Shafter 44, Santa Maria 51

Shafter 36, Atascadero 69

Old Gym to Become Slightly Less Old

One of the bits of news I picked up while trolling around Shafter High last week was that Athletic Director Doug Thompson is working to spruce up the old gym. I don't have an exact time line, but I heard about three improvements expected to come in the near future: used, but functional replacement scoreboards, electric ceiling heaters for morning practices and early tournament games, and a repainted and refinished floor. This last one is especially important, because the plan is to widen the court by a foot on each side, which would make the corner three a much more viable option. Sadly, the painting of yours truly is probably gone, but otherwise this is great news.

Shafter 42, Mira Monte 53

This was a very odd basketball game and it merits a very odd write-up.

Mira Monte is a team full of big athletic players, players whose skills are still growing into their bodies. They play a very physical style of defense that involves running into opposing ball handlers and pushing them. If that fails to jar the ball loose, a second player will come to swing wildly at the offensive player's arms. Conventionally, this kind of activity is considered a foul. It was considered a foul by most of the people in the gymnasium. Unfortunately for Shafter, it was only occasionally considered a foul by the officials. One official in particular seemed to have some Nietzsche in his duffel and was loathe to impose a conventional morality of the weak on the ubermensch Lions of Mira Monte. What are rules to the vitality of a strong man imposing his will? This official was also confused about the color of the Shafter jerseys, referring throughout the game to the Generals' blue as black. I am sure the irony of mixing these two colors is not lost on Cristian Barrios as he surveys his bruises from this game.

Shafter 44, Rosamond 45

Shafter nearly knocked off the defending tournament champs in their first game of the second day. The game was held in the old gym. The old lady has certain charms and felt full and loud for a tournament game in December. More on the gym later.

The locals started slow as Rosamond built a double digit lead before the Generals registered a point. The Shafter boys found their footing at the end of the first quarter, however, and cut the lead to 12-8. The Roadrunners stretched the lead in the second and third periods and entered the fourth with a 37-24 advantage. Shafter's pressure had been solid and effective, but the Generals had not been able to score consistently. In the fourth period, the Generals erupted for 20 points. Adrian Trujillo knocked down a couple of big three pointers and Cristian Barrios made at least one.

Trujillo was making shots all game. At one point in the second half, Rosamond coach Johnny Johnson was enough bothered by his team's inability to find number 20 in his 2-3 zone that he instructed them to pick up man. This experiment ended quickly as Angelo Senoran and Cristian Barrios quickly blew by Roadrunner guards and forced a return to the zone.

With just over a minute to play, Shafter still trailed by 8. However, a couple of clutch three pointers brought the margin down to 3 with the Generals in possession of the ball. Trujillo worked to get open, and finally found some shooting room no less than 8 feet beyond the top of the arc. He quickly squared and launched a shot that seemed to go halfway down before bouncing out and into the hands of Eder Pulido, who was fouled with three tenths of a second left on the clock. The big Shafter freshman had to make the first. He did. Then he needed to miss and set up his fellows for a tip. Eder gave it a good try, cleverly aiming to put the ball off the backboard first, then the side of the rim into the middle of the key, but it is a difficult thing to try to miss after years of trying to do the opposite. The shot banked in and the game ended in disappointment for Shafter.

Shafter 47, Visalia Christian 35

I don't have much to say about this one. Visalia Christian took an early lead, but by half time, the game was well under control and the outcome clear.

Shafter 39, Kern Valley 36

Kern Valley and Shafter traded baskets in the first half with neither team able to build a lead. The Broncs sat back in a tight 2-3 zone, using their back line mountain beefiness to deter penetration and collect boards. The Generals responded with a barrage of threes, connecting on their first five attempts from beyond the arc, three from Adrian Trujillo and one each from Cristian Barrios and Angelo Senoran. Trujillo became a marked man from that point on and a chorus of "shooter" followed him around the perimeter of the Kern Valley zone for the rest of the game.

The first half ended with the score Shafter 24, Kern Valley 22. Shafter started the second half with stepped up defensive pressure and seemed to rattle the Bronc guards. However, Shafter was unable to capitalize on the turnovers, turning the ball back and missing quite a few shots near the basket. With four minutes to play, the score was tied at 30. Then, with about a minute on the clock, the Generals found themselves down by two with several fouls to give before the bonus. Wiebe called for fouls so that they could send the Broncs to the line if they needed to later.

