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Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Monarchs Shake Ravens
By Jessica Dyer
Journal Staff Writer
Ryan Gesiakowski isn't the kind of player who monitors his individual statistics, and that surely saved him some headaches Tuesday night.
The Manzano High School senior probably couldn't have kept track even if he tried. The 6-2 forward scored a game-high 30 points as the Monarchs beat host Rio Grande, 82-59, in a District 5-5A rout.
Gesiakowski (pronounced Gish-ah-cow-ski) may not watch his numbers, but he was sure of one thing following the game.
"I've never done that before," he said of his offensive outburst.
Gesiakowski set the tone early, scoring the game's first six points. Whether penetrating or scoring off midrange jump shots, Gesiakowski was a headache for the Ravens (12-7, 1-1) all night.
"He's a very difficult person to guard," said Rio Grande coach Wally Salata. "If you use a smaller guard, he'll post you up. If you guard him with a bigger person, he'll take you on the outside and hit 3s. He didn't do that tonight, but I saw him hit four 3s in a game."
Gesiakowski had 16 points in the first half as the Monarchs stormed to a 38-23 lead. Most of his scoring after intermission came from the free-throw line, where he made all eight of his attempts.
Gesiakowski is the leading scorer on a Monarch team that improved to 18-2, 3-0 in 5-5A and is likely to have moved up to the top spot in this week's Class 5A coaches' poll.
He averages 15 points per game, but hadn't been near that during the past week. He scored a combined 28 points in the Monarchs' last three victories.
It's no matter, said Manzano coach Travis Julian.
"The thing about Ryan is whether he has a down game or good game in terms of points, he always has a good game with his effort," Julian said, noting Gesiakowski's rebounding and defensive prowess. "He epitomizes what we want our players to be, and that's a hard worker."
While the versatile Gesiakowski has been the Monarchs' biggest offensive weapon this season, Julian said he's far from the only one.
Against Rio Grande, Kyle Lantz had 14 points and Jordan Burd added 10 points.
Those options have already come in handy during District 5-5A play — Manzano knocked off league rival Highland last week — and should serve the team well against future opponents, such as Eldorado.
"It's important to have good players, and we have our share on this team. The thing about this group of guys is we're balanced," Julian said. "Tomorrow night someone else may score 20. That's the way this team is. You never know who will step up. Ryan will tell you, too, he's the beneficiary of his teammates."
Gesiakowski had the big night against Rio Grande, but Salata noted that the Monarch forward typifies the entire Manzano team. Manzano boasts a potent offense, stingy defense and a collective confidence that is difficult to beat.
"(Gesiakowski) doesn't get rattled. You never see him get upset because something didn't go right. He just keeps playing hard, and that just tells you something about Manzano," Salata said. "They just keep playing hard. They know if they make a mistake, they'll get it back on defense."
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