Sometimes when God closes a door, he opens a window.
That’s probably not what Coach Mario Garza told his Jewish Community High School boys basketball team when they dropped their first league contest in the last game of the regular season. In fact, what Garza said probably couldn’t be printed in any family newspaper.
But the narrow loss to Arrowsmith Academy on Thursday, Feb. 9 probably did more good than a win, amazingly enough. Given tangible proof that they weren’t impervious, the Wolves roared through the week’s Small School Bridge League tournament, capturing the school’s first league title with a decisive victory over that same Arrowsmith squad.
“I think that loss was the best thing that could have happened to our team,” reflected assistant coach and school athletic director Patrick Bruno. “We knew we couldn’t just show up and play. We had to bring our A-game. Had we won that night, we might have just said ‘well, it’s just going to happen for us.’ But I don’t think the boys had that mindset. It was almost like they were possessed.”
Playing at the Hanna Boys Center in Sonoma, the Wolves eluded opening round opponent Summerfield Waldorf in the tourney’s initial contest, 56-42. JCHS drubbed Pleasant Hill Adventist Academy, 72-49, in the semis, setting up the final Thursday, Feb. 16 with Arrowsmith.
It was the third meeting of the year between the two schools, following a 100-72 win for JCHS in January and the 79-73 loss earlier this month. Adding fuel to the fire, the Bulldogs knocked JCHS out of last year’s tournament and featured the SSBL’s marquee player, Armani Jones, a 6-foot-1 senior who scored 27 points per game this year and is headed to Arizona State University next season.
The teams battled to a standstill in the first half, but it soon became apparent in the second half that the Bulldogs had no answer for Mike Yagudayev. The Wolves’ 6-foot-4 center made the paint his own personal domain, dominating in every facet of the game. He sank multiple inside shots, cleaned the glass for double-digit rebounds, blew through double-teams and kept Arrowsmith’s opposing big men in foul trouble.
Fueled by Yagudayev’s 38-point effort, JCHS pulled away in for an easy 92-70 win and the league crown. The Wolves finished at 19-4 and 15-1 in conference. This is just the team’s second foray in the tournament and third year of existence.
The team’s next move is to apply for an at-large bid into the state’s upcoming regional tournament. With JCHS’ excellent record, Bruno feels the team has an “outside chance” of earning the opportunity to play against other Division V California schools with similar attendance figures.