The Dawg Pound

6th Grade Black-Reno Jam-On-It Memorial Day Tournament 2011

2011-06-03T09:01:00.000-07:00

After three schedule changes in three days leading up to the tournament, the YBA DAWGS 6th Grade Black Team ended up in arguably the toughest pool in the D1 Division.

Not ones to shy away from any team, they went into their first game against All City West, a team from Southern California. With a few players getting acclimated to the environment against a very "attack mode" team from the South, the DAWGS were within 3 points at one point of the game. But, a few lapses, while the other team is in attack mode is all it takes to find yourself down by double digits. In the end, the effort from the DAWGS was subpar and they lost the game. Joshua and Alex M. did their best to keep it close with 20 points (6 three pointers) and 10 points, respectively.

The second game of the day was against the D1 All-Stars from the Bay Area. Always a strong team, the DAWGS were down by 14 at half time. The effort was there, but the other team was simply a stronger team. Jashon did his best to rebound for the DAWGS, with 13 rebounds. Joshua led the team in scoring with 12 points. All players gave a valiant effort, but at the end of the day, the defending champion DAWGS found themselves 0-2.

After a small talk about having fun, and playing loose with no pressures, the DAWGS were looking to come back big in their next two games. And boy, did they...

Playing one game on Sunday against the SF Flying Eagles, they played their best game yet. Going back to pressure defense, and working together as a team, they blew the Eagles away. Final score: 83-37. Jashon was clearly the player of the game, with energy on both ends of the court for the entire game. He finished with 7 points, 8 rebounds, 3 steals, 3 assists - BUT had many tipped passes, tipped rebounds, and hustle plays that don't show on the stat sheet. He was clearly the best player on the court. Every player on the DAWGS had their hands in a hustle play of some sort, showing their desire to win the game. Darren (who was not there the first two games) finished with 22 points (9 of 10 from the field, and 10 rebounds), Joshua poured in 17 points (4 3 pointers) and Alex S. chipped in nine points. J. Kim played the point role handing out 6 assists.

The final game on Monday was an early morning 8:00AM game vs. Spirit Got Game. This is a very good team, that the DAWGS had not beaten in the last 3-4 meetings, so the DAWGS came with a goal: WIN THE GAME.

It was a very hard fought game - there were bloody lips, bloody noses and bodies on the floor for loose balls. Spirit played their trademark pressure defense, and forced the DAWGS to move the ball faster and more than they are used to - but the DAWGS adjusted beautifully. The DAWGS found each other cutting to the basket for easy buckets, and found themselves tied at half.

In the second half, they buckled down and again used fabulous teamwork, passing and high basketball IQ, and pulled ahead late in the game. Their defense, as well as their ability to be patient was key. The DAWGS won by 10. It was the best team effort of the tournament, and everyone contributed. Again, Jashon came out with energy on both ends of the court and got his hands in many plays, he ended the game with 11 points (multiple one handed runners), 4 rebounds, 3 steals, 3 assists. Joshua had 22 points (3 3-pointers), Darren and Bryson contributed 12 and 5 respectively, Alex M had 6 points and 6 rebounds. J.Kim did a stellar job handling the ball against aggressive defenders and finding the open man, Conor and Alex S. racked up the "stats that don't show" - like boxing out the big man, hustilng and diving on the floor to keep possessions.

To come back strong as they did, the DAWGS showed that they are a true D1 team and that they belong in that division. We had the unfortunate draw to meet some VERY good teams without a full roster. BUT, no excuses. The boys played well, and the coaches agree that a 2-2 weekend is nothing to be mad about. Most importantly, all of the team had fun hanging out between ball games. It was a good time to relax and strengthen friendships.

8th Grade Black-Reno Jam-On-It Memorial Day Tournament 2011

2011-06-03T08:58:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to the 8th grade Dawgs Black team, 2011 RENO CHAMPIONS!!!

In summary, this weekend's outcome reflected a true team effort. We wouldn't have earned the championship without contributions from each and every player. Their toughness, commitment to defense, and willingness to share the ball won the day. The team stayed true to the YBA slogan (Defense Always Wins Games) by allowing only 42.5 points per game, which was the lowest figure in the bracket by almost 6 ppg. The Foothill coach graciously complimented us on our defense after we beat them in the final game, which made Coach Shaw very happy!

YBA 65, Humboldt Wild 42

After waiting until late Saturday afternoon for this critical "play in game", the Dawgs came out hungry! The team employed a variety of defenses with intense ball pressure that prevented the Wild from ever getting comfortable on their end of the court. YBA's offense was also up to the task, with excellent ball movement creating one open shot after another. The team recorded 24 assists; five players notched at least 4 helpers. Bryce delivered several assists in quick succession on a series of penetrating moves to the basket.

YBA 56, PA Midnight 41

Our team started slowly in this late night game, with the players appearing more ready to watch than defend the sharp-shooting Palo Alto squad. The offense was good enough to hold a 34-27 halftime lead. Coach Shaw addressed the issue in no uncertain terms during the break, and the Dawgs responded with much better effort and allowed only 14 points the rest of the way. Grady dished out 5 assists to facilitate the offense.

