefits showed in the Sequoia box score. Senior guard Pedram Attari added 14 points, while seniors Myles Nunez and Zach Bene added nine apiece. And while Ziggy Lauese had to sit more minutes than usual — although, he did play through most of the opening half even after incurring his third foul midway through the second quarter — Bene, an unsung hero for the Cherokees this season, was essential on defense and on the boards.

“Zach Bene is our go-to guy when we need to contain the best player on the other team,” Fine Lauese said. “He never comes off the floor and he always plays hard. I wish I had 15 Zach Benes.”

The task in defending the explosive offense of Jefferson is containing its two standout seniors, center Rodney Lawrence and point guard Daniel Benjamin. There were times Sequoia was successful at doing this, and it was at these times the purple-and-black ran away with the game.

Lawrence produced a game-high 21 points and nine rebounds, but battling on the inside with the taller, more imposing Ziggy Lauese — Lawrence is a lanky 6-6, while Lauese is a muscular 6-7 — the Grizzlies’ big man didn’t get to the cylinder for his first field goal until midway through the second quarter. By then, the Cherokees had already built a substantial lead.

“Rodney was very good,” Ziggy Lauese said. “I had to try to get around him because he is good. They have a great team but we got some lucky bounces.”

Those “lucky bounces” were rampant in the opening four minutes as Sequoia jumped out to an 8-0 lead. And while Jefferson shot just 1 of 6 from the field in the quarter — on its way to converting just 39 percent throughout — the Cherokees’ hot start catapulted them to a 52.4-percent shooting clip in the contest.

And Bene’s defense was a big reason for the discrepancy, as he consistently forced passes out of the hands of Benjamin. Jefferson’s senior point guard totaled 10 points and five assists, though he converted just one field goal in the first half — a 3-pointer near the beginning of the second quarter — and scored a majority of his points after Sequoia held a double-digit lead in the fourth quarter.

“It’s all about our command on defense,” Ziggy Lauese said. “In practice we always say defense wins championships.”

Jefferson did enjoy a surge near the end of the first half to make a game of it though. The Cherokees were up 25-9 with three minutes to go before halftime, but Lawrence got going on the offensive boards and the Grizzlies finished on a 12-4 run.

Trailing 28-21 at halftime, Jefferson opened the second half with a 3-pointer by junior guard Luis Villarreal, closing to within 28-24. It was as close as the Grizzlies would get.

“We played more close games earlier in the season than lately,” Jefferson head coach John Falabella said. “Close games build character. We should have played a little bit better though.”

From there, Sequoia went on a 10-2 run spurred by a steal and strongman’s reverse layup by Nunez. The two teams broke even on the scoreboard 16-16 in the third quarter, capped by a 10-foot jumper by Bene, only to be matched by Lawrence powering for a put-back on one of his four offensive rebounds.

In the fourth quarter, though, Sequoia commanded a 19-11 outburst, with Nunez and Bene pouring in 3-pointers and Ziggy Lauese emerging for six of his 18 points.

“We haven’t really faced a player the likes of Ziggy all season,” Falabella said. “He’s a load. We knew that coming in.”

The victory all but sealed Sequoia’s advancing to the Central Coast Section Open Division bracket. Play opens Friday with a rematch of the 2016-17 first-round match-up as the No. 5 Cherokees take on No. 4 St. Francis at Santa Clara High School. Tip-off is scheduled for 5:30 p.m.

“We’ve been working for this for a long time,” Ziggy Lauese said. “But we know we have a lot more work to do.”

Jefferson opens play in the CCS Division IV bracket after byes in the first two rounds. The No. 3 Grizzlies tip off Saturday at Hartnell College at a time to be determined.