Nobody was questioning Carpinteria’s man-hood on Saturday but the Warriors still made a point to man-up.
Carpinteria switched from a zone defense to man in the second half and used a 14-0 run to take control of a 67-63 victory over Santa Ynez on the second day of the Jim Bashore Classic.
Carpinteria point guard Kevin Lusterio drives into the lane against Santa Ynez on Saturday. Lusterio finished the game with 19 points, six assists and four steals.
“In the zone, we were supposed to match up and we weren’t doing a good job of it so coach made the adjustment and I think from there on was the turning point,” said Warriors point guard Kevin Lusterio, who had a complete game with 19 points, six assists and four steals.
Once settled into its man defense, the Warriors held the Pirates scoreless for more than seven minutes to close out the third quarter and start the fourth. Carpinteria outscored Santa Ynez 14-0 over that stretch, turning a two-point deficit into a 56-44 lead.
“That’s what put it away,” said Carpinteria head coach John Ward. “I was kind of waiting for that all day. It came a little later than I anticipated.”
The Pirates weren’t completely done however, scratching back to within four points late in the game. Santa Ynez twice had chances to make it a one-possession game with less than 90 seconds to play but missed the front ends of 1-and-1 situations on two straight possessions.
“We had a shot at beating Carpinteria today which would be a feather for a bunch of juniors and sophomores,” said Pirates coach Jeff Reck, who doesn’t have a senior on his team. “At least we played them tough. We’ll get better and better and that’s all I can say.”
Trevor Madden helped stave off the Pirates, scoring eight of his 12 points in the fourth quarter.
“One of the stats is that we didn’t have a single turnover in the fourth quarter and that’s why we came out with the win,” Lusterio said.
As a team, Carpinteria (3-3) tallied 15 assists against only 10 turnovers. The Warriors also shot the ball much better, finishing 19-for-38 from the field and 17–for-24 from the free-throw line a day after a woefully poor performance in a tournament-opening loss to Fillmore.
“It just shows how we stepped up tonight with our mental toughness,” offered Lusterio.
Manny Rodriguez matched Lusterio’s game-high with 19 points and added eight rebounds.
Wyatt Garley led Santa Ynez with 13 points and Randy Brittain added 12, although all 12 came in the first half. The Pirates knocked down nine 3-point baskets as Dane Bolitho and Zach Foss hit three each.
Santa Ynez (1-5), having lost to Channel Islands on Friday, completes pool play on Monday against Fillmore.
Carpinteria matches up with Channel Islands on Monday.
CARPINTERIA 67, SANTA YNEZ 63
CARPINTERIA – Madden 12, Lusterio 19, Sova 6, Bustillos 6, Saenz 5, Rodriguez 19. Totals – 19, 17-24, 67.
SANTA YNEZ – Garley 13, Seeman 3, Moir 2, Bolitho 11, Brittain 12, Reck 9, Foss 9, Uhrig 4. Totals – 16, 4-9, 63
Carpinteria 20 10 20 17 – 67
Santa Ynez 13 19 12 19 – 63
3-ptrs – SY 9 (Bolitho 3, Foss 3, Reck 2, Seeman) C 4 (Lusterio 3, Rodriguez). Total Fouls – SY 19, C 15. Fouled Out – None. Technicals – Garley. Records – SY 1-5, C 3-3.