YBA 65, Manteca Wildcats 36

The aggressive Wildcats jumped out to a 7-0 lead in the Sunday semi-final game, with the Dawgs on their heels against Manteca's trapping defense and all-out offensive rebounding. YBA fixed the defensive problems first by playing intense man-to-man "D" and keeping the Wildcats' bigger frontcourt players off the boards. Colin, Nicholas, and Bryce did a great job neutralizing their super-athletic, 6' 4" center. Jared got the offense started with two key early baskets that kicked off a 27-3 run which covered the final 13 minutes of the half. The Dawgs continued their high level of play for the final 29 point margin. Nicholas and Manveer were the primary distributors with 7 assists between them.

YBA 56, Foothill Stars 51

It was clear from the beginning that the championship game was going to be a hard-fought contest. Bret had to leave the game after going down hard on the 2nd play of the game, but he recovered to convert several steals into baskets for his team. Jade, after missing the first 3 games due to family obligations, also bounced back from a hard foul with his all-out effort and great movement without the ball.

Grady led the offense early with a rapid-fire burst of 8 points, and Amran helped to stretch the lead to double digits with a 3 and several free throws. Colin was a force inside, stopping many point-blank opportunities (both by defending his own man and by helping on drives to the basket) and playing a strong offensive game of his own. Bryce, Nicholas, Amran, and Bret combined to hold the Stars' hot-shooting #35 to 0 points over the last 25 minutes. The team consistently broke Foothill's press and made very few turnovers; Grady repeatedly got into the lane for either a good shot or a pass to an open teammate. Nicholas had a great left-handed finish after a baseline drive, and he and Jared hit key free throws late in the game to help preserve the lead. Manveer and Ryan defended, grabbed rebounds, took open shots, and played hard.

Coach Shaw's keys to the game were Bret and Jade playing through pain, the guards taking care of the ball, and all of the players trusting each other on the floor. It was a great victory!

7th Grade Black-May 21-22

2011-05-26T15:07:00.000-07:00

YBA Dawgs 35 vs Folsom Force 31
With a giant start Wes was feeling strong! We started the game fast with a 15 point lead late in the second quarter. Going into half time by 10. Folsom would not go away chipping at the lead and got with in 3 late in the game before YBA closed the door with a few Defensive stops.

YBA 48 vs Central Valley 46
This game was a see saw battle all game. YBA played strong and was behind late in the game. Thats when YBA put on the Diamond press and got 2 late steals to tie the ball game. With the game winding down YBA put up a shot that Noah rebounded and shot as the horn sounded for the game winning shot! Very exciting game!

YBA 54 vs Merced 27
YBA was the more disciplined team in this game. The team decided to score every time on box 4......Think the team got 14 points on this play alone. The play of the game was a pick and roll executed by a bounce pass by Marcus to Big Mike finishing the play. The game was consummated with Jr hitting a late 3 point shot. This game was YBA’s 9th win in a row!

6th Grade Black-May 21-22

2011-05-24T13:24:00.001-07:00

Playing in the middle 7th grade division against unfamiliar opponents was going to be a challenge for the DAWGS Black team. Expecting a full squad for the tournament, the DAWGS were confident as always going into the first game against the Ballin' Ambassadors. The DAWGS offense didn't click like it normally does, but their defense picked up the slack and the DAWGS won 58-36.

Playing against the Chico Tarheels in the second game, the game plan was to apply ball pressure everywhere. The defense turned into easy offense, and the DAWGS completely dominated the game. In the end, the DAWGS posted a 70-38 victory.

In the championship game on Sunday against E-Time Hoops, the DAWGS didn't seem to show up against a formidable opponent. Their usually reliable defense was "porous", and their offense was stagnant. In a low scoring contest, the DAWGS needed contributions from everyone to be in the game. They had to fight back from being behind, and their willingness to play scared allowed E-Time to control the rebounds. After a "very quiet" tongue lashing from the coach (coach lost his voice that weekend), the DAWGS dug deep and held on for a 30-29 win.
Overall, it was a good tournament championship for the team. Good momentum going into the Reno tournament and winning while playing a grade up is always fun. The coaching staff is really having fun coaching this great group of boys. They are competitors on the court and friends off it. The coaching staff has been blessed with a talented group of players and can't wait to see the results from Reno!

6th Grade Blue-May 21-22

2011-05-24T13:22:00.001-07:00

Our first game was a good game for us. We played a tough team from the Bay area, and it was the first time we ever saw them. We came out very strong and hungry. We played great defense and got out quick with many fast break points. We dominated the boards and outlet great. We won 49 to 33.

Our second game was a different story. Even though we played hard, we did not execute like the first game. We lost on defense and on the rebounding. We looked lethargic at the beginning and were down 17 at the half. We made run in the fourth but the lead was to much. We lost to a team we had beat twice the last two games we played them. We lost 54-40.

In our last game we were up set and took it out on our last team. It was a small but scrappy team. We went into the first half with a 15 point lead. Our zone was very strong and they could not score on us. In the second half the other team came out strong and closed with in 6 in the fourth. We regrouped and added a couple more to win. We won 44-35.

