The game was outlined in plain view Tuesday night for the Modesto Junior College Pirates — a quality opponent, an important game, an opportunity on their home court.
And then the Pirates trap-doored themselves by falling behind 18-0. Santa Rosa, sensing a quick kill, blanked MJC during the first 8:50, and much of MJC's welcome-to-your-nightmare 80-66 loss was already played out before the crowd at MJC Gym had found a seat.
Slow starts on the road aren't uncommon in the Big 8 Conference. Sabotaging your effort before you work up a sweat at home, however, is lethal. Modesto (14-6, 3-2), ranked eighth in Northern California, tripped itself against the No. 4-ranked Bear Cubs (16-4, 5-0).
"It's not a good feeling for me to watch our guys do things they don't normally do," said MJC coach Paul Brogan after another below-average performance by his team at home.
MJC simply couldn't get out of its own way to start the game while Santa Rosa swished 10 triples and mobilized its effective inside-outside game. Brogan dug deep into his bench to find an ignition switch until guard Bobby Wyatt finally nuked the goose egg with a layup.
The Bear Cubs packed the paint against Modesto's "Big 3" and the strategy worked:
• Desi Barmore (16.9 ppg) didn't score until 8 minutes were left in the half. He eventually totaled 15 but took an elbow to the nose and needed help off the court. He played only a few of the final 15 minutes.
• Austin Keaton (16.5 ppg) picked up three fouls during the first five minutes, with fouls two and three happening only 13 seconds apart while his sub waited at the scorer's table. He finished with 8 points, all free throws.
• Julius Brazzel (14.6 ppg) had only two points and was a non-factor against Santa Rosa's beefy front line.
Modesto trailed 50-28 before it discovered a change-agent in guard Mike Hill.
The freshman from Bullard High (Fresno), excelling in his fourth start, penetrated the Santa Rosa defense and also connected from the outside en route to a season-high 18 points.
At one point, he poured in 12 straight points as MJC mounted a mild rally. Guard Matt Ratto helped with 12 points.
"My mind said, 'Attack.' It's what we needed," Hill said. "I play better when I'm aggressive. But you can't fall behind like we did against a good team that can shoot the lights out."
Modesto rallied to within 9 points three times inside the final 5 minutes, a gutsy feat for a team that slumped soon after it trotted out of the locker room.
"Credit to our team for fighting back," Hill said. "We just dug a hole too deep."
• MJC WOMEN — Thirty turnovers against a typically efficient Santa Rosa team (14-5, 5-0) — the defending state champion — betrayed the Pirates (11-7, 2-3) 66-44.
Modesto missed two uncontested layups while the Bear Cubs sprinted in front 19-6. Modesto never again was within 10 and trailed by as many as 25.
The Pirates learned more grim news this week. Point guard Camille Roberts suffered a tear of her anterior cruciate ligament (knee) during warmups last week against Delta. She's lost for the season, along with shot-blocking forward Annissa Garcia (knee), a double-hit to the team's two most athletic players.
"This is the reality," MJC coach Mike Girardi said. "You hate to re-establish roles in mid-January, but that's where we are."
Santa Rosa, ranked fifth in Northern California (MJC was 11th), forced MJC into many ball-handling errors. Point guard Jen Tsuromoto, one of two returning All-Big stars, anchored the Bear Cubs' attack with 19 points.
"We're a balanced team. You never know who will be the go-to kid," Santa Rosa coach Lacey Campbell said. "We emphasize that every team will come after us."
MJC forward Janie Myles, working hard and often fighting alone in the paint, stayed strong with 19 points and 13 rebounds. Briona Fontenot finished with 9 points.
"Santa Rosa doesn't wow you. They just play as a team and they're consistent," Girardi said. "We just go through levels where we're not intense enough."
Bee staff writer Ron Agostini can be reached at ragostini@modbee.com or (209) 578-2302.
Look Ahead: Modesto JC
NEXT: Big 8 doubleheader, Friday at Diablo Valley
NEXT HOME GAME: Doubleheader, Jan. 27 vs. American River, women at 5:30 p.m., men at 7:30 p.m.
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