Bulldogs earn No. 14 seed for CIF-CCS, set to visit No. 11 Palo
Alto on Tuesday
SAN JOSE — Independence and Willow Glen can have the banner. The Sobrato Bulldogs still got The Prize they were eying all season.
Despite falling 55-48 to Independence on Friday in a seemingly climactic game that left the 76ers sharing the Blossom Valley Athletic League-Santa Teresa Division title with Willow Glen and Sobrato likely heading to the offseason, the Bulldogs’ spirits were lifted following Sunday’s CIF-Central Coast Section playoff meeting in San Jose.
Sobrato earned an at-large bid to the Division II tournament.
“I had some doubt after we lost to Independence, but I knew we weren’t out of the conversation,” Sobrato coach Lawrence Crawford said. “Having 20 wins — even if some thought they weren’t against strong opponents, 20 wins is 20 wins. We beat some other teams that got in. So it didn’t surprise me.”
The Santa Teresa typically sends, at most, two teams to the postseason. The third-place Bulldogs (20-6 overall, 10-4 BVAL) made it three. They advanced along with division co-champions Independence and Willow, who made the Division I and III tournaments, respectively.
The No. 14-seeded Bulldogs on Tuesday will travel to No. 11 Palo Alto for a first-round game at 7 p.m. The winner on Thursday will meet No. 6 Mills.
In Palo Alto (13-11), Sobrato faces a program steeped in success. The Vikings won back-to-back Division II championships from 2005-06 and are coming off a decent finish in the powerful De Anza League. They tied Wilcox for fourth place at 6-6 in league play.
“They have a traditionally awesome program,” Crawford said. “You take that, plus their coach’s mindset, and you’re faced with a tough opponent.”
Crawford said his team is not dwelling on Friday’s letdown. The Bulldogs, winners of six straight, were vying for their second Santa Teresa championship — which they had to win their final seven games to clinch.
“The kids are ready to go,” the fifth-year coach said. “We had a team meeting Sunday, and their confidence was back. They believe they can win this.”
Although intimidated by the raucous crowd in Sobrato Gym, Independence never lost control.
The 76ers (21-6, 11-3) pounded the ball inside behind Roy Talactac and Derek Muavaa, who scrapped for 18 and 12 points, respectively.
“Our execution was awesome,” Talactac said. “We were all over the place. We didn’t handle the pressure well at first. The atmosphere kind of scared us. We just pulled through.”
Chris Bradley collected 13 points, five rebounds and three steals to lead the Bulldogs, and point guard Rauley Cambra scored 11 points before fouling out with 2:13 remaining.
“Getting taken out of a game this big was hard,” Cambra, a senior, said after the game. “I thought that might be it for me.”
Independence took the lead for good, 38-37 when Talactac sank a layup in traffic, drew a foul, and added the free throw with 26 seconds left in the third quarter. The 76ers pushed ahead with a 10-3 scoring run to start the fourth.
“I thought Roy was phenomenal today,” Independence coach Skip Yenchik said. “He played like a senior should play in a championship game. He worked his tail off defensively and led this team.”
Trailing by 10 with 3:28 remaining, Sobrato cut the deficit to 50-45 with a five-point spurt. Bradley capped the run with a smooth layup off a back-door pass from Charley Bynum. Bradley’s runner with 1:14 made it 52-48, but the Bulldogs — playing without Cambra and 3-point threat Ryan Williams — could not hit a big shot.
Williams fouled out with about a minute left.
“It’s a big disappointment. Any time you have the chance to take league in your own house, you expect to take it,” said Williams, a junior forward, who ended with six points. “It was hard not knowing you can play another game this year. That hurt a lot.
“We were able to push it late in the game, but it was tough without Rauley. He’s our leader out there.”
Independence, which won the first meeting this year 64-55, outscored Sobrato 15-11 in the second quarter on the way to leading 29-25 at halftime.
“The thing is, Independence, I give them all the credit because what they did is they came out and played right through the physical play,” Crawford said. “It was a very physical game. When things got tough, (Independence) went harder.”
Ironically, the 76ers won a share of the Santa Teresa with the Bulldogs’ help. Sobrato’s win over Willow Glen two weeks ago helped move the teams into a three-way tie going into Friday.
“What a great second half of the season for Sobrato,” Yenchik said. “I know they were worried about not making CCS. It’s tough in this league. They helped us a lot. They’re a very deserving team.”
