KEVIN NARRO | Staff Writer
SAN PERLITA—The 10th annual Letterman’s Club tournament kicked off with a bang Thursday afternoon as host club San Perlita rattled off a 77-71 come-from-behind win in overtime against Macedonia.
The Trojans fought their way back after trailing by 11 at halftime and, on more than one occasion, trailed by 10 in the third and fourth quarter.
The fourth quarter belonged to the Trojans.
Junior James Herrera and senior EJ Nieto fueled the comeback win. Down the stretch, the Trojans took over in overtime after falling behind quickly 67-63.
“It was a hard fought win and I’m tired as hell, but we really wanted this win and we got it,” Herrera said. “We worked our butts off today. We played some tight defense and crashed the boards pretty well.”
That is when Herrera and Nieto stepped in. Nieto scored all 12 of his points in the fourth quarter, including some key free throws. Herrera netted six points in the fourth quarter and would finish with a game-high 27 points.
“Our team is very scrappy and we don’t like to give up,” Nieto said. “We were not shooting as well as we wanted, too, but we were able to adjust and attack the basket.”
The Trojans got outscored 27-12 in the second quarter and were also without their best player in senior Tige Johnson. Johnson left the game early in the first quarter with an ankle injury and did not return.
“I felt we had the momentum early in the game,” Garza said. “Then our big boy Tige went down with an injury, so it came down to our youth and we were down at halftime. (Macedonia) is a tough team and they are well-coached. I told our guys to just stay with it possession by possession and we did. I felt this game was big for my sophomores — they are gaining experience.”
Despite not having Johnson, the Trojans rallied behind their depth. Sophomore Ely Terry scored 17 points and made key stops down the stretch for the Trojans. With San Perlita struggling from beyond the arc, the Trojans adjusted and attacked the rim and made plays in the paint.
“Today we showed we got better and not only that we showed we can win a game in a different style and win with a possession on the line,” Garza said. “This is what I like about our tournament our younger guys are getting experience early in the year.”