This is where things took at turn for the weird. With 25 seconds to play, Bronc big man Warren Pappas took offense at being fouled and was called for a technical. It was a potentially costly failure of emotional control. However, Barrios only made one of two, putting the Generals down one point with the ball. After a couple of missed shots and offensive rebounds, Shafter inbounded the ball with 11 seconds left. Trujillo had an open look from three, but his shot lodged itself between the rim and backboard and was stuck. The possession arrow favored Shafter. When Shafter turned the ball over, it seemed they might have finally run out of chances. Warren Pappas exhaled with relief. Kern Valley inbounded to Jordan Lawson, who was fouled immediately, leaving just 5 seconds on the clock. However, on the cusp of victory, Lawson was somehow furious. His outburst resulted in another technical foul. Lawson still had the chance to shoot an empty lane one and one for a measure of redemption, but he was in no state for that. Walking to the free throw line, simmering anger and regret battled within. He missed the front end badly. Barrios now had two free throws for the lead. He didn't miss. Nor did he miss after he was fouled on the inbound.

Just your typical three point victory.

Kern Valley and Visalia Christian Preview

The Shafter Kiwanis Tournament starts today and with it a chance to wash away the memory of Kingsburg. Kingsburg began with a promising loss to a good team and ended with a pair of disappointing losses to very beatable teams.

The Kern Valley Broncs are up first for the Generals. The game is at 2:30 this afternoon. Kern Valley has a record of 2 wins and 3 losses. The Calpreps computer thinks this is a toss up, ranking Kern Valley 1,048 in the state and Shafter 1,062. Kern Valley will be coming off of an 11:30 game against Mira Monte.

Shafter then turns around and plays Visalia Christian at 5:30. The Golden Eagles are 1 and 7 on the year and come off of a game with Rosamond at 1:00.

Whew!

Like last year, I have been granted the opportunity to take bodily form and visit Shafter during the Kiwanis Tournament. This is always a treat. If you have ever been awakened from a very, very deep sleep, you have some sense of the ordeal it is as well. The blogging always suffers. However, I hope there will also be some positive blog developments from my visit. I return to the motherland with purpose. Keep your fingers crossed, dear readers. For now, I am happy to report that The Bivouac has submitted a little something for the tournament program. We may also be participating as a sponsor. This is something I have always wanted to do, but inflation has sucked a lot of the buying power out of my 19th century dollars, so we will see.

Herb Benham on Dave Anderson

Herb Benham brings his A-game to a profile of our own Dave Anderson.

Anderson grabs a rebound. No, Anderson rips the rebound away from John Maynard. Come to find out, Anderson is known for his sharp elbows. Get close and you may experience the "Channel of Death."

One rebound becomes two and two becomes three. He whistles a chest pass like Bill Walton. By mid- game, Anderson has 10 points. He's just short of a triple double.

"Do you need help guarding him?" said farmer Larry Starrh.

Who is this guy? What's his secret? Did Anderson come from a planet where 80 is the new 24?...

Be sure to read the whole thing. In addition to his regular Wednesday and Friday games, Anderson played forward for the Shafter Alumni squad.

Navel Gazing: With Picture!

It has been a while since our last navel gazing update, and since The Bivouac has been breaking all traffic records, I thought I would take this opportunity to interrupt the weeping over the Kingsburg Tournament results with a bit of happy news. Here is the moving monthly average of unique visitors since the summer of 2008:

Two hundred readers was always my goal.

Shafter 35, Selma 42

From Steve Penner:

On a rainy Central Valley Saturday the Generals fell to the Selma Bears 42-35 in the 9th place tilt at the Kingsburg tournament. The game began hopefully as Adrian Trujillo nailed an early three pointer. But the Generals' offense went stagnant and they went into the locker room at half-time trailing 24-19. Then, hope burst forth as the Generals put together a spirited third quarter that ended on another three-pointer by Trujillo. With that the Shafter boys found themselves leading 32-29 entering the final quarter.

