The Sobrato boys basketball team is jelling and it is coming at a great time. League play in the Blossom Valley Athletic League, Santa Teresa East Division started this past week and it’s a wide-open free-for-all.
With a close loss to Mt. Pleasant and a strong victory over Gilroy, the Bulldogs are on the prowl. Pre-season struggles are in the rearview mirror.
Returning point guard Vince Madriaga directs an offense which is coming together. Zain Safadi is a crucial factor, Michael Estavillo is a big force and Myles Miller, Samuel Zhao, Caden Golubock, Lucas Edwards, James Hayes, DJ Vallejo and others are providing contributions.
In particular, a front line including Golubock, Edwards, Vallejo and Hayes gives Sobrato size and strength that is a requisite complement to Madriaga, Safadi and Miller. The defense is tightening up.
Sobrato is just 5-11 on the season but is in the thick of the league race. After a 53-46 loss to Mt. Pleasant in which the Bulldogs led most of the way, Sobrato came home and dispatched Gilroy 43-33. Estavillo led the scoring with 12 points and Safadi added 10 points. Sobrato led 22-15 at halftime and kept rolling against a feisty rival.
“By far, that’s the best four-quarter game we’ve played,” Sobrato coach Sean Tate said. “If we play like tonight and do not help them with turnovers, we’re good. Today we had good ball movement. The ball kept moving.”
The offense produced all game long. Sobrato scored 10 of 16 baskets on layups, with great possessions opening up easier shots, exactly as Tate has been designing.
The other buckets came with two mid-range jumpers and four three-pointers. The defense produced the big stops when needed, as Gilroy fought back with little surges each quarter but could never close the gap.
“We haven’t had a whole game come together but we did well today,” Madriaga said. “We had the crowd and our family. We stepped up with energy and we let plays develop. We played at our own pace.”
Sobrato led 11-8 after one quarter and 22-15 at halftime. Three hoops from Estavillo led the third quarter attack and the tally was 34-26 with a period to play. One last Mustang charge narrowed it to 37-33.
Sobrato replied as Edwards assisted Estavillo for a lay-in and Safadi converted a three-point play as the Bulldogs pulled away.
“We executed the offense,” Tate said. “We didn’t turn the ball over. We set screens and let our offense develop. We held the ball the extra second and got good shots.”
Last year’s Sobrato squad finished 13-13 and in third place in league action. They won a Central Coast Section post-season play-in game at Lynbrook and then fell to Oak Grove. After a challenging early part of the season, this year’s Bulldogs are back on track.
“It’s been rough this year,” Tate said. “We’re fighting for everything we can get. It’s a young group. Vince (Madriaga) is a two-year starter but our only returning starter. Myles (Miller) and Zain (Safadi) played a little last year. We’re fighting every game.”
Evergreen Valley leads the league at 2-0 with Sobrato, Mt. Pleasant, Oak Grove and Live Oak at 1-1.
Nearly every game is competitive with close scores. For example, top dog Evergreen Valley beat Oak Grove only 50-45 and Live Oak just 58-56. Sobrato’s scores are right there with everyone else’s and if the offense clicks as it did Friday night against Gilroy, they’ll be in the thick of things all season.
Next up is a Jan. 22 matchup at Evergreen Valley and a home match on Jan. 24 against crosstown rival Live Oak. Both games have 7pm start times.
“We’re a good team,” Madriaga said. “Every day we practice hard. It’s going to pay off later in the season.”
