Balanced Attack Boosts San Marcos to 74-55 Victory Against Rival Dos Pueblos

The San Marcos High boys’ basketball team overcame a slow start to capture a critical Channel League contest against rival Dos Pueblos, 74-55, on Friday night at Maury Halleck Gymnasium. 

The Royals came into the game having lost seven of their previous eight games, but found a great rhythm offensively by sharing the ball and pulled away from Dos Pueblos.

“I don’t think we did anything that dramatic, we just played. We pressed, that helped speed the pace up a little bit and I think got our guys a little bit more engaged even though they were beating it a little bit in the first half,” said San Marcos coach James Kinzler. “I’m proud of our guys moving the ball.”

Ten San Marcos players scored in the game led by Joe Pasternack IV and Micah Jacobi, who scored 14 points apiece. Brody Green did a nice job orchestrating the Royals attack and scored ten points.

From the opening tip, Dos Pueblos guard Justin Stock was ready to play. He scored 14 first quarter points, displaying incredible shot making in the process. Stock finished with a game-high 30 points.

“For Stock to come out and score {14 points} in the first quarter, I just told him ‘that was amazing what you did,” Kinzler said. “Thankfully he cooled off, I mean we didn’t have an answer. I thought we were guarding him pretty well.”

A deep three-pointer by Stock gave Dos Pueblos a 9-4 lead with 5:00 minutes remaining in the first quarter. However, San Marcos responded with a 20-6 run capped off by a Pasternack three-pointer that gave the Royals a 24-15 lead at the 1:25 mark of the first quarter and forced a Dos Pueblos timeout.

Another Stock three-pointer cut the Dos Pueblos deficit to 26-20 at the end of the first quarter. 

San Marcos continued to build on its lead in the second quarter. Pasternack found Jacobi for a basket inside, increasing the Royals lead to 36-23 late in the first half.

 Dos Pueblos only scored five points in the second quarter and the extended dry spell allowed San Marcos to build breathing room.

The Royals built on their momentum in the second half and a three-pointer by Pasternack just before the third quarter buzzer sounded gave San Marcos a 55-39 lead.

“{San Marcos} did a good job of taking us out of what we wanted to do. We forced the issue a little bit too much,” said Dos Pueblos coach Joe Zamora. “We didn’t swing the ball as much as I’d like to. I think the ball got stuck a lot and our scoring went down because of that.”

The San Marcos bench shined in the fourth quarter led by Danny Diaz, who finished with ten points. A corner three-pointer by Diaz gave San Marcos a 63-41 lead with just under six minutes remaining in the fourth quarter.

With the victory San Marcos improves to 7-9 overall and 2-2 in Channel League play. Dos Pueblos drops to 7-8 overall and 0-4 in Channel League.

Oxnard, 47; Santa Barbara, 45

The Dons stormed back from 27-17 halftime deficit and had a chance at a game-winning three-pointer as the fourth quarter buzzer sounded, but failed to convert. Luke Zuffelato scored a game-high 25 points.