Atwater boys get defensive for second-half surge

Jason Boesch gently reminded his team during halftime what was at stake.

With three Central California Conference losses entering Friday night’s clash with crosstown rival Buhach Colony, the Atwater High School boys basketball team needed a win to keep its hopes of earning one of the league’s three playoff berths alive.

The message hit home as the Falcons took the court with a defensive fervor in the second half. Boesch’s squad forced nine third-quarter turnovers as it opened the second half with a 17-2 run and never looked back in a 56-45 victory at the Thunder Dome.

“We came out just much more aggressively to start the second half,” Boesch said. “We got some steals and were able to get out and attack on the break for some easy baskets.

“We’ve had trouble getting out and running against teams with faster guards, but we’re a better team when we can push the ball like that. We did it successfully tonight. It’s just a shame it took us a half to get going.”

The game started in typical rivalry fashion, with considerable energy and very little execution as the Falcons (10-12, 2-3 CCC) led 8-6 after one quarter. Players began to settle in, and some actual basketball was played in the second period.

Buhach Colony (2-19, 0-5 CCC) found success inside with Darius Mack scoring six of his team-high 10 points. Atwater countered with Alex Chavez scoring eight of his 12 points, but three three-pointers sent the Thunder into the break with a 25-23 lead.

That would be the high point for Buhach Colony, as the game unraveled in the third quarter.

The Thunder took just one shot in its first eight possessions of the second half, failing to take care of the ball against Atwater’s press. The Falcons took full advantage, getting points off all seven of those turnovers to build a 40-27 lead midway through the third.

Kyle Anaya scored six of his game-high 14 points during Atwater’s run.

“That’s the way we should play defense all the time,” Anaya said. “We came out flat to start the game and realized we had to pick it up.

“This was a must win for us. Fortunately, we had a lot more energy in the second half.”

Atwater had nice scoring balance with Brody Patterson (14 points, eight rebounds) and Reggie Ricks also finishing in double digits.

Ricky Delgado scored eight points for Buhach Colony.

This story was originally published January 23, 2015 at 10:38 PM with the headline "Atwater boys get defensive for second-half surge."