Bulldogs waste no time making statement, triumph in season
opener
SAN JOSE — Pierre Hemphill glanced at the scoreboard, took a few short breaths and cooly sank the tying and go-ahead free throws with a little more than two minutes left in Sobrato’s season opener against Oak Grove.
If Hemphill had known those were the last two points his team was going to score Friday, the varsity newcomer probably still would have been calm, just as he was when he found out he was going to be one of the Bulldogs’ starting point guards this winter.
The position was shared by first- and second-team all-league honorees a year ago. Sobrato’s starting five includes the program’s most prolific scorer and 3-point shooter, Ryan Williams, and multisport sensation Bryan Bradley, who are among eight returning players from a team that won 20 games in the 2008-09 season.
“I felt no pressure,” said Hemphill, a lanky 5-foot-9 junior. “I just want to win. It’s a very competitive team. We’re going to have the mentality that we can win any game this year.”
From start to thrilling finish, the Bulldogs carried that with them on the way to winning Friday’s slugfest in the Eagles’ cozy quaint gym, 41-40. Sobrato trailed by as many as 12 points in the first half before battling back with big 3-point shooting and solid work off the glass.
Williams, a 6-foot-4 senior forward who averaged a team-best 17.3 points and 4.7 rebounds per game last winter, scored eight of his game-high 14 points in the third quarter while shooting 3 for 3. Senior center Howard Kwong, who played quality minutes off the bench last year, pulled down five rebounds. Hemphill totaled six points and three assists.
“Our mind set the whole time was to be resilient,” senior forward Charley Bynum said. “We knew the whole time that we could fight and come back. The whole resilience thing really worked out tonight.
“Pierre did a great job. Ryan was great on offense and defense; he hit some big shots, and Howard was huge.”
The Bulldogs’ deep bench could propel them to new heights in the Santa Teresa Division. Under Lawrence Crawford, Sobrato went into last year’s regular-season finale with the league title on the line but lost 55-48 to champion Independence.
Sobrato fell 64-44 to Palo Alto in the first round of the Central Coast Section Division II tournament.
“Our expectation is always the same, where we want to take care of what we’re doing first. And, with so many players returning and the experience, our expectations are high,” first-year coach Lee Washington said.
“We plan on going to CCS and doing some damage, making a run,” Bynum said.
The Bulldogs look primed to do so. They passed a big test in holding off Oak Grove (0-2), a Mount Hamilton Division foe, especially without Bradley’s twin brother, Chris (11.3 PPG in 2008-09), who joined Williams on the first-team all-league list a year ago.
Chris Bradley is listed on the team’s MaxPreps roster but did not dress Friday.
“I’m excited because we talked to the kids about having the expectation of the challenge tonight and then meeting the challenge,” Washington said. “I was happy to see the kids rise up.”
The Eagles had the ball for the final 28 seconds but could not get a decent shot. Point guard Jake Kirkendall threw up a long 2-pointer that glanced off of the front of the rim as time expired.
“We have pride in our defense,” Washington said. “We want our defense to start our offense. “We’re going to rely on guys, whether they’re short or tall, to play solid defense.”
Sobrato is just as potent at the other end of the court. The Bulldogs have plenty of shooters, but passing is their biggest asset.
“We have so many skill players who can dribble,” Washington said. “Our offense is based upon guys dribbling and making the extra pass for open shots, trusting their teammates to make the play no matter who it is.
“Having a lot of guys that can score; it’s a good problem to have.”
