Sometimes you have to win ugly. This was one of those times. The Generals went up 7-0 to start the game, but ended the first quarter on the wrong side of a 16-2 run. Wasco failed to score in the second period and the game went into halftime with the Generals leading 23-16. The margin didn't change much over the half and the game ended with Shafter 7 points ahead.
Update: For those who weren't at the game, the gym was full and the atmosphere was great. The girls team deserves a lot of credit for that. They are good and they bring a crowd. Also, Coach Wiebe invited all of the 6-8th grade kids who attended a clinic on Thursday night to come to the game for free and I saw a bunch of future Generals in attendance. Teams rise and fall with the talent that happens to come out to play in a given year. Programs rise and fall because they don't trust luck, but make investments in the community and the future. Both boys and girls basketball are doing that. Beneath the ups and downs of individual seasons and teams and players, program level momentum is building. This week was evidence of that. The Jr. High teams at Richland dominated Thomas Jefferson earlier in the week and, on Friday, Wasco only managed a last second win in the boys Frosh-soph game. Our boys and girls varsity teams, frankly, did not play well. The emerging gap between the programs provided the cushion necessary to get wins anyway.
Friday, January 27, 2012
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Shafter 66, BCHS 61
This was a good win. As against Taft, the Generals rallied defensively to limit the effectiveness of a very good offensive player. Tyler Harris made some shots, but Jesse Samaniego and T.J. Parsons only gave him tough looks. He earned everything he got.
It was a slog of a first half, with lots of fouls on both sides. The feet of BCHS guards had difficulty staying with Shafter's guards, forcing them to defend with their hands, grabbing and holding around the perimeter. Shafter bigs were swinging for blocks and got called for them. Both teams went into the double bonus. It was 33-32, BCHS at halftime. The Generals stayed close largely thanks to some unusually good free throw shooting.
Shafter led 47-44 at the end of the third and began to stretch the lead early in the fourth thanks to the play of the big men. Tyler Gonzalez made a bunch of big second half shots. Cyrus Parsons rebounded well. He also had the play of the night, catching a lob from his brother on one side of the hoop, brushing the net on his way to other side to lay it in.
The Generals improve to 12 and 5 with the win and are now 3 and 1 in SSL play. You should come watch and cheer on Friday when the Generals play the Wasco Tigers at home. This is a team that competes and wins and deserves your support.
It was a slog of a first half, with lots of fouls on both sides. The feet of BCHS guards had difficulty staying with Shafter's guards, forcing them to defend with their hands, grabbing and holding around the perimeter. Shafter bigs were swinging for blocks and got called for them. Both teams went into the double bonus. It was 33-32, BCHS at halftime. The Generals stayed close largely thanks to some unusually good free throw shooting.
Shafter led 47-44 at the end of the third and began to stretch the lead early in the fourth thanks to the play of the big men. Tyler Gonzalez made a bunch of big second half shots. Cyrus Parsons rebounded well. He also had the play of the night, catching a lob from his brother on one side of the hoop, brushing the net on his way to other side to lay it in.
The Generals improve to 12 and 5 with the win and are now 3 and 1 in SSL play. You should come watch and cheer on Friday when the Generals play the Wasco Tigers at home. This is a team that competes and wins and deserves your support.
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Shafter 52, Taft 42
Defense and rebounding won this for the Generals. The team made clear early that Taft's dynamic duo of Lopez and Gee (who are as good as any two players in the SSL) were going to have to work for everything they got. They didn't get much. T.J. Parsons played his usual role of defensive stopper, keeping the ball from Lopez and warming it up whenever it did find his hands. But it was the help defense that was the key. Tyler Gonzalez stayed close the bucket forcing Taft to shoot over him while the guards clogged lanes and flew at three point shooters. It was a recipe for contested mid-range shot. Dear readers, contested mid-range shots are the building blocks of losing offense.
This was easily the best win of the year for the Generals. At the start of SSL play, Taft was the clear favorite to win league. They had just beaten an Independence team that, even after the loss is ranked 15th in the section and 4th in Kern County. Since then, Taft lost a close one to BCHS after blowing a big lead. Shafter now goes up the mountain to Tehachapi 11 and 4 on the season and 2 and 0 in league play.
