Last week, the California Pintos entered the Hermann Tournament looking to rebound after a difficult two-week stretch.
The Pintos had lost five of their last six games heading into the tournament and hoped to use the event to put the losing streak behind them. Things didn't go according to plan in their first game in pool play against Montgomery County as they fell 67-45.
The Pintos were back on the court to play the New Haven Shamrocks with a spot in the third-place game up for grabs. The Pintos overcame and early four-point deficit and their defense dominated the rest of the game with a season-high 16 steals to propel California to a convincing 55-23 win.
Going into Friday night's contest against the Shamrocks, California's main concern was the inside scoring and rebounding abilities of New Haven's talented duo of junior Andrew Rethemeyer and senior Andrew Noelke. California's concerns were quickly verified when New Haven scored the first four points of the game off two layups coming off offensive rebounds.
However, California didn't waiver under the early pressure and turned to their own offense to counter back and junior guard Gavin Porter answered the call. Porter knocked down back-to-back 3-pointers to give California a 6-4 lead. Fellow junior guard Ayden Bryant backed up his teammate with back-to-back three-point opportunities off steals to make the score 11-4. From that point on, nothing came easy for New Haven.
The Pintos began to front Strubberg and Noelke in the post and it lead the Shamrocks into either bad shots, bad passes for turnovers, or steals. Meanwhile, Bryant used his suffocating defense to half New Haven's top point guard Emmett Panhorst. Bryant's defense stifled and frustrated Panhorst, who only had two points, one assist, and six turnovers in the game. While Panhorst and the Shamrocks sputtered, California kicked into high gear with the help of sophomore forward Hayden Kilmer, who delivered 12 first-half points off the bench. Although Noelke and Rethemeyer kept coming up with rebounds and points for the Shamrocks, California's offensive execution kept them in control and they led 36-14 at halftime.
The Pintos continued to dominate in second half, outscoring the Shamrocks 15-6 in the third quarter. The fourth quarter saw extended time from players off the California bench as the Pintos posted a 55-23 victory.
California shot 50 percent in the game on 20-of-40 shooting from the field, including a 7-of-14 performance on 3-pointers. California also shot 8-of-11 from the foul line.
Kilmer led the Pintos with 18 points on 7-of-11 shooting with four rebounds, three assists and a block. Bryant had 12 points, four assists, three rebounds and three steals. Porter added 10 points, three rebounds and three steals.
New Haven shot just 9-of-30 in the game as Noelke and Rethemeyer were the only Shamrocks to score baskets in the game. Noelke led the Shamrocks with 11 points and 10 rebounds. Rethemeyer added nine points and seven rebounds.
Pintos coach Brad Conway was pleased with his team's defensive efforts as California forced 24 New Haven turnovers.
For most of the season, California has struggled to put together a strong game from start to finish, but with the help of their defense and a season-best seven 3-pointers in the game, California put together one of their more consistent performances of the season.
"For the most part defensively, we had a tough time with their big kids, but we did a better job on the perimeter. We guarded the ball better out there and we made it tough for them to get it to their big kids. When we did that, good things happened," Conway said. "We've been inconsistent with putting together four strong quarters all year, but we told our kids that you've just got to keep playing and move on to the next possession every time. They were throwing some jump-defense at us and we kids step up and knock down shots. We haven't shot the three well all season and tonight we hit seven threes. So that was good to see."
California now faced the task of playing the St. James Tigers in the third-place game. Conway said that the Tigers were the polar opposite of New Haven and the Pintos would have to be ready to play on minimum rest once again.
The Pintos did get the job done against St. James, capturing a 54-47 victory.
California (8-10) will return home for Senior Night on Thursday to take on the Eugene Eagles.
Junior point guard Ayden Bryant scored 12 points, pulled down five rebounds, dished out four assists, and had two steals in California 55-23 win over New Haven on Friday afternoon. (Democrat photo/Evan Holmes)
Sophomore forward Hayden Kilmer scored a game-high 18 points on 7-11 shooting against the New Haven Shamrocks. (Democrat photo/Evan Holmes)
Junior guard Gavin Porter knocked down three three-pointers for the Pintos against New Haven on Friday. (Democrat photo/Evan Holmes)
Sophomore guard Brooks Volkart (left) and senior center Hunter Berendzen (right) played important roles in California's wins over New Haven and St. James at the Hermann Tournament. (Democrat photo/Evan Holmes)
Sophomore guard Hayden Kilmer knocks down two free throws for the Pintos. California hit 8-11 free throws against the New Haven Shamrocks. (Democrat photo/Evan Holmes)
Junior guard Ayden Bryant made 5-6 from the foul line for California against New Haven. (Democrat photo/Evan Holmes)
Sophomore guard Brayden Hallford played an important role off the bench at the Hermann Tournament. (Democrat photo/Evan Holmes)
Freshman guard Chase Trimble makes an appearance off the bench for California against New Haven. (Democrat photo/Evan Holmes)
Junior guard Ayden Bryant is brought into California's lineup as the starting point guard. (Democrat photo/Evan Holmes)
Junior guard Ayden Bryant (right) wins the opening tip for California against New Haven on Friday afternoon. (Democrat photo/Evan Holmes)
Head Coach Brad Conway coached the Pintos to two wins at the Hermann Tournament. (Democrat photo/Evan Holmes)