A track meet broke out between the Sobrato High and Saratoga High boys basketball teams on Tuesday night.
Turns out, a fast, up and down game fits right into the Bulldogs’ wheelhouse. Sobrato’s highly entertaining 78-74 win means it has advanced to the semifinals for the first time in program history. The No. 6 seed Bulldogs (18-6) play at No. 2 Burlingame (19-5) in the semifinals on Thursday at 7pm.
“Advancing to the final four for the first time is nice for the kids because this is what they kind of set out to do and expected since last year,” Tate said. “Last year was an exaggerated preseason, and the team came back this year and it was one of those things where this was kind of the plan and you hope it works out. Next goal is to try to advance to get into the big game.”
A victory Thursday means not only would Sobrato advance to a section final, but it would earn an automatic berth into the CIF NorCal Playoffs. Against Saratoga, Jayden Fowler scored 31 points and Ethan Marmie 23 to help lead a Bulldogs team that historically has run into a brick wall in the quarterfinal round.
They previously reached the quarterfinals in 2007, 2010, 2014, 2017, 2019 and 2020, but lost every time. But under a seasoned coach like Tate and a talented roster, this year’s Sobrato team has gone further than any previous squad in program history.
“It’s already been an experience of a lifetime for these kids,” Tate said. “They’ve got a league championship banner, the final four and no one can ever take that away from them.”
Sobrato has made the playoffs six years running—which happens to coincide with Tate’s first year on the job in 2016-2017. The Bulldogs finally got past the quarterfinal round by doing something that has historically given them fits: methodically breaking full-court pressure.
With point guard Andrew Zorio, Fowler, Trey Miller and Marc Difrancesco, the Bulldogs were able to break Saratoga’s press which led to a huge amount of fast-break points.
“We did a great job of getting out and getting easy buckets,” Tate said. “The press has been our Achilles heel, when teams come after us. But if we handle the press, they go to a 2-3 zone and we’re fine with Ethan and Jayden on the wings. You kind of pick your poison there because then they switch it up to man (defense), and Jayden and Ethan are feeling it and hitting big shots down the stretch.”
Marmie hit some clutch 3-pointers late in the fourth quarter, but Saratoga was right there and led by one point with just under a minute to play. That’s when Fowler hit a step-back 3-pointer to put the Bulldogs up by two points. The Falcons couldn’t make a shot on the ensuing possession and was forced to foul, and Marmie drained two free throws to account for the final margin.
“It was a good challenge for us because we handled a pressing team to the point we were breaking it for layups,” Tate said. “To get to the point of getting it across and playing basketball instead of fighting it just to get the ball past midcourt is a testament to their growth this season. It was a combo of ball movement and finding the open guy cutting to an open area. We brought it across, then set our offense and got good shots.”
After the win, Tate told his team, “We’re on house money gentlemen,” referring to the fact that No. 2 seed Burlingame—the defending Division III champion—is expected to win. The Bulldogs have earned more signature wins on the road this season than at home, and they like facing a juiced-up crowd.
With just one practice day in between games, Tate emphasized simplicity for his team when the team met Wednesday. His message to the players?
“Get stops and put the ball in the bucket,” he said. “We give them a couple of things on what the other team does consistently, but after that, it’s go play basketball because if not you stop the objectives of the game. Get stops and put the ball in the bucket.”
It’s a formula that has worked out nicely so far.
in Sobrato’s four-point win over Saratoga in the CCS Division III quarterfinals.
Sports editor Emanuel Lee can be reached at el**@we*****.com
