Lathrop’s leading scorer for the season finished without a point Wednesday when last-place Pacheco visited for a Western Athletic Conference game at Greg Leland Gym.
It didn’t matter.
Nick Arceo helped pick up the slack, making five 3s for the bulk of his game-high 19 points in the commanding 60-27 win for the host Spartans.
Junior guard Bryan Gamboa came into the game averaging 17.0 points, but early foul trouble kept him from getting into a scoring rhythm. His time was even more limited in the second half, as Lathrop (7-1 WAC, 14-7 overall) comfortably led throughout. Gamboa finished with two offensive rebounds, two assists and two steals.
“We just acknowledged his scoreless game, but did it as a compliment,” Lathrop coach Robin Hong said. “We were saying that even though you weren’t the one being assertive, you still made the right plays. We still ended up winning by 30, you know? So, it means he’s doing what’s best for the team.
“If they’re adjusting to how we typically play, we have to make the adjustments. If that means you have to score less to make the right plays that help us win, why would we not be OK with that? It’s whatever is best for the team at all times.”
Arceo was one of nine different Spartans to score.
The crafty sophomore point guard had his shot going early on and found other ways to affect the game in the third quarter. He added four steals and three assists to his stat line.
“When you look at his game, he just does all those little things,” Hong said, adding, “He’s just one of those guys willing to do whatever it takes for the team.”
Senior forward Kam Bisla came alive in the third quarter, scoring eight of his 11 points. He also collected 11 rebounds, three assists and three steals. Lathrop broke it open with a 24-point third quarter.
Pacheco (0-7, 5-12) struggled to get its offense untracked. The Panthers were held without a field goal for an eight-minute stretch in the first half, then went 5 minutes, 23 seconds between field goals in the second half. Lathrop scored the first 12 points in the second quarter, a run capped by Justin Neal’s layup that pushed the Spartans lead to 25-8. They led 25-12 at halftime.
Noah Lomeli paced the Panthers with nine points. The 27 points is a season low for Pacheco.
Lathrop dominated in all facets, overwhelming the visitors in rebounding, 33-19. The Spartans also forced 22 turnovers while committing just six of their own.
Lathrop is hoping to build momentum going into its regular-season finale against first-place Beyer. The Spartans are coming off a 65-48 loss to the defending champion. The rematch is on Feb. 13 at Greg Leland Gym, but Hong isn’t looking past anyone until then. His squad heads to Grace Davis on Friday.
“We pride ourselves in being a versatile team, and we definitely don’t want to get in the habit of just doing the same things over and over, especially in the second cycle of league where good teams have watched film and are making adjustments.
“These games are a means of expanding our horizons offensively and defensively to be able to adjust to their adjustments. We’re just trying to be prepared one step ahead in the game.”
