The Bulldogs visit first-place Willow Glen for a pivotal game at
7:30 p.m.
SAN JOSE — The regular season could not have started better.
Fresh off winning 10 of their 12 nonconference games, the Sobrato Bulldogs pushed aside their first four league foes, climbing to first place in the Santa Teresa Division of the Blossom Valley Athletic League.
Then they played Willow Glen.
The sub-.500 Rams ventured into Sobrato Gym and stole the division lead they are yet to relinquish. The Bulldogs went their separate way. They began a three-game slide that nearly squashed hope of reaching their goal, the CIF-Central Coast Section playoffs.
“That loss was huge,” Sobrato forward Charley Bynum said after Tuesday’s 54-45 victory over Evergreen Valley. “We had so much confidence. And they took it away.”
Following a 64-55 loss at Independence in which they rallied from a 13-point halftime deficit to pull even heading into the fourth quarter, the Bulldogs vowed to bounce back.
Sobrato (18-5 overall, 8-3 BVAL) has since won four straight — and can turn the division on its head today when it tips off with Willow Glen (15-7, 10-1) at 7:30 p.m. in San Jose.
“We know what we have to do,” Bulldogs wing Kenneth Mounteer said. “They came out when they wanted us. We were undefeated (in league). They wanted us bad; they came out. We’re hoping to be more fired up than they were when they came here.”
Much is on the line for the Rams as well. With a win, they can clinch at least share of the Santa Teresa title and, likely, a berth in the CIF-CCS Division III tournament.
The division is allotted only one automatic berth — reserved for the champion — but will likely send two teams to the postseason, pending overall records. Sobrato should make the cut if it finishes no worse than second and has the best record among Division II teams in the league.
The Bulldogs would rather leave nothing to chance. They can at least share the division crown if they win out, and the Rams lose again.
“We should get in if we win out,” said Sobrato coach Lawrence Crawford, whose team has two games left after today. “We’re not letting the kids look ahead to anything. You have to focus and take things one game at a time.”
Willow Glen had every advantage in its 55-44 win over the Bulldogs on Jan. 20. The Rams exploited their size while curbing Sobrato’s transition offense. Bulldogs guard Bryan Bradley was back in the lineup after a lengthy absence with sickness. He and Bynum — both starters — were scoreless.
“We’re even more motivated now,” said Bynum, a 6-foot-2 junior. “We’re really looking forward to it.”
Sobrato is in a three-way tie for third place with Independence and Andrew Hill, whom the Bulldogs will wrapup the regular season against next week.
“We’re healthy now, and we’re confident again,” Mounteer said. “So there’s really no excuse. We know what we have to do.”