Unfortunately things did not go well in the fourth quarter. Trujillo just missed a three-pointer to begin the final eight minutes, and a nice steal and lay-up by Angelo Senoran looked good until the ball caromed off the rim. Twice in the final minutes Selma rebounded their own missed free throws and converted contested underneath the basket shots. Christian Barios fouled out with just over four minutes left to additionally injure the Generals' chances.

In summary, it was a winnable game, but it just slipped away in the final minutes.

Reedley (or Selma) Preview

Reedley and Selma were both 0 and 3 in their pool so the tiebreakers will determine who plays Shafter today. Reedley is most likely. If it is the Pirates, this will be the third meeting between the two schools and the first since the 1964-65 season. Reedley won both of the previous games.

Shafter 31, Coalinga 46

What follows is not for the faint of heart. Thanks to Steve Penner for going to the game and delivering this unhappy report.

The entire town of Kingsburg is prepping for tonight's big Division IV Valley Championship football game between their Vikings and the Taft Wildcats. With this game the Viking community bids good-bye for their local hero, Tyler Bray, who will be playing his final high school football game. Bray, a quarterback, has been recruited by the University of Tennessee and will head to Knoxville next week.

Meanwhile, seventeen adults (including the three at the scorer's table and the ticket taker) and three young children (yes, I counted) chose to attend the basketball game between the Generals and the Coalinga Horned Toads. The match was held in Kingsburg's "old gym." The play on the court was serious but sloppy. The Horned Toads will not go far this season so Coach Wiebe hoped his team could rise to the occasion.

Alas, it was not to be. After a hard fought first half, featuring missed scoring attempts, the Generals held a slim 12-10 advantage. But in the third quarter the Toads found their shooting stroke, nailing a series of three-pointers. The three-point form Toads' long distance attempts appeared ungainly to the casual eye, but the ball kept finding the bottom of the net. Coalinga carried a 26-14 lead into the final quarter. When a Horned Toad threw up yet another awkward, flaying attempt from just inside the three point line, and the ball miraculously banked in to extend the lead to 15 points, this observer knew the game was over. The Generals, unhappily, could not find their range from behind the arc, missing every single attempt they took across the entire game.

Coach Wiebe's troops never gave up, and managed to whittle the lead down to eight with a minute to go, thanks to the hustling play of Christian Barrios and Angelo Senoran. But Coalinga converted its free throws in the final seconds to make the final tally 46-31. Maybe tomorrow.

No bones about it, this was a disappointing loss, thankfully there is a game tomorrow, flush this out quickly.

Coalinga Preview

Finally, a chance to draw on the Virtual Barbershop. Shafter and Coalinga go way back. The Generals have dominated the series, but lost the last meeting in the 2003-04 season.

Shafter 41, Victor Valley 68 (4th quarter)

A Bivouac reader has passed along the score with five minutes to go. Deep strategic thought: It is hard to come back from 27 points down with five minutes to play, especially against the team that put you there.

UPDATE: The final score was 88-47. The person who sent the fourth quarter update also noted that Wiebe was sending in the reserves. Victor Valley, in a very classy move, never stopped pressing and never seemed to get to the end of their bench. (I was searching for a sarcasm font there, but settled on italics.) I have a passage in my posthumously written dissertation, The Bounciness of Being, on the ethics of this situation. I'll have to find it and post it later.

Victor Valley Preview

Victor Valley Jackrabbits, now that is an interesting mascot. These Jackrabbits are big. Nine of the twelve players with numbers are listed at six feet or better. They are also good. Victor Valley was 6 and 17 last year, but played a very tough schedule. They would have easily been one of the best teams in the SSL. This year, they appear to have improved significantly. Victor Valley has 3 -1 record (Pending their score against Reedley last night. They appeared to be on their way to victory at last report.). For their only loss, the rabbits were edged by a 5-0 Rancho Cucamonga team that is ranked 78 in the state.

So the Generals are certainly underdogs here, but no more than they were yesterday. If Shafter could pull out an upset, it would be a very big win. Victor Valley is probably the toughest opponent on the schedule.

Shafter 54, Sunnyside 56

Shafter had a double digit lead well into the fourth period last night, but it slipped away in the closing minutes. Still, with the Generals down by two and time running out, Adrian Trujillo had a chance to win it with a long three. It missed and a Shafter player got the rebound, but time expired before he could put it back.



