San Marcos rolls past Crusaders in home opener

San Marcos didn’t allow a field goal in the first quarter of its home game against Austin St. Michael’s Catholic Academy.

Senior guard CJ Valencia opened up the game splashing back-to-back 3-pointers from opposite sides of the court. The defense picked up from there, forcing three turnovers in the next two minutes, resulting in a 12-0 lead before the visitors scored their only point of the quarter from the charity stripe. Senior guard Sam Johnson finished the first with a midrange jump shot before the buzzer sounded, giving San Marcos a 16-1 lead early to start the game.

After the hosts pulled ahead, they never trailed for the rest of the night. The team continues to find its identity with its new coach but things don’t seem to slow down on the defensive end no matter who is on the floor. The intensity throughout the game allowed San Marcos to hold its second-consecutive opponent under 50 points and keep the season record perfect in a 62-46 win.

“We’ve still got some work to do but they’re learning and every night it’s about growth,” head coach Steven Pinchback said. “Our thing is, ‘What’s your purpose? Is your purpose to be out here for yourself or for the team?’ Our purpose is the team. So every opportunity, we have to come together and grow and get better. We’re trying to go 1-0 every game. I’m proud of them. Guys flying around there, giving me everything, man. I’m excited, but we got work to do. We’re gonna keep working.”

The visitors came out of halftime with a quick run that cut the deficit to four, the closest St. Michael’s would get to the hosts. The run didn’t rattle San Marcos as they started a full-court press that sparked commotion on the floor. The Rattlers press sped the game up to a comfortable pace for them, making their defenders rotate at full speed in order for the traps in the corners to be successful.

“That comes from Coach (Pinchback) and practice,” Valencia said. “Whatever we do in practice, that’s how we’re gonna play in the game. If we’re not going 100 percent in practice, then we’re not gonna perform. But whenever we practice, that’s when we go 100 percent.”

Freshman guard Kaden Gumbs played his first home game as a Rattler and made solid contributions in the third quarter that catapulted his team to the second win of the year. Pinchback allowed the first-year player to break his defender down with an array of crossovers to get to his right hand and convert an and-one layup down the stretch.

“It feels like(Pinchback) trusts us to get a bucket,” Gumbs said. “He just really trust us to go one-on-one and get you a bucket and then get back on defense.”

Looking for a comeback, the Crusaders set up a full-court trap, pressuring the Rattlers to make smart decisions with the ball. Pinchback employed a three point guards into this lineup ease the ball-handling pressure. The guards in purple and white handled the challenge while beating the press in multiple ways in the fourth quarter, sealing the 62-46 win.

“We played with three point guards on the floor. That’s something we did where I’m from,” Pinchback said. “You got three point guards that can all handle the pressure. You shouldn’t be pressed and you shouldn’t turn it over. We had some turnovers early, we kinda settled down, got after it, but we gotta handle that. We do it every day in practice, so it’s really not anything that we haven’t seen. It’s just about keeping your composure.”

Four players for the Rattlers finished in double-digits. Senior guard Joey Hernandez led the way with 14, followed by Valencia (11), Gumbs (11), and senior Josh DeLeon (11).

San Marcos’ (2-0) next test comes this Thursday at the Austin High Tournament, which lasts through Saturday evening. Pinchback was satisfied with Tuesday night’s win but still believes his team still has some technical things to work on in order for them to reach their full potential.

“I just want them to learn to play defense without using their hands,” Pinchback said. “I want them to show their hands. They rotated this time a lot better. So when we see a weakness, we try to work on it and just get better each day. You play defense with your feet and your mouth, you communicate. And were still working on those little things, but it’s early. If they keep working on something each game by the time we get to district everything just falls together.”