Overall we did good going into Reno. If the boys can play team ball for 4 games in Reno, we will win. If we do not then we will not. They are as ready as they can be. It is all up to them and how hungry they are to win in Reno. We think all of the teams in our bracket are beatable.

This is the first year of the last 3 years that I feel confident that we are good enough to win in Reno.

God Bless all of the YBA teams going to Reno!

The Coaches.

7th Grade Black-May 14-15

2011-05-18T15:03:00.000-07:00

YBA 45 vs All-Star Predators 42
YBA rolled out its new switching defense and played some of its best Defense of the year. YBA finished the game with a layup by JB late in the game to seal the victory.

YBA 56 vs Union City
In a late night game YBA turned to Big Mike to start the game and give us energy and rebounds. The team was just overmatched with the size and skill YBA had to offer.

YBA 55 vs Red Raider
In what could be the best game of the year YBA gutted out a victory and really played strong on both Defense and Offense. Sean Boyle had 5 3 pointers and Jr had some big shots as well. JB shook off an injury on his ankle and YBA just kept answering any big shot the red raiders had with a bigger shot. This championship was a game the coaches, parents and players will saver for a long time!

7th Grade Black-May 7

2011-05-11T08:36:00.002-07:00

Dawgs Black 48 vs CCR Black 25

CCR always gives us difficulties, today we executed to the best of our abilities. Played terrific defense vs their best player and rebounded and defended very well.

Dawgs Black 102 vs PHPS 14
Taking the press off after 5 minutes did not slow down the Dawgs. It was the highest shooting percentage game we shot all year close to 75 o/o from the field. Sean Boyle had 12 steals and JB had the memorable 100th point.

Dawgs Black 53 vs All Star Predators Black 50
In a tight game YBA played a hard fought game Sean Boyle had 4 3 pointers and Mike Downing came up with a huge rebound to seal the win and weekend championship.

7th Grade Black-May 8th

2011-05-11T08:36:00.001-07:00

6th Grade Blue-May 7

2011-05-11T08:33:00.002-07:00

We went 2-1 in a strong D1 one day tournament.

Our first game we won by a bucket that Everett Libolt made in the last seconds of the game. We played a team that we had lost to the last time we played them. They had a tall line-up but we were able to keep up
with them with good team play. Our guards penetrated well and our bigs finished well. Our Rebounding is getting better which helped us get the win.

Our Second game we won by 3 to a team that we have not seen before. We were up in the beginning but went down after the half. We got back up in the 4th and hung on to win. The team played team ball to get all
involved in the game.

The last game we came out and played the other team that was 2-0 and we played lethargic. we were down 18 at the half. We put on our trap press and got back to with in 10 by the fourth, but we ran out of steam and ended losing to a more aggressive team. We abandoned our team play and tried to beat them individually.

Though we went 2-1, the coaches our proud on how the team played over all and will use the one loss as a driver for the next tournament. We know the team is playing at a higher level and we have to keep pushing
into Reno.

6th Grade Blue-May 8th

2011-05-11T08:33:00.001-07:00

9th Grade Blue-April 30-May1

2011-05-04T12:55:00.001-07:00

8th Grade Shaw-April 30-May 1

2011-05-04T12:55:00.000-07:00

YBA 33, Hurricanes Orange 38

The Dawgs got off to a great start in game 1 by playing strong defense and taking care of the ball. The shots stopped falling in the 2nd quarter, and the team got sloppy with the ball in the 2nd half. Turnovers and a few late defensive rotations cost us the game against the eventual champions. Manveer's ball pressure on defense forced the Hurricanes' normally sure-handed point guard into several turnovers. Jared and Ryan led the offense, and Jade did a great job on the boards.

YBA 40, Clovis Broncos 28
More good defense kept YBA in the lead most of the way on Saturday afternoon, although continued inefficient offense allowed the Broncos to stay close. We finally hit some shots in the 4th quarter to pull away for the win. Jade and Bret led a very balanced attack, while Ryan and Colin cleaned the boards.

YBA 63, Davis Wildcats Black 31
The team was ready to go from the opening whistle. Manveer and Bret forced numerous turnovers in the press, and the Dawgs did a good job of converting their fast breaks. The halfcourt offense finally came to life as well, with Colin getting rewarded for his hard work inside, Nicholas moving well without the ball, and Ryan hitting his outside shots. Grady played a strong overall game and did a great job of setting up his teammates

8th Dawgs Blue-April 30-May 1

2011-05-03T15:07:00.003-07:00

7th Grade Black-April 30-May 1

2011-05-03T15:06:00.003-07:00

YBA 55 vs GBBA 36

YBA came out aggressive with Wes Preece setting the tone early with some outstanding hustle plays! Our team played great for an early 8am game. The team out scored the opponent 15-3 in the 4th quarter.

YBA 37 vs Central Valley Hornets 41

YBA started early strong and built a 10 point lead CVH came back very aggressive and we just did not match the intensity and had a few to many turn overs. In a hard fought game YBA lost in Overtime.

