Holiday basketball tournament yields 2-2 record for Bulldog boys
By Bill Tamburrino
Ramona High boys basketball team went 2-2 in the Tri-City Christian Holiday Basketball Tournament to up their record to 6-3 on the season.
The opening game of the TCC Tourney was a study in complete opposites: a small private Catholic school versus a mid-sized public school; a team that suited up 18 players versus a team that suited up eight; and a team with size versus a team that relied on speed. Providence High School of Burbank beat the Bulldogs 64-45.
The Bulldogs played the Pioneers close in the first quarter and trailed 11-5. A 20-point second quarter by Providence gave the Pioneers a 31-14 lead at intermission. Coach David Reichner tried several lineups to stem the tide and installed a press but nothing seemed to work in the Bulldogs’ favor.
Six Bulldogs scored in the game. Marco Cobian led the Dawgs with 20 points and grabbed six boards. Scott Stransky also scored in double digits with 11 points. Anthony Silvaggio led the Dawgs with eight rebounds. The Dawgs only had five assists in the game and they lost the battle of the boards with 32 rebounds to the Pioneers’ 51. Also scoring were Evan Reichner (2), Silvaggio (1), Colton Harris (2) and Calvin Harris (4).
The Dawgs bounced back in the consolation bracket with two wins on day two of the tourney, beating Kern Valley High School 65-53, and Desert Christian 75-55. Stransky led the Dawgs against Kern Valley in scoring with 17 points on offense and with five steals on defense. Stransky hit three from beyond the arc. Cobian scored 11 points and dished off assists and grabbed five boards. Blake Seits also scored in double figures as he added 10 points. Silvaggio led the Dawgs with five boards and scored 6. Jake Newman (6), Riley Hubbard (1), Austin Pierce (2), Colton Harris (3), Calvin Harris (2), Ben Stein (5) and Logan Knudson (1) also scored in the win.
Ten Bulldogs scored as Ramona out-manned Desert Christian 75-55 in the second round of the consolation bracket to advance to the consolation finals. Colton Harris registered a double double as he scored 10 points and grabbed 10 boards. Seits hit four 3-point shots and led the Dawgs with 18 points. Pierce also joined the double digit scoring club with 15 points.
Stransky led the Dawgs with six assists to go with his 7 points. Hubbard (4), Newman (5), Cobian (3), Silvaggio (3) Logan (8) and Stein (2) all scored in the victory.
With assistant coach Mark Toscano at the helm, the Bulldogs lost to Vincent Memorial High School 71-70 in overtime after trailing by 13 in the third quarter. Cobian pulled off a double double as he led all scorers with 26 points and grabbed 10 rebounds to go with six steals. Stransky scored 23 points and grabbed six boards with two steals. The Dawgs scored 71 points and only had six assists in the run and gun contest.
The defense came up with 14 steals, which offset the nine turnovers in the game. Hubbard (6), Silvaggio (1), Christian Dominguez (6) and Seits (8) also scored in the game.