Sobrato holds Calvary Chapel to one point in the first quarter;
go on to win 74-10 in final preseason game
Morgan Hill – In basketball, often a good defense creates offense. The Lady Bulldogs proved that on Thursday night as they rolled over the visiting Calvary Chapel Warriors, 74-10, in their final preseason game before Tri-County Athletic League play begins.
Sarina Santiago and Roxy Dominguez executed a smothering full court press and trap defense that effectively took Calvary Chapel out of its game plan. Santiago led Sobrato with 24 points, seven steals and seven rebounds, while Dominguez recorded a double-double with 11 points, 11 steals, seven assists and four rebounds.
“I thought we worked really hard as a team,” said Santiago. “I think it’s going to give us momentum going into league. We’ve been working on defense a lot of our season so far.”
The Lady Bulldogs completely shut down the Warriors offense, holding Calvary Chapel to just one point in the entire first quarter. By halftime, Sobrato had opened up a 48-6 point lead, basically putting the game out of reach for the Warriors.
“We trapped a lot and worked on it,” said Sobrato coach Rodney Tabares. “I brought Jenny Tran up from JV and she can push the ball up the floor and get it to our outside shooters.”
Michelle Bradley also had a good game for the Bulldogs with 17 points and four rebounds, while Gabrielle Aguirre added five points.
Dominguez, Sobrato’s defensive specialist, frustrated the Warriors offense with her smothering defense, forcing bad passes and ill-advised shots. Many times the Warriors couldn’t even push the ball past mid-court because of double teams by Dominguez and Santiago.
On offense Santiago was especially deadly from the outside, hitting two 3-pointers and at least five of her nine field goals outside of the paint.
“The girls have been working on outside shooting in preparation for TCAL,” said Tabares. “It’s a confidence booster for the girls. We know it’s going to be a challenge. We don’t know what to expect in TCAL play so it’s really important for them to see that they can score.”
The Lady Bulldogs kick off TCAL play against the Salinas Cowboys on Wednesday.
