El Capitan High boys basketball block shot at the buzzer for big road win at Atwater
The message from the El Capitan High boys basketball coaches to their young team this season has been to lock in for 32 minutes.
The Gauchos needed all 32 minutes — including the final seconds — on Wednesday night, as sophomore Jay Ervin blocked Atwater senior Khoi Nguyen’s potential game-typing three-point attempt at the buzzer as El Capitan held on for a 70-67 victory in a key Central California Conference game at Falcon Arena.
There were a few nervous moments after the final play as the players and coaches were waiting to see if the referees were going to call a foul.
“I felt my heart sink there for a second,” said El Capitan coach Adrian Hurtado, whose team improves to 3-2 in the CCC and 12-9 overall. “I had Atwater’s bench in front of me and it felt like we were waiting for 5 minutes to see if they were going to call a foul or not.”
The Gauchos missed two free throws with 3.6 seconds left in the game that would have iced the victory. The rebound kicked out and ended up in the hands of Nguyen, who had just made two 3-pointers in the final 16 seconds and to help pull the Falcons within 70-67.
“I was my teammate was back there and wasn’t going to get to him,” Ervin said. “I just blocked the shot. I didn’t think I fouled him but I was worried they might call a foul. It was kind of scary.”
The victory keeps this Gauchos team who returns only two players in guards Braylen Centeno and Diego Ultreras from last year’s team. The duo averaged just five points per game combined last year as sophomores.
The win over the Falcons (4-2 CCC, 10-10) keeps El Capitan in the thick of the CCC race near the halfway point of conference play.
“It’s huge to get this game on the road,” Hurtado said. “One game between three or four teams in the CCC is a coin toss. In previous years the CCC champion went undefeated or maybe had one loss. This year the CCC champ may have three or even four losses. This keeps us in the mix.”
Diego Ultreras led five Gauchos players in double-figure scoring with 19 points. Ervin continued his hot shooting, connecting on five 3-pointers to finish with 16 points.
“When Atwater made their run in the second quarter, Jay hit three of those to help keep us flowing,” Hurtado said. “He’s a sophomore who is just gaining more confidence.”
Ervin says he’s following his dad’s advice.
“To be honest, it’s my dad who is pushing me,” Ervin said. “I feel I’m the best shooter on the court and if I don’t shoot he’s going to get mad at me. He’s always on me to shoot more.”
Fellow Gauchos sophomore Anthony Jones chipped in with 10 points and Centeno added 10 points. Senior AJ Tadeo added 11 points.
Nguyen led the Falcons with a game-high 23 points. Dario Albeltaro added 13 points for the Falcons.
Hurtado likes the strides his team has made.
“They’re young and they just have to hear the message over and over,” he said. “We tell them they have to be locked in for 32 minutes. We showed if we’re locked in for 32 minutes we can beat anybody. On the flip side, we’ve shown if we’re locked in only 29 or 30 minutes we can lose to anybody.”
