Pierce’s Ryan Travis drives baseline during the Bears game against Paradise on Feb. 9. Travis had 12 points in the 43-28 win.
Three weeks ago, Pierce made the trip to Durham for a Sacramento Valley League contest where it couldn’t buy a basket and dropped its first conference game. But the Bears more than made up for it last Friday night on the road, as they handed the Trojans a 42-36 loss to win the inaugural SVL tournament title.
While it may seem cliché to say that defense wins championships, that’s exactly the way it played out for the Bears, as they held Durham to its lowest point total of the season, and turned in a performance that thrilled Coach Cody McCullough.
“This accomplishment for the team is a big one,” McCullough said. “I am ecstatic with our performance and very proud of this family. I think a lot of people wrote us off prior to this season as we lost five incredible senior athletes last year, but this team continues to prove everyone wrong.”
Although no statistics were available, McCullough stressed that the ultimate difference in the game was his team’s defensive execution.
To get to the tournament finale, Pierce first dispensed with Paradise 43-28, in a game on Feb. 9, where despite a slow start, they put together a strong second half.
Guillermo Jauregui scored all of his team-high 15 points in the second half to lead the Bears, while Ryan Travis finished with 12 points, and Daniel Salud added nine.
Now seeded second in the Northern Section Division IV playoffs, Pierce (18-8) had a first-round bye and is scheduled to host the winner of the game between No. 7 Sutter and No. 10 Anderson on Friday night. ■