Falcons escape big deficit to defeat Pitman

TURLOCK -- Tony Hillyer’s kids are starting to grow up.

The Atwater High boys basketball team proved that on Wednesday night, bouncing back from a horrendous start on the road.

Atwater erased a 19-point first-half deficit and a five-point hole in the final minute to pull out a 60-59 overtime victory over Pitman.

Josh Heller (13 points) got the Falcons (2-1 CCC, 13-7) back in it with a big 3 with just over a minute to play. Ben Peterson (team-high 19 points) made a layup to tie the game with 33 seconds left.

Peterson then hit a big free throw to force overtime.

“The thing is we started really slow,” Hillyer said. “I wasn’t worried. We started chipping away at the lead and I felt we had the momentum in the fourth quarter and going into overtime.”

Hillyer was right. Atwater scored the first four points in overtime and never trailed again.

Hector Rodriguez finished with nine points for the Falcons. Branson Garcia paced Pitman (0-3 CCC) with a game-high 21 points.

Turlock 47, Merced 44

Travante Richard scored all 14 of Merced's points in the second quarter en route to a game-high 20 points, but the Bears couldn't pull off the upset of Turlock (2-1 CCC, 12-8).

The Bears (1-2 CCC, 8-12) trailed 44-42 with 34 seconds to play, but gave up an offensive rebound on a missed 1-and-1. Turlock's Demsen McFaddin (10 points) hit a pair of free throws to seal the victory.

Merced's Jonathan Chairez added nine points and Keith Bolden finished with eight in the loss.

COLLEGE

MEN'S BASKETBALL

West Hills 79, Merced College 70

Tyler Trammel (career-high 22 points) had his best game as a Blue Devil, hitting six of the team's 10 3-pointers, but it wasn't enough in a loss to West Hills.

The Falcons hit 34 of their 41 free throw attempts for the difference.

Gurpreet Sangha added 21 points in the loss for MC (0-2 CVC, 0-13).