YBA 37 vs 48

Noah Novotny started strong with 6 of our first 8 points of the game. Battling tough with this team YBA mounted a huge comeback and brought the game within 3 points. Before losing by 11. Rebounding was key and we continue to strive to improve in this area. Great weekend of competition. The boys just need to continue to improve on effort all the time on the floor.

7th Grade Blue-April 30-May 1

2011-05-03T15:06:00.001-07:00

6th Grade Black-(7th Grade Div.) April 30-May 1

2011-05-03T15:03:00.000-07:00

Playing in the upper 7th grade level (not the highest, but the second highest), the team had their work cut out for them. They have been playing "up" for the past few weeks, and have held their own, but with new teams and physically bigger players - the team had to bring their "A" game.

In the first game the team faced off against a team from Clovis. The team got off to a slow scoring start and found themselves down by 16 at the half. A change in defense, and a balanced scoring attack with J.Kim Porras leading the way with 22 point brought the DAWGS back within striking distance. With seconds left on the clock, the DAWGS could not make a basket to overcome a two point deficit.

The second game was against the EDH Trojans. Down 4-0 quickly, the DAWGS called timeout to regroup. Using "fuel" from the opposing coach's and fan's words, Joshua O. came out and hit three 3-pointers in a row to put the DAWGS up 9-4. Using swarming defense, and the desire to prove who was the better team, the DAWGS raced out to a 25 point lead. In the end, the DAWGS prevailed with a 18-point win. Helping the cause was their hot shooting - Joshua (6 3-pointers, 22 points total), Conor (3 3-pointers, and a ESPN Highlight behind the back assist), Jashon (2 3-pointers), and their swarming defense. Add to that, the "dirty work" done on the inside by Darren N., Alex M. and Ethan W. and the Trojans didn't stand a chance. It was a sweet win.

Sunday's game was against the Folsom Rage. Playing them for the second time, the DAWGS had a idea of what to expect. The game was close for a half, but a 35-foot 3-pointer by Joshua (8 3-pointers for the game-24 points) gave the DAWGS some momentum. ALL DAWGS contributed, from great shooting (Conor 3 3-pointers), to tough defense (The ENTIRE TEAM), to hustle plays (Again ALL DAWGS) to the 13-point win.

6th Grade Blue-April 30-May 1

2011-05-03T15:02:00.003-07:00

Dawgs 6th blue has turned the corner! This weekend we had another great tournament.

In our first game, we played a team that we lost to in the earlier season and beat them handily. All the boys played well with strong defense and strong offense.

In our second game we beat a team that we lost to the last time we played them, so it was the second retribution. With great stamina and teamwork we beat a strong team that had a strong dominant player.

The third game was a true championship game that we needed to win for many reasons. We played the Predators head to head and beat them by 9 to win the tournament. In this game, the team played as a true team with great execution of the plays and team work. Every player contributed to the win.

It has taken 3 months but now the team is playing at a higher level and playing as a team. They are now executing the 5 different plays with multiple options finding the best shot.

Stand out performances were Jeremy lillis with great boards and offensive scoring, Everett Libolt with great scoring and distribution, Brendyn Ikeda with press breaks, and defensive play, Nick Ohler with his shooting and passing, Blake Stelzer with driving and shooting and quick defense, Kyle Mullins with shooting and ball handling, Jalen Stringer with steals and fast breaks, Taylor Ittner with put backs and passing and boards, and last with Kazik Lewendowski playing with a swollen hand due to bee sting.

5th Grade-April 30-May 1

2011-05-03T15:02:00.001-07:00

4th Grade-April 30-May 1

2011-05-03T15:01:00.001-07:00

Varsity Blue-April 23

2011-04-27T13:10:00.000-07:00

Game #1
We came out playing Team Sage, they were a team of Freshman, but they had good size. Even though it was a 9:00am early game we got after them early defensively. We forced them into bad shots and this allowed us to win by 20.

Game #2
Our second game was against Bishop-Manogue, from Nevada. They were second in the state last year. They were bigger then us. We came out pressuring these guys full court to wear them down. We forced them to turn the ball over. Eventually, even though they were bigger then us we began to out rebound them. We had to come back from being down. This was a great win. I'm very proud of this win.

Game #3- The Championship Game
This game was against the Mighty Play Hard Play Smart from Sacramento. This was a great Championship Final. It pitted two teams against each other that have similar styles, pressuring, running, getting down the court and transitioning, getting layups and trying to speed the other team up. We went back and forth the whole game. We were winning the back and forth battle for most of the game. We went down at a crucial point in the fourth quarter, but after regrouping we got back at it defensively, turning them over, getting layups and stops. Jeremy eventually, after two timeouts and 35 seconds off the clock, hit a game winner with three seconds on the clock.

Great team chemistry and comradery is what holds us together down the stretch in tough games and allows us victory. This was a great weekend guys!!! Thank you.

Stevie and Steph were great team leaders this weekend.
Lawrence get defensive player of the weekend
Jeremy gets best offense this weekend

JV-April 23

2011-04-27T13:08:00.000-07:00

A good weekend for the Dawgs despite missing Cole, Daniel, & Nathan, as we finally got a tournament championship win. We played well and won by 13, 32, & 7. It was a complete team effort as we finally got contributions from every player on the team.

