Big run leads to Classic win
Wendy Alexander/The Madera Tribune
Madera South’s Jessie Ford goes up for two of his team-high 22 points in Wednesday’s victory over Chowchilla on the first day of the Madera South Classic.
The Madera South Stallions boys basketball team used a 17-0 run in the second and third quarters to turn a tight game into a cruising victory over Chowchilla in its home opener of the first night of the Madera South Classic.
The Stallions trailed Chowchilla by two in the middle of the second quarter, but used their surge to get the lead to 20 points at one time for a 56-47 victory Wednesday.
“We couldn’t finish,” head coach Jody Sharp said. “We did a great job in the third quarter and couldn’t finish and gave the basketball up. They made shots and it became a 10-point game.”
The Stallions outscored the Tribe 31-5 in the second and third quarters to take control of the game.
“When we switched defenses, it helped,” Sharp said. “We got some turnovers and got some easy looks.”
Sharp’s big men also took control of the boards. Jesse Ford and Julian Galvan combined for 17 rebounds, including six on the offensive glass. Ford also led the team with 22 points while Galvan added six.
“They’ve been doing a good job,” Sharp said. “They’ve been rebounding the snot out of the basketball, already. They’ve been a huge part. They have been doing a really good job.”
Jayshawn Thomas added 12 points to go with three steals.
Connor Borba led the Tribe with 17 points while Noah Linhares added 13.
Chowchilla jumped out to an early lead behind a 3-pointer from Linhares.
Daniel Valdez started the Stallions with a five-foot floater. Chowchilla came back with seven straight points for a 12-2 lead.
Madera South scored six straight points. Ford scored down low, Daniel Alberto drove the lane for a layup and Galvan found Ford for another layup to cut the lead to 12-8.
Chowchilla answered witha bucket from borba and a 3-pointer from Ryan Hickman for a 17-8 lead.
After a Ford free throw, Linhares scored three straight points to open a 20-9 Chowchilla lead.
Madera South started to come back with a Garet Waits 3-pointer and a Ford putback for a 20-14 Tribe lead at the end of the first quarter.
The Stallions extended the run to 11-0 to open the second quarter to tie the game at 20.
Alberto scored with a scoop layup, Ford hit a five-foot jumper and Thomas hit a three-foot floater.
Borba stopped the run with two free throws midway through the second quarter.
Madera South closed the final four minutes of the half with five straight points to take a 25-22 lead into halftime.
Galvan started the run with a short jumper. After a Thomas free throw, Agustin Martines hit a turnaround 12-foot jumper for the three-point lead.
Madera South came out firing in the second half. The Stallions scored buckets on six of their first nine possessions.
Thomas stole the ball from Chowchilla and scored on a layup. After a steal from Martinez, Galvan made a layup. Off a Galvan rebound, Thomas hit a floating jumper. After a Valdez steal, Galvan scored on a layup, shooting the ball behind his head.
Ford put back a rebound and then made a layup off a Galvan pass. By the time the Tribe broke the run with a 3-pointer from Hickman, the Stallions turned a two-point deficit into a 15-point lead.
The Stallions closed the third quarter with an eight-point run to et the lead to 20 heading into the fourth quarter.
Valdez started the run with a layup while getting bumped. Ford picked up a steal in the backcourt and made a layup. He then put back his own miss and made two free throws for a 45-25 lead heading into the fourth quarter.
The Tribe battled in the fourth, outscoring the Stallions 22-11, but ran out of time.
Thomas extended the Stallions’ lead to 22 with seven-foot bank shot to open the fourth.
Chowchilla scored the next six points to cut the lead to 14 before Galvan pulled down a rebound and fed to Thomas down the court for a layup.
Thomas answered a Chowchilla bucket with a steal and layup.
Borba hit a 3-pointer to cut the Stallions’ lead to 13.
Galvan found Ford for a layup and Jeremiah Gonzales made two technical foul free throws for a 55-38 lead with 2:25 left in the game.
Borba made a layup and Linhares hit a 3-pointer to cut the lead down to 12.
Ford made a free throw with a minute left in the game for a 13-point lead.
Chowchilla closed the game with back-to-back layups from Linhares and Borba for the 56-47 final.
