After last year’s 3-21 struggles inside the Blossom Valley Athletic League’s Mount Hamilton Division, Sobrato’s players and coaches knew they needed a fast start to erase last year’s sorrows. With 10 games played, the Bulldogs are well on their way to just that.
In those 10 games, Sobrato has doubled its win total to six and looks poised to make a run in the Santa Teresa Division with a 6-4 record.
“Our first goal is always to make sure we are league champs,” head coach Leland Washington said. “We are starting to build some positive momentum. We’ve got some formidable front court players and some solid back court guys, who are now juniors. And that experience, it’s going to be a boost for us going into league.”
The juniors with a year of experience are starting to take control for the Bulldogs, Washington said. So far, it’s being displayed in the win column. During the Bulldog’s Chase Tournament over the weekend, the Bulldogs finished 2-1 despite falling in the opening contest to Christopher 56-43.
After the loss, the Bulldogs followed with two of its best games of the year, Washington said.
“It’s huge,” he said. “There is a big difference between 1-2 and 2-1. 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. The guys feel really good about their accomplishments. All the hard work they’ve been doing … it’s finally starting to pay off for them.”
With the 2-1 record, the Bulldogs clinched the consolation bracket title, beating Lompoc 60-59.
Needing a basket with less than 10 seconds to go, the Sobrato boys basketball team turned to the unlikeliest of players, Alex Minagawa. He hit a running jumper from five feet away to lift Sobrato to in the final seconds Saturday.
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 3-pointers 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 by stealing 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 victory validates the Bulldogs season-long growth, Washington said.
“Some of the mistakes have been physical but for the most part it’s mentally,” he said. “We know we played a good game against Christopher. We were in there but in the end it got away from us. We knew we let something get away from us. We know we let that first one get away. For us to rally and get those win in the next two games is great.”
And with Hardy back in the fold – after missing all of last year’s season – the Bulldogs don’t have reasons why the fast start can’t continue.
“We are doing all the little things right, right now,” Hardy said. “All the guys on the bench are talking it up right now. And moving forward into league next week, I think we are doing pretty good. I think we can do some good things in league … I think we can win league this year. We have high expectation for us and getting that league championship is one of them.”
The Bulldog’s league season started Wednesday against Prospect. Look online for an update. They travel to Pioneer at 7 p.m. Friday.