Dawgs 49 Dreamers 36
In a game we controlled throughout, the one time it was close (38-32) in the 2nd half, Lawerence stepped up and hit back to back threes from the wing to push the lead back out over 10. Kameron had a big game with 6 points and STRONG defense and low post work. Matt was outstanding rebounding and had over 10. Lawrence led the way on Offense with 4 threes and close to 20 points.

Dawgs 65 Irish 34
A game that was never close as we started out on a 13-0 run and led 26-6 after one quarter. Matt led the way with somewhere near 26 points (including 12 in the 1st quarter), 15 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 blocks & 2 steals. The whole team looked very good and Tariq played outstanding Defense and made several big plays throughout. Ryan played well on both ends (surprising us both) and had several nice assists. Kameron continued his push to become a "banger" down low and out muscled several of their players in the game.

Dawgs 57 Nuggets 50
Not quite the Defensive performance that we showed the previous two games, but that can be attributed to it being our 3rd game (2nd in a row) and we only had 6 players. We led by 10 almost the entire game and our defense and team play was outstanding. We did a great job of switching Defenses and confusing them. We also battled them down low and I think a key for us was that our 2 posts outplayed their buff man. It was a complete team effort that secured our victory and made me proud of the basketball that we played this weekend. This tournament was the closest to the style I want to play in terms of our unselfishness, 1/2 court defense, and having everybody play consistent, hard nosed basketball.

The awards are as follows;

MVP: Matt, closely followed by Lawrence
DEFENSIVE MVP: Lawrence, followed by JR and Tariq
TEAM PLAY: JR, followed by Ryan and Tariq

Coaches Thoughts...

Let's build on this weekend, continue the unselfish play and move the ball quickly. We're entering our big push before Reno and I like the way we're heading... Our Defensive communication is improving but needs to get much better... We did an amazing job (comparatively) of getting back in transition, keep it up, it's easy to remember, either we're pressing or we're daring them to beat our 1/2 Defense...

7th Grade Blue-April 23

2011-04-27T13:00:00.000-07:00

6th Grade Black-April 23

2011-04-27T12:27:00.000-07:00

The 6th Grade DAWGS Black team welcomed back Alex Schneider who was out with a knee injury for 3 months. Although Alex was limited in his time, he was glad to be back and the DAWGS were glad to have him back!

In the one day tournament, the DAWGS played in the 7th grade division. Without their "Big Man" in the middle, they knew they would have their work cut our for them early. Facing an E-Time Hoops 7th grade team that beat the DAWGS on a last second 3-pointer weeks back, the DAWGS were ready for the challenge. With outstanding defense and great fundamental boxing out, the DAWGS went up by as many as 20 and ended up winning the game by 13.

The second game of the day was against an unknown Each One Teach One 7th grade team from the Bay Area. The DAWGS were clearly outsized in this match up, and played intimidated early on. The DAWGS found themselves down 14-2 early and things were not looking good. But an adjustment on defense, and with their outside shots heating up, the DAWGS came from behind early to win by 11. As a team, the DAWGS shot 11/24 (45%) from three point range, and used swarming defense to presure their guards into turnovers. Both Keys to their wins.

Beginning the day at 10:00AM, and finally getting to their last game at 6:45PM, the DAWGS had a long day! In what was their Championship game, they faced a very gritty Davis Wildcats 7th grade team. The DAWGS proved they still had some "gas in the tank" and turned up the pressure on the Wildcats. Led by Jashon's 10 points and 13 rebounds, and using all-around great play from every team member, the DAWGS won by 13.

Playing a grade up is physically demanding, and though the DAWGS are overflowing with talent, they worked VERY hard for these wins, and the coaches are very proud of them. We always say we are in preparation for the Reno tournament, and what better way to prepare than beating older, bigger teams? GREAT JOB!!!

5th Grade-April 23

2011-04-27T12:26:00.000-07:00

4th Grade-April 23

2011-04-27T12:20:00.000-07:00

April 16-17 6th Grade Champions!

2011-04-26T12:30:00.000-07:00

9th Grade Black-April 9-10

2011-04-25T07:22:00.001-07:00

The YBA Dawgs Black 9^th grade team wins big in first bay area tournament! The team traveled to Hayward and won four games to clinch the JV division. In their first game versus Stanco, the team dominated from the start. At halftime the score was 37-17. The defense played a big roll in the second half, holding Stanco to just 6 points. The YBA Dawgs went on to win 54-23! The boys played the Mirage in their second game, winning 54-43. The third game of the weekend was the biggest challenge for the Dawgs. It was a very aggressive game versus the Hoopsters and the Dawgs won by a narrow margin: 61-59. In the championship game, the Dawgs ended the tournament like they started it. They came on strong in the beginning and stayed strong throughout the game. They beat the Bay Area Magic 40-23, giving them the first place title in the JV division. Congratulations YBA!

