Pitman withstands late Enochs rally, locks up second in CCAL in season finale
Two of the Central California Athletic League’s top four teams needed a win Friday night.
A victory for Pitman would lock up the league’s second-place spot, guaranteeing a trip to the playoffs. Enochs, the Pride’s competition, was looking to play spoiler.
If the Eagles won, a glimmer of playoff hope remained.
After a slow start, both teams settled into what would become a classic league battle. Both went on fourth-quarter runs, but it was Pitman that came out on top, winning 56-52.
The Pride were coming off an emotional win over crosstown rival Turlock High, and head coach Harvey Marable expected a challenge.
“It was up and down,” Marable said of the team’s performance. “They had a big game Wednesday and to win that at the end and then come in against an Enochs team that competes hard … was a good experience for our guys.”
For the second game in a row, the Pride relied on Avery Sanchez down the stretch.
Two days after sinking the game-winning free throws against the Bulldogs, the sophomore scored the team’s final five points with under a minute remaining to ensure victory.
With the Pride trailing 52-51, Sanchez swished through a right wing three-pointer to put Pitman ahead and iced the game at the foul line, making a pair of free throws.
“I mean, a young guy is a player,” Marable said. “That’s a lot of pressure for a sophomore. He’s improved from last year. His scoring has improved. His work ethic has improved, his confidence has improved, and I just gotta thank him for the time and work that he puts in. It’s him being comfortable in those situations, our team is the beneficiary.”
Though Pitman turned to Sanchez down the stretch, the 16.7 point-per-game scorer wasn’t the only Pride member in double figures. Justin Anderson finished with a team-high 17 points and Seth Vink added 10. Cole Anderson knocked down three 3’s for nine total points.
“Other people were scoring, so our main scores weren’t the main scorers today, point-total-wise,” Marable said. “That kind of throws a team off if you’re capitalizing.”
Pitman opened a 51-39 advantage with 3 minutes, 44 seconds remaining and looked like they were a basket away from putting the game out of reach.
But Enochs, desperate for a chance at the playoffs, would not go away.
Kevin King scored seven of the Eagles’ final points as part of a 9-0 run that gave them a 52-51 lead with under a minute remaining.
“Enochs came to play,” Marable said. “They weren’t backing down from anything. The message was that we need to play together to get out of this.”
The Pride executed down the stretch, scoring five straight points to secure the CCAL’s second seed.
The Eagles’ loss paired with Downey’s 57-54 win over Turlock meant a trip to the playoffs was out of the picture.
The win ensures Pitman will play a postseason game for the first time since 2016.
The Knights, Pride and Bulldogs earn the league’s three guaranteed playoff spots.
“The seniors can kind of leave a mark that the hard work that we’ve been doing the last couple of years … pays off,” Marable said.
This story was originally published February 11, 2023 at 9:47 AM.
