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San Marcos had its way with Dos Pueblos in the first half of Wednesday’s Channel League boys basketball opener and it looked as though the Chargers were in for a long night.
The Chargers didn’t let the Royals get away with it, fighting back in the second half to make a game of it before falling 41-33.
San Marcos' Cade Ridenour led all scorers with 16 points on Wednesday, including eight in the fourth quarter. (Vince Agapito Photo)
‘”They prevented us from getting good looks for our 3-point shooter; I felt like they did a good job of packing it in when he went out,” said Chargers head coach Joe Zamora.
“They took away a lot of the things we wanted to do.
After a first half in which the Chargers scored just two field goals, DP trailed 22-7 at halftime but cut the lead to four twice in the fourth quarter.
Mansai Conner’s 3-pointer at the start of the final period made it 29-25, the closest the game had been since early in the first quarter.
Two free throws from Thayer White and a 10-foot jumper from Cade Ridenour pushed the Royals’ lead back up to eight. Dos Pueblos cut it down to four again at 37-33, but this time with only a minute remaining.
“Tonight they were playing tough down low, and it was a really scrappy game – that’s how it always is against DP though,” said White, a senior captain for the Royals. “It’s what I expected. Actually most Channel League games are always like this.”
“I’ve come pretty accustomed to games like this where it’s just a defensive grind. Any basket you can get is what you’ll take.”
DP's Cruz Mertens drives to the basket with San Marcos' Chad Ridenour defending.
Ridenour scored next, and DP never did again.
“Seeing them creep up on us, didn’t really make me too happy,” Ridenour said.
Ridenour was responsible for eight the Royals’ 12 points in the final quarter, which was half of his total for the night, 16. The senior wasn’t sure if he was going to be able to play this year after missing last season because of a broken leg, but has averaged 18 points in his last two games.
“I feel like we could have come back but then we just had a few bad possessions and turned the ball over,” Conner said.
Cruz Mertens recorded a team-high 12 points for the Chargers, and Conner added 11. Both turned it on in the second half and carried the team back into the game.
“I like my kids. In the second half, We made some adjustments and it showed,” Zamora said.
The Royals (8-2) are ranked No. 4 in the Southern Section Division 3-AA polls. They host Ventura, a defending CIF-ss champion, on Friday at the Thunderhut. The Cougars, themselves the No. 13 team in Division 1-AA, routed Buena 64-35 to start their league season on Wednesday.
The Chargers (2-4) are the only Channel League team not playing a league game on Friday. Instead, DP will prepare for a game against Lakewood next Tuesday.
SAN MARCOS 41, DOS PUEBLOS 33
San Marcos – Cade Ridenour 16, White 10, Zajic 2, Bryce Ridenour 2, Chad Ridenour 6, Hempy 5,
Dos Pueblos – Conner 11, Wopat 3, Mertens 12, Vickers 2, Williams 5.
SM 9 13 7 12 – 41
DP 3 4 15 11 – 33
3-pointers – SM 4 (Cade Ridenour, Chad Ridenour 2, Hempy) DP 4 (Mertens 3, Conner). FTs – SM 5-11, DP 11-17. Total Fouls – SM 15, DP 14. Records – SM 8-2, DP 2-4.
