Stewart rides anger to a Merced victory

AJ Stewart might have a future as a card player.

The Merced High School junior keeps his emotions pretty close to the vest. He never gets too high or low over the course of a basketball game, with his demeanor seldom giving any indication of how the Bears are doing.

He went with a different approach in the fourth quarter Friday night. A no-call from contact while Stewart was in an awkward position in the air brought his emotions a little closer to the surface. Stewart ended up sprawled on the floor from the play and let his displeasure be known with a frustrated slap of the court.

Fueled by that fire, Stewart scored 10 of his game-high 21 points in the fourth quarter, turning a tight game into a comfortable 60-47 victory over Atwater at the Nest. The victory clinched Merced at least the third and final Central California Conference playoff spot with one regular-season game to play.

“I knew there was going to be contact, but he hit me pretty solidly,” Stewart said. “It definitely got me mad. I did my best to use it and was really aggressive going to the basket the rest of the game.”

The score was tied 37-37 entering the fourth quarter, but Merced (17-9, 6-3) quickly broke things open.

Tyler Davis (nine points) opened the scoring with a three-point play before Stewart went off with eight consecutive points for the Bears, helping build a 48-41 lead with just over 4 minutes to play. Stewart’s teammates fed off of his intensity as he combined with Brandon Blackwell (11 points, 10 rebounds, three steals) and Ulonzo Gilliam (13 points) to take over the game.

The Merced defense gave Atwater (10-16, 2-7) no opportunity at a comeback. The Falcons shot just 2 of 8 from the field in the fourth quarter and turned over the ball five times.

“At halftime, I reminded them how important this game was,” Merced coach Hector Nava said. “This was an opportunity we couldn’t afford to let get away from us.

“The first half, it looked like open gym out there, but I did feel like our pressure was consistently there all game. By the fourth quarter, I think it took its toll and Atwater had some fatigue.”

It was the third disappointing finish in a row for an Atwater team that turned in a good first half.

Sal Duran had seven points early and Kyle Anaya scored six as the Falcons used a 17-8 second quarter to take a 29-24 halftime lead. Neither guard would score again.

“The last three games, we’ve either been tied or up going into halftime,” Atwater coach Jason Boesch said. “I’m not really sure what it is, but we know at some point in the third or fourth quarters we’re going to have a lull. It cost us again tonight.”

This story was originally published February 6, 2015 at 10:52 PM with the headline "Stewart rides anger to a Merced victory."