PITTSBURG,CA - Dublin’s big third quarter essentially lifted the Gaels past Pittsburg, as they defeated the Pirates by a final score of 66-53.
Pittsburg went into the half trailing 34-23, and needed a momentum shift. The birth of the new half saw them start with a four-point streak by Rickey Edmerson and Seu Kuka, but Dublin answered the 4-0 as they went on an 8-0 run of their own, capped off with Tim Falls stealing the ball for a dunk at the other end. It continued to be a back and forth battle between the teams, but Dublin dual-sport athlete Steven Houston made a three-pointer to cool off the Pirates.
“I thought this was a big part of the game,”said Dublin’s Jack Nielsen. “This is where we shut them down and turned the game around.”
The fourth quarter saw Dublin shut the door, despite Edmerson having a strong outing, as the 6’5 senior had seven points in the quarter and nine on the night.
The first quarter highlighted how strong defensively Dublin is, as they denied Pittsburg of three scoring opportunities with three steals. Nielsen was a key contributor in the game, as he had 12 points on the night, eight coming in the first half. Conner Jackson had double digit numbers with eleven points.
“I thought our effort was there,” said Pittsburg head coach Carson Padon. “Dublin is a good overall team and they'll make you pay for mistakes.”
Houston had six points in the second quarter, one of many ways in which the Gaels built the 10-point lead at halftime.
“We have a lot of guys working together in this team,” said Dublin head coach Tom Costello. “It's not just one guy standing out, we’re a team.”
Dublin looks to build on their five game winning streak against Maria Carrillo as part of the Windsor Holiday Classic. Pittsburg will also participate in a tournament, but this one will be at Fairfield High School in the Fairfield Holiday Classic.