6th Grade-April 9-10

2011-04-11T09:25:00.000-07:00

Dawgs 6th grade Blue had a great tournament. We went 3-0 against two of our rivals. The first game we played against Folsom Force Red and won by 10 or more. The boys played like a team should play. Their defense had tons of ball pressure and they executed their plays to more than the first option. Rebounding was a huge improvement. The second game was even better than the first. We beat Rocktown Ballers Blue by a bigger margin. Every player contributed to the win. We saw great ball movement, fast breaks with players filling the lanes on both sides, and players finishing their shots.

The championship game was anti-climatic with us blowing the Woodcreek Midgets out by 50 or so. We wanted to slow it down but the team was very weak. They should have been down a division or two.

This tournament was a confidence builder for us. We are excited to see things finally starting to click. The team is syncing.

Great Job Dawgs!

5th Grade-April 9-10

2011-04-11T09:20:00.000-07:00

4th Grade-April 9-10

2011-04-11T09:00:00.000-07:00

Varsity Blue-April 2-3

2011-04-06T15:47:00.000-07:00

Saturday
Game #1

We came out the gate and jumped on the other team hard. our fast break attach allowed us to get some fast buckets. We share the ball so well that it makes us an entertaining team to watch. We always draw a large crowd when we are on court one. Everyone played hard. Davitt and Robby shot really well.

Game #2

This game was really tough. It was hard fought. We came from behind to get control of the game and walked away with a win that took us to the Championship game.

Sunday
Game #3

We came out the gate and jumped on the other team. We had control of the game until about four minutes left. The other team came back with some physical defense. This tied the game and took it into overtime for the second week in a row against the Predators. Unfortunately, we weren't able to secure a win, but I am very proud of my guys.

Best Hustle goes to Floyd
Best Defense goes to Stevie
Best Offense goes to Stephen

JV-April 2-3

2011-04-06T13:45:00.000-07:00

I would call this past tournament, "what should have been". As we should of won both games on Saturday, instead of losing on a last second basket to Pump & Run 52-51. We won our second game against the Legends in an exciting triple OT game that we won 82-80. In our 3rd game we lost a good game to the phenoms, 55-47. I will post player of the game, etc when we win a tournament. We are improving steadily, we just need to be more focused on the court. I expect us to continue to improve and grow as a team

Coach Adam

9th Grade Black-April 2-3

2011-04-06T13:40:00.000-07:00

YBA 9th Grade Black

The YBA Dawgs Black 9th grade team goes 3-0 in this weekend’s tournament at Hardwood and places 1st in the JV Black Division! In their first game against the Irish, the YBA Dawgs had a sluggish start. They were behind at the first quarter but went on to win by a large margin – 63-43. The boys played South Lake Tahoe in the second game. Cole Bridge had a buzzer beater three-pointer at the end of the 1st quarter and there was no looking back from then on. They took South Lake Tahoe 55-23! And on Sunday, the boys pulled off another win versus CRR Black. Although trailing throughout the entire game, the YBA Dawgs held on and won with a come-from-behind 2-pointer by Michael Moore in the final seconds of the game! Congratulations YBA

8th Grade Black-Oakland Rebels-April 2-3

2011-04-06T13:35:00.000-07:00

The team had a successful visit to Oakland on April 2nd, going 2-1 and only narrowly missing a 3-0 day. Coach Shaw said the experience of playing against such physical competition was sorely needed, and he was pleased with the effort and outcome. He pointed out that the team kept playing hard even after falling behind in game 2, which showed progress compared to some recent games. The ball movement, execution, overall effort, and determination were also much improved.

YBA 50, Nor Cal Elite 24

The Dawgs came out ready to play after the long drive to Oakland and quickly opened a big lead against the undersized Elite team. Mitchell Holt and Colin Hawkins anchored a strong defensive effort, and team rebounding was again in force with 5 players grabbing at least 4 boards each (led by Colin, Mitch, and Grady Collins). The team also moved the ball well and recorded 20 assists with Mitch setting up a lot of open shots with passes out of the post. Jackson Sterling played his usual solid all-around game. Bret Lynch and Bryce Crouch led the scoring. The team lost Nicholas Clough for the day to an ankle injury after an impressive first half.

YBA 47, Team Velocity 52

YBA played a solid first half to seize a 30-17 halftime lead, with strong team defense limiting penetration. In a loosely officiated game, however, our opponent's increasingly aggressive defense was not penalized and led to many turnovers and a 5-point deficit. The team kept fighting and cut the margin to 1 point in the final minute on baskets by Bryce and Grady, but failed on a couple of chances to tie or re-take the lead. Bryce had 19 points and 8 boards, Grady had 11 plus 4 assists, and Jared Flowers, Colin, and Jackson helped to clean the glass.

YBA 66, DBC 46

The day's finale followed a similar script as the previous game with the Dawgs leading by 11 at the half but DBC closing the gap to 3 points with about 6 minutes left. The team was finally able to make their foes pay for over-aggressive defense, though, with Grady repeatedly beating his man and dishing off for easy baskets. Bret was very active on defense with 7 steals which helped him record 15 points and 8 assists. Jared had one of his best games as a Dawg with 13 points and 4 boards, including a couple of key baskets during the deciding run. Bryce finished an impressive "and 1" play in the lane during that run and totaled 14 points. Jackson, Colin, and Mitch played strong overall games.

