By Jondi Gumz
The winning strategy for Aptos edging Santa Cruz 50-47 Thursday night in the CCS semi-final was Defense + 3’s.
Aptos High School Players celebrate winning the CCS Semifinal.
Aptos (22-4) traveled to Burlingame (20-5) Saturday for the championship. Burlingame won 55-46. Tied 39-39 in the fourth quarter, Burlingame hit 3s and kept Aptos from scoring.
Aptos and Santa Cruz, the two best teams in the league, each 9-1 with one their loss to the other, were destined to clash once more.
Mariner fans packed its side of the Santa Cruz High bleachers. So did Santa Cruz.
In fact, so many people came to watch the rivalry, the school opened up a side of the gym that’s usually closed and allowed fans to stand behind where the teams sit.
Santa Cruz enjoyed an early lead, 10-5, but Aptos tightened up.
Aptos’ Jack Spinelli (30) holds his ground against a driving Kosi Warren-House of Santa Cruz.
The swishing stopped for the Cardinals, who fell behind 16-10 in the first quarter as Jack Spinelli, Harrison Bloom and Marcel Martin hit three-pointers.
By the half, Aptos led 23-19 but it was never easy as Santa Cruz went on a scoring run and turned up its defense a notch.
Aptos led 31-30 at the end of the third quarter, and despite the efforts of Aden Cury and Koi Warren-House, Santa Cruz never regained the lead.
Mariners’ fans cheer on the team.
When Spinelli and Cameron Saldana, Aptos’ top scorers, fouled out in the last minute, Santa Cruz got as close as 46-44.
Hero for Aptos: Marcel Martin, who scored and put the game out of reach — even though Cury’s final three-pointer went in.
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TOP Photo: Aptos High School players and fans start to celebrate after the Mariners’ beat Santa Cruz 50-47 in the CCS semifinals.