There are, as Johnny Cash knew well, two ways of seeing this...



Going in, I would have thought losing by less than ten against a big school with a history of success would have been a pretty good outcome. Still it is disappointing to be so close and end up with the loss.

Sunnyside Preview

In their first game of the Kingsburg Tournament the Generals face the Sunnyside Optimists... er... Wildcats this afternoon. If RFK's mascot choice was a missed opportunity to do something interesting, this was an even bigger one. Feel free to make your suggestions in the comments.

Sunnyside has had a very good basketball team. They finished 23 and 6 last year and were slotted at 9th best in the section by Calpreps. Sunnyside lost to Liberty in the semis of the Division II playoffs last year. This year, the Wildcats beat Washington Union easily in their only game with a published score (a game against Chowchilla was also scheduled). This will be the first ever contest between Shafter and Sunnyside.

To Help Pass this Long Gamelessness

Frazier Mountain Preview

UPDATE: Game canceled due to weather.

Shafter has played Frazier Mountain three times in its history, once in 07-08 and twice last year. The Generals have won all three meetings handily, by an average score of 53 to 31. The Falcons are coming off of a win against Maricopa, ending a victory drought of nearly 22 months. Look for signs of awakening Falcon pride around Frazier Park.

The meeting will be the first that the Falcons host. If it happens, that is, it is currently snowing on the mountain.

Jeff Higbee on the Alumni Game

Thanks to Jeff Higbee for passing along this note on the Alumni Game.

The Alumni game was a great success. It was much more than just a game. And it was much more than I had anticipated. There was a pretty good crowd on hand as I was thinking more or less scrimmage with no one watching. I got word of the game a couple weeks prior thanks to Jerald P. through Facebook land. Anyhow It was great to see so many guys that I hadn't seen in years. It brought back many fond memories as I have not been back to the Shafter gym since I graduated. Overall, I think it is a good thing for the community of Shafter. John Wiebe is doing a good thing by incorporating the tradition and winning history into his current program. It brought out many faithful Alumni and fans cheering in the crowd.

There were seven of us from the Valley Championship team. I was the only one representing 1995. Manuel Olivas represented 1996. (Jerald) Pierucci, (Rick) Sharp, (Greg) Wegis, (Jeff) Young, (Mike) Ross, and (Tony) Martinez represented 1994. And there were many other familiar faces including all three Watsons (Clint, Cordell, and Clay), Kevin Edgmon, Jason Ghilarducci, Gabe Garcia, Chuck Ramirez, Larry Starrh, and the Andersons (Mike and Dave).

The Generals put on the full court press in the second half that helped them tie the game at 56 in the closing minutes. I must say they are a gritty quick team that exemplifies hustle. We were caught off guard on many occasions. They do lack some height but what they don't have in stature, they make up for with playing hard and fast. Jerald Pierucci made an aggressive rebound with the game tied and then found me cutting back door to the hoop for the basket. Later I hit a free throw that iced the game 59-56.

All of us guys look forward to coming out each year for this to support Shafter and help keep the program where it should be. On top of the SSL. "All things are possible!"

Jeff didn't ask for a plug, but Jeff and his father Jerry, also a fondly remembered General basketball player, run a videography business together. Their work is impressive. Check them out here.

BAA Doesn't Show Up, Goes to Napa Instead

I know it must seem that there would be something metaphorical about the title of this post, but there is not.

It was only the varsity boys that were scheduled, so the evening of basketball was to begin later than usual. The Generals began warming up around 6:00. As game time approached with no Eagles and no one answering the phone, Shafter officials thought perhaps BAA had forgotten that the game time had been moved up from 7:30 and would arrive soon. In fact, as Shafter officials soon learned from Zach Ewing, the Eagles were in Napa, having just dabbed their brows from a 69-16 intra-faith smackdown of Napa Christian.

The mix-up is especially bizarre because BAA agreed to change the time of the game from 7:30 to 6:30, earlier this week.

I don't know what is going to happen to this game. Re-scheduling at this point is logistically difficult and I am not sure that Wiebe would want to add another game close to league play.

The first home game will likely have to wait until the Kiwanis Tournament, starting December 21.

Around the SSL

Please note the update on game time tonight in the post below.

