WATSONVILLE — The results of their respective games might not have been to their liking, but the night of hoops was one of a kind.
For the first time in the schools’ history, Watsonville High and Pajaro Valley High played simultaneous home basketball games under one roof…err, school.
Because of troubles with its scoreboard, Pajaro Valley moved its Friday night Monterey Bay League Pacific division showdown against Christopher High from the “Grizzly Den” to Watsonville’s historic Goicovich Gym. At the same time, Watsonville welcomed in MBL-P leading Seaside High across the street.
It was a rough night for both teams — Watsonville (3-15, 0-5) lost 70-42 to Seaside (7-9, 4-1), while Pajaro Valley (9-10, 3-3) dropped a 57-56 heartbreaker to Christopher (9-8, 2-3) — but a good night for the fans who attended.
“For a basketball fans, I can see why they walked away happy,” said former longtime Watsonville Athletic Director Brad Hubbard, who confirmed that Friday’s simultaneous games were the first to date. “Two Watsonville teams, and a short walk away from each other. It’s a great night for the community.”
Pajaro Valley Athletic Director Joe Manfre said the keyboard that works in unison with the gym’s scoreboard began malfunctioning during a wrestling match on Wednesday night. A replacement keyboard is on the way, but did not arrive in time for Friday’s game.
Watsonville welcomed in its cross-city rival and fellow Pajaro Valley Unified School District school with open arms.
“For short notice,” Manfre said, “things worked out pretty well.”
Former Watsonville basketball and baseball coach James Gomez was one of several who got the most bang for their buck.
Like several other spectators, he jumped back-and-forth from both games throughout the night. When the Watsonville-Seaside game hit halftime, he crossed Lincoln Street to catch a glimpse of Pajaro Valley and Christopher’s tit-for-tat battle, which came down to a controversial call on the final possession.
“I just wanted to see a good basketball game,” Gomez said. “I was going to go to the St. Francis game, but I came here instead. You get to watch two games instead of one. Plus, both were pretty good.”
The Watsonville-Seaside game finished up about 15 minutes before the end of Pajaro Valley’s battle. About three dozen fans made their way from that game to catch the conclusion of the other.
The result?
A gym filled with fans wearing both black and gold, and green and grey.
“It was a pretty cool deal,” Hubbard said. “We’re glad we could help them out.”
On the court, Pajaro Valley’s Christian Quintero had his second 30-point game of the season in the loss. He also had 10 rebounds.
Jaylen Carreon added nine points and seven boards.
For Watsonville in its loss to Seaside, Jonny Silapan Rodriguez led the Wildcatz with 11 points. Eight other players scored.