Correct me if I am wrong, but it looks to me like you have to go back to the 1992-93 season to find a team with a better record to start the season than 11 and 4. That team started 14 and 3. We can talk endlessly about schedule strength (the 92-93 team had to face Garces twice in league, but they also played Avenal - and only beat them by 2), however there can be no question that this is a team with potential to go far as they continue to improve.
Also, I didn't see it, but heard that the JV team won their game by 1.
This was easily the best win of the year for the Generals. At the start of SSL play, Taft was the clear favorite to win league. They had just beaten an Independence team that, even after the loss is ranked 15th in the section and 4th in Kern County. Since then, Taft lost a close one to BCHS after blowing a big lead. Shafter now goes up the mountain to Tehachapi 11 and 4 on the season and 2 and 0 in league play.
Correct me if I am wrong, but it looks to me like you have to go back to the 1992-93 season to find a team with a better record to start the season than 11 and 4. That team started 14 and 3. We can talk endlessly about schedule strength (the 92-93 team had to face Garces twice in league, but they also played Avenal - and only beat them by 2), however there can be no question that this is a team with potential to go far as they continue to improve.
Also, I didn't see it, but heard that the JV team won their game by 1.
Friday, January 13, 2012
Shafter 62, McFarland 41
This game wasn't as close as the score suggests. The outcome was pretty clear by halftime and Wiebe was able to distribute playing time with liberality. The Generals are now 9 and 4, their best start in a decade.
Saturday, January 7, 2012
Shafter 62, Lindsay 53
Shafter 62, Lindsay 53
At LHS
SHS (8-4): Millwee 3, Gamez 11, T. Parsons 9, Senoran 5, Samaniego 9, C. Parsons 15, Bloemhof 4, T. Gonzalez 6.
JV, FS: SHS d. LHS
This was a very physical game in a hostile gym against a solid opponent. Games like this test the heart and guts of a team and the Generals stepped up and played what was probably their best game of the season. The guards handled pressure and took care of the ball, the bigs battled for and won boards. As a bonus, Shafter also preserved a winning streak over Lindsay that stretches back to the 1948-49 season.
It is also great to see that the Frosh-Soph and JV teams both won. The future of Shafter basketball is bright.
At LHS
SHS (8-4): Millwee 3, Gamez 11, T. Parsons 9, Senoran 5, Samaniego 9, C. Parsons 15, Bloemhof 4, T. Gonzalez 6.
JV, FS: SHS d. LHS
This was a very physical game in a hostile gym against a solid opponent. Games like this test the heart and guts of a team and the Generals stepped up and played what was probably their best game of the season. The guards handled pressure and took care of the ball, the bigs battled for and won boards. As a bonus, Shafter also preserved a winning streak over Lindsay that stretches back to the 1948-49 season.
It is also great to see that the Frosh-Soph and JV teams both won. The future of Shafter basketball is bright.
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
Update
Really lagging on the scores. Sorry.
At the Woodlake Tournament after Exeter, it was
Shafter 79, Elizabeth Learning Center 49
Shafter 39, Orosi 50
Shafter 62, Woodlake 35
And tonight at home: Shafter 41, Kern Valley 34
The Generals are now 7 and 4. This is the best start since the 2006-07, which opened with 7 wins and 4 losses before the team dropped the next three contests and then went undefeated in SSL play. The 2002-03 team also started 7 and 4, but lost the next two games. In 2001-02, the team started 10 and 2 before running into trouble. So if this team can beat a tough Lindsay team on the road Friday, it would be the best start in a decade.
At the Woodlake Tournament after Exeter, it was
Shafter 79, Elizabeth Learning Center 49
Shafter 39, Orosi 50
Shafter 62, Woodlake 35
And tonight at home: Shafter 41, Kern Valley 34
The Generals are now 7 and 4. This is the best start since the 2006-07, which opened with 7 wins and 4 losses before the team dropped the next three contests and then went undefeated in SSL play. The 2002-03 team also started 7 and 4, but lost the next two games. In 2001-02, the team started 10 and 2 before running into trouble. So if this team can beat a tough Lindsay team on the road Friday, it would be the best start in a decade.
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