7th Grade Black-Oakland Rebels Tournament-April 2-3

2011-04-06T13:15:00.000-07:00

YBA 43 Team Select 41
Our 1st travel tournament game of the season started a little slow. Team Select got the early lead and we had to fight the whole game to try and get the lead. With 15 seconds left in the game Marcus Ante drilled a 3 point shot to tie the game and force overtime. With 7 seconds left in the game down 1 JB dribbled up the court and passed to Jr who gave it right back to JB for the Game Winner as time ran out! It was our only lead of the ball game.

YBA 37 vs Oakland Rebels 43
Playing our second game the boys came out and played great defense with 4 seconds left in the half, Sean Boyle stole the ball to give YBA a 1 point half time lead. The second half the Rebels pressed and got a small lead that they were able to beat us. Short handed the boys fought and competed.

YBA 58 vs. D1 Allstars 69
We played pretty evenly most of the game until Big Mike went down with an injury. Under sized but not without a fight YBA kept playing strong! Wes "the Beast" had some strong moves and Sean Boyle drilled some deep threes to keep us within striking distance. In the end we lost but fought with they guys we had as several of our steady players were out with injuries.

Overall Proud of the way we competed in Oakland this weekend.

6th Grade Black-(Played in 7th Division)-April 2-3

2011-04-06T13:10:00.000-07:00

Playing with only five players in the 7th grade division, the odds were against the DAWGS. They came out and fought as hard as they could, but the opposition size was too much. The DAWGS ended up losing by 13 and the game highlight goes to Jashon, who grabbed 18 rebounds.

The second game for the DAWGS was against Carson Valley. With a full team, the DAWGS came out with incredible ball pressure and got some early baskets. They kept the pressure on, and ended up coasting to a 30 point win.

The third game was an “all 6th grade” game as the DAWGS faced the Predators 6th grade black team. A team they have not beaten yet, the DAWGS came out ready. They dashed out to a 10 point lead early with the help of pressure defense and two quick 3-pointers by Joshua. It was a matter of time for the Predators to close the gap, and they did. The score of the game was back and forth the entire game, and it was one that was fun to be a part of. With an incredible game by both Darren N. and J. Kim, and inspired play by the entire team the DAWGS gave it their all, but eventually came up short, losing by 5 points. Overall it was a great game by the team, and they learned a few things: (1)Mental lapses can cost you the game; you must play until the final buzzer sounds. And (2) the DAWGS are one of the elite teams in the area, being that they played one of the toughest teams in the area to the very end.

6th Grade Blue-April 2-3

2011-04-06T13:05:00.000-07:00

Dawgs 6th grade Blue had a competitive weekend. Although we went 0-3, it was close and the boys played their hearts out. Our first game we played a tough scrappy team that was similar in play to us. We went back in forth much of the game and ended it by losing by 1. We attribute the loss to the lack of rebounds.

The second game we won but the refs did not see it our way. In the first quarter we were executing beautifully. Our defense was tough and we ran our offense pretty well. We were up by 10. In the second half we let them back in and we went back and forth for the remainder of the game. In the last seconds of the game Nick Ohler shot a 3 to tie the game. We went into overtime. In overtime we went back in forth and they were up by a bucket with 3.2 seconds left. We inbounded to Brendyn Ikeda, he passed to Blake Stelzer and Blake took a half court shot a half second before the buzzer and hit it which should have won the game, but the ref denied the shot.

The last game we played a team that we lost to by 20 the last time we played them. We started out slow and played a bit intimidated. We were down 20 by the half. Coach Lars had to inspire them with a wake up call and we went man to man. It worked we had a run and got it back to down 10 by the 4th. We ended losing by 12 but better than the first time.

Strong play from Everett Libolt on both sides of the court. Good guard play and defense from Blake Stelzer, Brendyn Ikeda,

Nick Oehler, and Jaelen Stringer. Strong inside defense from Jeremy Lillis, Kazik Lewendowski, and Taylor Ittner.

5th Grade-April 2-3

2011-04-06T13:00:00.000-07:00

4th-March 26-27

2011-03-30T15:47:00.000-07:00

6th Dawgs Black-(played in 7th division) March 26-27

2011-03-30T15:45:00.000-07:00

Playing in the 7th grade division for the 2nd week in a row, the DAWGS again found themselves playing in a bracket of unknowns. New teams and new players meant it was going to be a fun weekend for the DAWGS.

The DAWGS faced the Reno Ballers 7th grade team the first game and came out strong. Mixing up their defense and using incredible passing and teamwork, the team handled the team from Reno easily for a 70-30 win.

The second game of the day was against E-Time Hoops 7th grade team. Thought the team played an E-Time Hoops 7th grade last week, this was yet another team. Suffocating defense again was the key, and the DAWGS used their strong guard play and beat the E-Time team 61-28.

