After a 59-21 win on Tuesday against Overfelt, the Bulldogs are
now 14-4 overall and No. 1 in the Blossom Valley Athletic League
West Valley Division with a 6-1 record. It was the fourth time
Sobrato has held an opponent under 30 points in a game this
season.
By Andrew Torrez
Staff Writer
Before the season started, Sobrato girls basketball coach Rodney Tabares didn’t know what to expect from his young team.
After a 59-21 win on Tuesday against Overfelt, the Bulldogs are now 14-4 overall and No. 1 in the Blossom Valley Athletic League West Valley Division with a 6-1 record. It was the fourth time Sobrato has held an opponent under 30 points in a game this season.
“From beginning to end,” Tabares said, “we did what we wanted to do. We pride ourselves on playing good defense. I think we played exceptional on both ends.”
Tabares believes that his team plays well on defense because of how hard the players work at pressuring the other team.
“They go into every practice and game to play defense,” he said. “They dive for loose balls and pressure the ball. We scout the other team to see what we have to do.”
The team’s scouting of Overfelt worked well. Sobrato held Overfelt to under 10 points in three out of four quarters on Tuesday.
The Bulldogs came out aggressive on defense to start the game, and their faster players were able to jump on the ball whenever the Royals had possession. Sobrato took a 14-5 lead going into the second quarter.
Overfelt couldn’t find its offensive stride after the first quarter and had trouble keeping Sobrato’s speedy guards from getting open shots.
The Bulldogs poured in 18 points and their stingy defense allowed two points from the Royals in the second period.
“I think after the first quarter,” Tabares said, “(Overfelt) was just a
little shell-shocked and it was hard for them to regroup.”
In the third quarter, the Royals (1-9 overall, 1-6 league) played better on the offensive side by scoring 11 points, but the gap was too big for them to overcome. After the third quarter, Sobrato was up 46-18.
As a team, the Bulldogs had 14 steals and 41 rebounds, which kept Overfelt from putting up enough points on the scoreboard to make a comeback. Every player from Sobrato scored at least two points during the lopsided victory.
Freshman guard Shealyn Kunze was the Bulldogs’ leading scorer with 15 points and had five rebounds. Her twin sister, Katelyn Kunze, scored seven points and lead the team with three steals.
The Bulldogs also got another solid performance from freshman guard Melissa Cachopo, who scored seven points and handed out eight assists.
Tabares praised the play of sophomore Michelle Bradley (seven points, seven rebounds) and junior Roxy Dominguez, calling them his best defensive players.
“I try to put them against the other team’s best offensive players,” Tabares said. “They know how to pressure the other team and when to double-team.”
During the offseason, Tabares didn’t know how his freshman and sophomore players would respond to playing in the varsity level, but he said the team has pulled together well.
“We’re in every game,” he said. “They stayed and fought together through everything. They jelled well together and really listen to what the coaches are telling them.”