Wasco beat Mira Monte (no seniors) 45-28. More interesting, though, is what was not in the box score - the name of Wasco's leading scorer last year, Christian Rodriguez. I checked the Wasco roster on Maxpreps.com and he is not there either. I do not know what the issue is and he might be playing again soon. If not, that would seem to be a pretty big blow to Wasco. Rodriguez has good size and would arguably be the best returning three point shooter in the league.

Tehachapi lost to Paraclete 53-82. There is no shame in that, Paraclete was a very good team last year and returns almost everyone. Still, the margin is a bit surprising. The teams split last year in two close games. Paraclete has good size, but the box score suggests that it was their speed that bothered the Warriors more as Paraclete was outrebounded, but stole the ball 30 times. Tehachapi may be adding a couple of players once their football season ends.

Taft had no trouble with Maricopa, winning by a score of 80-46. Too early to know what this means. Maricopa was not bad last year, but they can be and they lost their best player from a year ago.

Bakersfield Adventist Academy Preview

UPDATE: Note that the game time is 6:30 tonight, not 7:30 as I had before. The high school's website had the game at 7:30 and Maxpreps at 6:30. I just received an email from Coach Wiebe that, in this case, Maxpreps was right. I apologize for the confusion.

The first home game is tonight at 6:30 against Bakersfield Adventist Academy. If you like speed, scrappy, and grit in your basketball, I think you are going to want to see this Shafter team. They also have a chance to be pretty good. So come out and support the Generals!

Shafter has only faced BAA once. It was during the 2007-08 season. The Generals lost the game 42 to 44. Last year, both teams improved, but the Eagles improved more. The Academy compiled a 12-4 record, including an impressive win over a very good Tehachapi team. The Eagles would have been favored if the teams had met. This will be their first game of the season, so we don't know much about this year's edition.

Shafter 58, Kennedy 40

Shafter wins the opener! Details to follow.

Update: There was a problem with the film, so the stats will be partial when they are ready. I am told that Shafter was aggressive on offense and got to the line often.

RFK Preview

In this season of anticipation, there is at least one present we don't have to wait until the end of the month for. We tear open the 2009-10 season tonight in Delano!

What follows is everything I know about the Robert F. Kennedy Thunderbirds.

The campus opened in 2008 with 537 freshmen and sophomores. I have no numbers for this year, but it is probably around 800, or about half the size of Shafter High. Maxpreps.com doesn't have a schedule (or a roster or a coach) for Kennedy, so I can't be sure, but I believe this will be the first varsity basketball game in school history. In football, the Thunderbirds were 0-10 in their inaugural season and averaged a little better than 60 yards of total offense per game. In short, they struggled. Football is the past, however. The future is basketball. Here Mr. Kennedy might take issue with my opening metaphor as he said, "The future is not a gift; it is an achievement."*

For Shafter, returning players Cristian Barrios, Greg Anzurez, and Adrian Trujillo figure to be major contributors this year. Barrios was a first team All-SSL selection last year and Anzurez shared league Rookie of the Year honors with two other players. Trujillo is a capable wing who saw quite a bit of action last season. The Alumni Game also showed several first year varsity players who look like they are ready to make an impact at the varsity level.

A couple of questions going in:

The General offense is based on principles, reads, and attacking off the dribble. It isn't terribly complicated, but it sometimes takes first year players a while to get comfortable and take the initiative required. Look for signs in these early games that Shafter is being aggressive on the offensive end: catches moving toward the basket, repeated drives at and through the elbows, and inside dishes to the post players. Statistically, we'll hope for lots of free throw attempts and assists.

I am not sure what to expect on defense this year, at least in the details. In the Alumni Game it looked like straight full court man-to-man. In the last two years, Wiebe's teams have run a couple of different high-risk, high-reward, pressure schemes. Shafter has forced a lot of turnovers and generally been been a tough team to try to run an offense against. The stacked BCHS team learned this in the first round of league last year, when Shafter popped them in the kisser with a roundhouse of defensive intensity and staggered the champs for a half. The Generals should force more turnovers than they give up.

Here's hoping for a winning record this time tomorrow. Good luck Generals!

*Yes, this was cribbed from the RFK High website and yes, I may have forced it here.