MEGAN MEDLAND, LIVE OAK
Prep2Prep Student Contributor

February 21, 2013

History was made in Gilroy as intra-city rivals Christopher and Giloy met in a playoff game for the first time, with the Christopher boys basketball team defeating Gilroy 85-63.

“Anytime we play against Gilroy, whether it’s regular season or whether it’s during the playoffs, anytime we see that game on the schedule all of our kids look to that game first,” said Christopher coach Kaden Bahner. “This time was a great reaction from our kids; they were amped up about the game. And as a coach, it’s kind of nice because you don’t have to say a lot to build the adrenaline up. The rivalry automatically does it. They’re friends with a lot of the guys from the other team. Even I know some of the guys (because) I worked there for two years. I respect them so much and give them all the credit in the world for battling us down to the end.”

Added Christopher point guard Wyatt Rocheleau (18 points): "Earlier in the season we had a good start. Gilroy High came in here and we won by 10, so it was a little rough, but at the beginning of the season we weren’t predicted to win any games hardly. We were put in one of the toughest leagues (Monterey Bay-Gabilan) other than the West Catholic League (while Gilroy is from the Monterey Bay-Pacific). Us getting into the playoffs and getting a higher seed than we expected and playing our cross-town rival for the first time ever in playoffs says it all. We were pumped up and ready to go. No matter how good each team is, it’s a rivalry. The crowd gets into it; people are shaken up early on. We knew we beat them last time, so that gave us a little confidence."

The game also marked the first time Christopher has made it to CCS.

“To get a win in the playoffs in our first year ever qualifying for CCS, to get a home game, to get a top 10 seed -- to able to taste that is really nice,” Bahner said.

By the end of the first quarter, Christopher led 19-10.

“I think the rivalry is taking on the form of really wanting to win and do well. You want to upstage your friends,” said Gilroy coach Tim Jones, “A lot of these guys played together in sixth, seventh and eighth grade. When they got here (to high school) they split apart, so it’s kind of a personal thing. They want to win the game based on the fact that they’re cross-town rivals.”

At half, Christopher led 41-31.

“There’s a lot of pride coming from both schools, but being able to beat them (Gilroy) means a lot,” said Shane Suttles (25 points), “Having this be the first round of CCS makes history for Gilroy. I like to contribute myself and help my team. I try to put myself out there as much as I can and not be selfish at all.”

Suttles scored 14 of his points during the second half.

Christopher kept the pressure up, leading 56-48 after three quarters. It wouldn't be caught.

“We just prepared for the things you know are going to happen. It’s interesting that both (teams) are so adrenaline filled; they are going to do amazing things. You hope that you do more things than the other team. We knew they were going to run, we knew what defenses they would probably try to run at us, we knew they’d pressure us quickly,” said Bahner. “It’s about execution. At this point it’s who executes their stuff better. We tried to keep our kids focused on the big picture. Don’t get caught up in the crowd, don’t rush shots, and don’t try to be more than what you are. Don’t get caught up in the outcome, stay off the internet, and don’t be posting stuff."

Said Rocheleau: “I think we played like team basketball. A bunch of people had over 10 points."

Andrew Foster led Christopher with 16 points and Evan Shapiro added 14. For Gilroy, David Gonzalez poured in 25 points and Tommy Cox added 13.

Christopher is at Monterey on Thursday.

“I hope it goes well," Bahner said. "But to have this and know that our last home game was against Gilroy and we got the win, I think is going to be the most special memory for the kids.”