Prep basketball notes: Strong league play pushes Bella Vista boys into playoffs
With a young roster and a rugged nonleague schedule, coach Dave Gonzalez figured his Bella Vista High School boys basketball team would struggle at times.
But a 6-11 nonleague performance, including a 28-point blowout loss to No. 17 Foothill on the eve of Bella Vista’s maiden voyage in the Capital Valley Conference, really tested the Broncos’ resolve.
“The preseason was a bear, and we definitely had our rough stretches,” Gonzalez said. “You hit a point where you hope they don’t lose their confidence.”
They didn’t.
The Broncos (15-12, 9-1) reeled off nine consecutive league wins to capture the program’s third league title in the past four years and enter this week’s Sac-Joaquin Section Division II playoffs as an intriguing team.
“Once we got into league, it all came together,” Gonzalez said before the Broncos fell at No. 16 Del Campo 42-41 in Friday’s regular-season finale. “We were able to keep the guys focused on the big picture.”
The Broncos did it with just one senior starter and three sophomore contributors, including two who start.
Bella Vista’s big three have been 6-foot-5 junior K.J. Logue, averaging 13.0 points and nearly 17.0 in league; 6-4, 225-pound senior banger Terry Jackson; and sophomore guard Ahmad Smith, a Jesuit transfer who had 25 points in the Broncos’ Jan. 27 win over Del Campo.
Other contributors are sophomores Tyler Berkness and Adam Ciszewski; Romanian transplant Cristian Salhani, a 6-6 junior; and Tanner Wright, a 5-9 junior guard.
Gonzalez says this team has the potential to be better than his 2008-09 squad that went 25-5 and lost by two points to Fairfield in the D-II semifinals at Arco Arena.
But they may be another year away.
“We’re still young and have so many things to learn,” said Gonzalez, whose father, Paul, the Roseville coaching legend, is an assistant. “The playoffs are a different deal, so you never know how they’ll react. But we’re playing with a lot of confidence going into the playoffs.”
Rockin’ in Rocklin While the Rocklin boys were a perennial playoff team under renowned coach Steve Taylor, who retired at the end of last season, the Thunder girls had five consecutive losing seasons and missed the playoffs.
But that changed this season under first-year coach Rob Ferraro, Taylor’s assistant for 12 seasons on the boys side.
The Thunder is headed to the D-II playoffs after finishing 17-10 overall and 7-3 in the Sierra Foothill League.
Rocklin capped the regular season by beating No. 19 Woodcreek 41-34 Thursday to finish second in league to top-ranked Del Oro.
Record setter Woodcreek senior guard John Peska set a school record with 44 points in the Timberwolves’ 85-65 Sierra Foothill League win over Nevada Union on Wednesday.
The 5-10 Peska topped the previous mark of 39 held by Dunhill Verceles in 2001-02.
Peska entered the week averaging 20.6 points.
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