LIVERMORE, Calif. – The three-pronged attack of Drew Gillette and the Willis twins were too much to handle for Granada as the Fortuna Huskies got off to a 21-6 start and held on for a 76-65 road victory on Tuesday night.
“It was a crazy win for us,” Fortuna coach Alex Rump said. “This group of boys plays phenomenally together. They pass the ball, they pass up good shots for great shots.”
Donald Willis led Fortuna (5-0) with 26 points, Gillette sank seven shots from beyond the arc and had 23, and Bradley Willis finished with 17 points, six rebounds, and six assists. Joeseph McGinnis accounted for the other 10. Fortuna struck from three-point land 10 times in all. The Huskies were without a couple of players, including starting point guard Zac Claus, due to their obligations to football. Only six players suited up for the night’s contest.
“People look down on us because we’re short-handed,” Gillette stated. “I feel like that gives us a benefit. We have to make up for our height with our toughness and our shooting. When we face really good teams we know we have to step up.”
Yatyn Anderson paced the Matadors with 24 points, and Derek Eijansantos added 16. All but six of Anderson’s points came in the second half. Granada (4-2) tried valiantly to come back on several occasions. Falling behind 37-12 in the second quarter with about three minutes remaining, the Matadors closed the first half with 13-3 run to make it 40-25 Fortuna as the teams headed to the locker room.
In the third, Granada ended the quarter with 12-4 run, and in the fourth, whittled it down to single digits twice. But two improbable-looking layups by McGinnis and the clock gave the Huskies enough staying power to finish off the win.
Last season, the Matadors downed the Huskies 70-54 at the Logger Classic in Eureka. Fortuna went on to a 17-12 mark and went as far as the quarterfinals in the NCS Division IV playoffs. Granada ended the 2017-18 campaign with a 15-12 record and bowed out to Berkeley in the first round of the NCS Division I playoffs. Both teams have new coaches this year.
Granada now prepares for its annual Granada Invitational with a match against Central Catholic on Friday, while Fortuna heads to Arcata for the Jerry Paul Tournament (also known as the AIBT).
