It’s been 24 years since the Petaluma boys’ basketball program has captured a league title, but after last night’s 44-35 win over Piner, the Trojans find themselves able to control their own destiny heading into tomorrow’s showdown with Sonoma County League co-leader Analy.
“This is new territory for all of us,” said third-year coach Scott Behrs, whose team won nine games combined in the last two seasons. “We just have to keep our focus on one game at a time, prepare diligently for that upcoming game, and not look ahead.”
The Trojans found that focus to be tested last night, when visiting Piner raced out to a 10-0 lead at the start of the game. The Prospectors had beaten Petaluma by eight points back in January, and the teams were part of a three-way tie for the league lead entering last night’s action.
Petaluma found its focus and its footing, however, and responded with a 19-4 run to grab control of the game. This was despite an off shooting night from leading scorer Ryan Perez, who was new to the program beginning last year. Senior Drake Paretti led a balanced scoring effort with 11 points.
“(Ryan) is normally unstoppable in the open court, but his shot just wasn’t going down last night,” Behrs commented. “But he is a great athlete who has really grown into our system over the last two years, and brings a ton of athleticism to the court.”
Perez, who is usually good for around 20 points per game, has joined forces with a trio of three-year varsity players, a group that includes Paretti, Ryan Cox, and Kelly Garber. And last night, a lot of credit went to defensive stopper Cole Murri, someone Behrs describes as his “defensive X factor.”
“We were able to take away (Piner’s) post play last night, and that was a huge difference maker,” Behrs said. “(Cole) Murri was a huge part of taking that away, and really making their guards do a lot of work.”
Last night’s win lifted Petaluma to a 14-7 overall record, 7-2 in league play. It’s the first winning year at the school since the team went 14-13 back in the 2004-2005 season. The improvement has been led by a variety of styles on the court, and players settling into roles which has allowed the team to become more comfortable and aggressive at the same time.
“We have more athleticism on the court than in recent years, and that has allowed us to become more aggressive, to press more defensively, and create opportunities in transition,” Behrs said. “That hasn’t been part of what we’ve been able to do prior to this season.”
Offensively, Cox and Paretti have both been key to getting the system running. Cox is a shooter who can get hot at any time, and also plays strong with the ball in his hands. Paretti, meanwhile, was described by Behrs as “another coach on the court.” Then there is Garber, who provides an inside presence, grabbing rebounds, and as Behrs put it, “doing our dirty work.”
Tomorrow night’s game provides another chance for the Trojans to add to what has been a breakthrough campaign. The Tigers defeated Petaluma the first time the teams met, but now the Trojans have a chance to defend their home court. They finish the regular season next week against Elsie Allen and Healdsburg, prior to participating in the NCS playoffs.
Pittsburg works on creating winning culture
In Carson Padon’s second year at the helm, the Pittsburg Pirates’ boys basketball team finds itself a game out of first place in the Bay Valley Athletic League, with five games remaining. The lone loss in league is a 49-39 loss to two-time defending champion Freedom. And the work done to improve upon last year’s 16-11 overall record has been evident for the Pirates, who are currently 14-7 overall, a slate that includes a victory over 21-1 Oakland Tech.
“Our emphasis this season has been the slogan ‘Culture wins’, said Padon, who was previously in charge at Marina High School and Monterey Peninsula College, along with an out-of-state stint at South Puget Sound College. “We have the saying on our shooting shirts and all our practice gear, and that’s been the emphasis for change in the program.”
Leading the way in that culture has been three-year varsity player Ifenayi Udoh, who is described by Padon as being “beloved around campus.”
“(Ifeanyi) is a great worker, a real blue-collar player, and someone who has demonstrated the improvement that we ask of all players,” Padon said. “He also gets to the basket well, and opens up a lot of stuff for his teammates.”
Udoh is also known for his shooting around the league, and in fact averages 16.7 points per game for the Pirates. Fellow senior Jaylen Malone and junior post player Rickey Edmerson have also been integral to Pittsburg’s success on the court.
“Rickey (Edmerson) has been a tremendous inside-out player for us, and is a great rebounder,” Padon said, referring to junior transfer from Concord. “He might be the most athletic big man in the league, and we are really happy to have him.”
Malone, meanwhile, is someone Padon describes as “difficult to guard one-on-one” and as someone who has progressed tremendously through his high school career, sort of an unsung player who makes others around him better.
Pittsburg faces Freedom again next Thursday, after facing Deer Valley and Antioch prior. The game with the Falcons could be the game which decides the 2016 BVAL championship.
Regardless of that end result, the Pirates have laid the foundation for success this year and beyond, especially with a varsity roster that features four sophomores on a team of 13 players, and a junior varsity team that is 19-2, while playing four freshmen.
Windsor in full control of North Bay League
With four games remaining in the league schedule, Windsor holds a commanding three-game advantage over second-place Cardinal Newman, especially in the wake of the Jaguars’ 58-33 win over the Cardinals on Tuesday. This year’s success seems to be a direct result of an experienced roster, and a program that was able to “hit the ground running” this season, in the words of fourth-year coach Travis Taylor.
Windsor’s overall record of 19-3 right now is the program’s best since a 26-4 campaign in the 2011-12 season, a year that featured an appearance in the NCS Division II title game. The Jaguars have won 11 straight games since a five-point loss to Dublin, back in December.
“This was the hardest-working fall I have ever seen from this program, and that combined with our experience has really enabled things to click,” Taylor said. “Everyone has really committed to the process, and enjoyed what we are doing.”
Windsor features ten seniors on its roster, and returned four of its top six players this season. That includes team captain Gabe Knight, who seems to score at least 20 points most games and averages nearly a double-double. Other captains include Brent Tucker, Parker Canady, and Cain Santos. One of the traits that makes this Jaguars’ team difficult to defend is its versatility.
“Our philosophy is to put five basketball players on the court, guys who can all run, shoot, pass, and rebound,” Taylor said. “We run motion offense, and play eight to ten guys depending on the game, so versatility is key for us.”
Windsor plays at Casa Grande tonight, then finishes its regular season next week with a trio of games against Montgomery, Rancho Cotate, and Maria Carrillo.
