Bulldog basketball splits league games on the road
By Bill Tamburrino
Ramona’s varsity basketball team played two Valley League games on the road and ended up splitting with Valley Center and Del Norte. The Dawgs are 10-9 on the season and 2-2 in league play.
“After last year’s big loss at Valley Center, last night was a great victory. Shows what a difference a year can make,” coach David Reichner posted on the team’s website.
The Dawgs got off to a good start in a 63-54 win over Valley Center (6-14, 0-4) but had to go to overtime to pull out a victory.
The first quarter was all Ramona as the Dawgs took a 20-7 lead. Valley Center mounted a comeback and outscored the Dawgs 16-6 to make it a 26-23 lead at intermission.
The Jaguars briefly took the lead in the third period but the Dawgs rallied and led 36-31 going into the fourth quarter. The Jaguars got hot and Ramona couldn’t buy a break, and Valley Center tied the game with a 3-point bucket with four seconds left in regulation. Scott Stransky hit a shot from just under the half court stripe at the buzzer but the officials ruled that he didn’t beat the clock and the game went to overtime with the score tied at 51.
The Dawgs dominated the overtime period and outscored the Jags 12-3 for a hard-earned Valley League victory on the road.
Colton Harris turned in his best game as a Bulldog as he led all scorers with 20 points and grabbed a game-high nine boards. Many of his rebounds resulted in put back scores. Colton had two assists and a blocked shot.
Stransky also tallied in double figures with 18 points as he grabbed seven boards. Marco Cobian scored 9 points with six boards, three assists and two steals. Christian Dominguez and Blake Seits scored 5 points apiece. Riley Hubbard (4) and Tanner “T-Bone” Williams (2) also scored in the win. Hubbard had four rebounds, two assists, two steals and blocked shot.
Colton Harris (there are two Harris brothers on the team) had another good night in a 67-36 loss to Del Norte (15-6, 4-0) in a game that was a battle for first place in the Valley League. Harris was the only Bulldog to score in double figures as he tallied 10 points. He also got eight of the teams 24 rebounds.
The game’s starting time was changed to 6:30 p.m. and caught Reichner off guard as he arrived in the gym just before the tip off. That didn’t seem to have an effect on the Dawgs as they led 13-8 after one quarter. Then the wheels came off the bus and Del Norte went on a 30-2 run in the second quarter and never looked back. Del Norte’s entire roster scored in the game. Seven scored in double figures and four scored over 22 points. The Nighthawks won the battle of the boards 44-24, and blocked four shots and recorded eight steals while forcing 17 turnovers.
Seits scored all nine of his points by way of the 3-point shot and had three steals on defense. Cobian (8), Stransky (4), Silvaggio (2), Austin Pierce (2) and Calvin Harris (1) also scored in the game. Cobian led the team with five assists.
The Bulldogs will now need help to win the Valley League title. A win would have put them in a four-way tie for first place with Del Norte, Oceanside and Orange Glen. The Dawgs will just about have to run the table in league play to win the banner.
Ramona will host Mission Vista on Friday at 7 p.m.