Coyotes hold off late charge for sweep
Wendy Alexander/The Madera Tribune
Madera South’s Jessie Ford (15) is sandwiched between Madera’s Raul Medrano (15) and Fawzat Saed (23) for a rebound attempt in Wednesday’s rivalry match-up while Eriik Cervantez watches.
The Madera Coyotes boys basketball team jumped out to a 20-13 first quarter lead over the Madera South Stallions and held on the rest of the way for a 58-53 victory to sweep the season series.
After getting outscored by seven by the Coyotes, the Stallions outscored Madera 40-38 the rest of the way in Wednesday’s loss.
Jessie Ford led the Stallions with 26 points and nine rebounds. Jojo Galvan added 10 points with five rebounds. However, the rest of the team combined for just 17 points.
Fawzat Saed led the Coyotes with 18 points to go with eight rebounds. Kevin Berdejo added 10 points and Martin Corona and Jojo Pickens added nine points each.
Saed made two free throws before the game started due to a technical foul issued to Madera South during warm-ups. Pickens added a layup for a 4-0 lead.
Ford converted a 3-point play to cut the lead to one. Saed answered by putting back a miss to get the lead to three.
Ford made a pair of free throws to cut the lead to one. Berdejo and Madera South’s Erik Cervantez traded free throws.
Then, the two teams scored on six of the next seven possessions. Berdejo started the run with a bucket, but Joseph Velasquez answered for the Stallions with a layup.
Madera’s Raul Medrano sank a 3-pointer and his steal led to a Berdejo layup with an assist to Corona.
Galvan hit a 3-pointer, but Saed answered with one of his own for a 17-11 lead.
Lucas Samaniego made a layup for the Stallions, but Corona closed the first quarter with a 3-pointer at the buzzer for a seven-point first quarter lead.
Isaiah Ford started the scoring in the second quarter with a layup for the Stallions. Corona made a layup a minute later.
Two Jessie ford free throws cut the lead to five. Berdejo extended the lead with a layup. Then, Ford made one-of-two free throws and a bucket to get the Stallions within four.
Berdejo made a layup and Paul Ramirez hit a 3-pointer about two minutes later to give the Coyotes a 29-20 lead.
After an Isaiah Ford short jumper, Saed hit a 10-footer. Julian Camacho made two-of-three free throws and Galvan made a pair of free throws to cut the lead to five.
Saed closed the first half with a buzzer-beating 15-foot jumper for a 33-26 Coyote lead.
Saed started the second half scoring with a 16-foot jumper to get the lead to nine.
Rondell Jordan found a cutting Ford for a layup. However, Robbie Baez put back a miss for the Coyotes. Pickens hit a 3-pointer and Baez put back his own missed free throw for a 7-0 run to increase the lead to 14.
Galvan stopped the run with a scoop layup, but Pickens answered with a short jumper.
Jessie Ford made a pair of free throws, but Corona countered by putting back a miss to keep the lead at 14. Ford kept scoring with a 3-point play to cut the lead to 11. Jazir Alejandre countered with a layup for Madera.
Madera South then scored the next seven points into the fourth quarter. Isaiah Ford started the run with a short jumper. Galvan found Jessie Ford for a layup to end the third quarter scoring trailing 48-39.
C.J. Robinson opened the fourth quarter with a 3-pointer to cut Madera’s lead to six.
Pickens hit a jumper to get the lead back o eight.
Madera South had a prime opportunity to cut the lead down, but made just one of its next five free throws over a minute-and-a-half span.
A free throw from Samaniego, two from Jessie Ford and a layup from Ford gave the Stallions a 15-2 run to cut the Coyotes’ lead to 50-48.
Saed stepped up to stop the run with a 3-pointer, but Galvan hit a 3-pointer with about two minutes left to get within two.
However, the Coyotes closed the final two minutes outscoring the Stallions 5-2.
Ford made a layup with 10 seconds left in the game to make it a two-point game. After Berdejo made one-of-two free throws for a 3-point lead, Berdejo quickly fouled Ford before he could make a 3-point attempt.
Ford missed both free throws. Saed came down with the rebounds and iced the game with two free throws.
