Needing a basket with less than 10 seconds to go, the Sobrato boys basketball team turned to the unlikeliest of players. Receiving a feed pass from the Bulldogs’ leading scorer, Alex Minagawa hit a running jumper from five feet away to lift Sobrato to a 60-59 victory over Lompoc on Saturday.
The victory handed Sobrato the Bulldog Chase Tournament consolation bracket championship and a 6-4 record entering league play Wednesday.
In the victory, Minagawa contributed eight points – all coming in the second half – off the bench to help the Bulldogs overcome an early second-half deficit. Beyond Minagawa’s game winning shot, he hit two third-quarter threes to give Sobrato its lead back.
The game went back and forth between the two squads. Behind 24 points from senior Isaiah Hardy, Sobrato jumped out to a lead in the opening eight minutes.
The Braves, though, wouldn’t go down easy. Lompoc went on a seven-point run to open the second quarter to steal the lead away from Sobrato, which struggled to get the ball beyond half court.
Lompoc lead by as much as eight points, before Karl Mann, who finished with 13 points, and Hardy combined to pull Sobrato within two points at halftime.
In the second half, point guard Kristian Maldia – and his 12 points – helped Sobrato run past the Lompoc press and into the lead.
The lead changed hands five times down the stretch in the fourth quarter, before Minagawa put the Bulldogs ahead for good with only three seconds left.
The win gives the Bulldogs ample momentum entering the league season, head coach Leland Washington said.
“There is a big difference between 1-2 and 2-1,” he said. “This is what we wanted to do and I’m glad we were able to do it. This is going to get us ready for the league.”
Sobrato advanced to the consolation championship with a 75-66 victory over Yerba Buena on Friday.
Sobrato, which will play in the Blossom Valley’s Santa Teresa Division, travels to Prospect at 7 p.m. Wednesday.
