Trailing at the half, Escalon's varsity boys mustered all their drive and desire and came back to win a thriller in their home finale on Tuesday, taking a 1-point win over Riverbank. They went on the road for Friday's final game of the Trans-Valley League campaign, falling to Hughson to split their contests for the week.
Starting out the week on the home court, the team kicked off the Feb. 12 contest by honoring senior players Tim Bacay, James Harrison, Mike Martinelli and Dominick Markette, who serves as video technician and team manager. All four were brought to center court with their parents, along with senior cheerleaders Samantha Samaniego and Hillary Jones.
The tightly contested game saw the teams trade points, 12-12, in the first quarter before Riverbank got on a roll and outscored the host Cougars 17-8 in the second to lead it, 29-20 at the half.
Fighting back, Escalon scored 15 points in the third to Riverbank's nine, so they were still trailing, 38-35, entering the final period. Over the final eight minutes, the Cougars put in 15 points while Riverbank managed 11, the host team escaping with the thrilling 50-49 win.
"Tuesday night was amazing," coach Martin Louro said. "We had the ceremony for our seniors, we had a sophomore hit some big 3's and James Harrison came up big, he had 10 points, 12 rebounds and 11 blocked shots, including one at the buzzer."
That potential game saver was just one of the highlights for the team, which has seen the wins come few and far between this season.
"Spencer Franceschetti had 20 points, 15 of them in the second half including two big 3's in the fourth," Louro said.
The sophomore has battled injuries throughout the season but gave his all for the home crowd.
In fact, the team has had its share of injuries, hobbled during the course of the year.
Starting out the week on the home court, the team kicked off the Feb. 12 contest by honoring senior players Tim Bacay, James Harrison, Mike Martinelli and Dominick Markette, who serves as video technician and team manager. All four were brought to center court with their parents, along with senior cheerleaders Samantha Samaniego and Hillary Jones.
The tightly contested game saw the teams trade points, 12-12, in the first quarter before Riverbank got on a roll and outscored the host Cougars 17-8 in the second to lead it, 29-20 at the half.
Fighting back, Escalon scored 15 points in the third to Riverbank's nine, so they were still trailing, 38-35, entering the final period. Over the final eight minutes, the Cougars put in 15 points while Riverbank managed 11, the host team escaping with the thrilling 50-49 win.
"Tuesday night was amazing," coach Martin Louro said. "We had the ceremony for our seniors, we had a sophomore hit some big 3's and James Harrison came up big, he had 10 points, 12 rebounds and 11 blocked shots, including one at the buzzer."
That potential game saver was just one of the highlights for the team, which has seen the wins come few and far between this season.
"Spencer Franceschetti had 20 points, 15 of them in the second half including two big 3's in the fourth," Louro said.
The sophomore has battled injuries throughout the season but gave his all for the home crowd.
In fact, the team has had its share of injuries, hobbled during the course of the year.