The Sunday Championship was againt the Folsom Rage. A team that had also "walked" through their first two games. The DAWGS found themselves down eight points early in the game, and it appeared as if it was going to be tough to comeback as the opposition was playing controlled basketball. Switching up the defense, and applying more pressure to push the tempo of the game, the DAWGS began to chip away at the score.

The defense led to easy baskets, and with some key play from the "bigs" inside, the DAWGS were able to take the lead and hold off the Folsom team for a 41-36 win. Our 6th Grade Dawgs went undefeated in the 7th grade division!

6th Dawgs Blue-March 26-27

2011-03-30T15:42:00.000-07:00

The 6th grade DAWGS Blue team went 3-0 this weekend. In our first game, we beat our opponents (Reno Ballers Silver) by 40 or so points. Since this was a weaker team we decided to run through all of our plays and tried to execute all the different options. Though we played a weaker team, we hit our baskets, boxed out strong on the rebounds and passed hit all of our cutters.

Unfortunately we had to play the same team for our second game. We won the second game by 30 or so points. It was a repeat of the first game.

The last game we came out a bit too confident and we played a much more athletic team than the day before. We were down to 6 players and we started sloppy. We were down 8 by the first quarter and a bit less by the half. This new Etime hoops team was athletic and stronger than the boys expected. Coach Lars had to wake the boys up at the half with a strong message. In the second half the boys reacted and executed like we new they could and brought it back. The tied turned when Brendyn Ikeda stopped a break away by taking a strong offensive foul underneath the basket. Nick Ohler started hitting 3's, Jeremy Lillis stopped shots with great shot blocks and made some baskets, Kazik Lewendowski dominated the boards and added to the score with strong put backs, Taylor Ittner had strong underneath defense and got some rebounds, and Everett Libolt scored baskets and made crucial free throws to win the game by a point with only 6 seconds left.

It was our best team effort we have seen yet to come back from behind and win.

7th Black-March 26-27

2011-03-30T15:40:00.000-07:00

Game #1

YBA DAWGS 52 vs Redding Celtics 19

The Dawgs came out awake and with energy! The defense was outstanding and the weekend focus was effort, win the rebound battle and keep the turnovers LOW.

Mission sucsess!

Game #2
YBA DAWGS 54 vs Red Raiders 55

In a hard fought battle the boys played great! This game was a see saw battle the whole way! In the end a few rushed plays and offensive rebounds did us in. Coach Gee says " we box out on the free throw line and we win the ball game. I am so proud of the boys thy played a heck of a game and we will learn from this one and become a better team from this loss.

Game #3
YBA DAWGS 48 v Predators Black 31

The Predators had a tough time scoring against the DAWGS defense.

The Defense all weekend was great!

Great team effort here and a great way to end the weekend.

8th Black-March 26-27

2011-03-30T15:30:00.000-07:00

YBA 51, Folsom Force Blue 54

The Dawgs played their usual strong first half against an aggressive Folsom team with many points coming from the front line of Colin (10), Bryce (8 points), and Mitch (8). YBA still led by 5 after the 3rd quarter with Bryce pulling off several impressive hustle plays. Folsom turned up the defensive pressure in the 4th quarter and YBA forgot about getting the ball inside. Lack of offensive execution and a few defensive lapses allowed Folsom to come back for the win.

YBA 50, Spirit Got Game 19
The Dawgs were hungry for a win in this game and worked hard on defense from beginning to end. YBA led 32-13 at the half but stayed intense and allowed only 6 points in the 2nd half in a great display of individual and team defense. The team notched 16 assists for the game (led by Nicholas with 4), and 5 players had at least 4 rebounds each (Mitch 8, Colin 7, Bryce 5). Jackson led the scoring with 12 plus 4 boards, and Grady chipped in with 8 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals.

YBA 41, Placerville Blazers 38
The Dawgs were tired in this extra 3rd game on Saturday. The coaches took the opportunity to stay pretty quiet on the bench to see how the players reacted. After an uninspired 3.5 quarters, the Dawgs trailed 37-32. Some late defensive pressure (including a couple of steals from Nicholas) produced a few turnovers which YBA converted to baskets to come back for the win.

YBA 68, 209 Elite 23
The team was pumped up after watching the 8th grade Blue team pull out a victory in the previous game. YBA ran out to a 20-5 lead in the 1st quarter and extended the lead to 45-10 at the half, with Jared and several others playing good help defense. The team topped their assists total from the previous game with 22 dimes (Bret, Grady, & Bryce 5 each). Bret led the way with several steals and fast break conversions to tally 22 points. Bryce had a great all-around game with 10 points, 8 boards, 5 assists, and 2 steals. Jared contributed 6 points and 5 rebounds.

8th Blue-March 26-27

2011-03-30T15:25:00.000-07:00

9th Black-March 26-27

2011-03-30T15:20:00.000-07:00

9th Blue-March 26-27

2011-03-30T15:15:00.000-07:00

JV-March 26-27

2011-03-30T15:10:00.000-07:00

The JV Dawgs improved to 2-1 this weekend, up from our first tournament record of 1-2. We really should of been 3-0 as we played well enough to lead by 10 at halftime against E-Time, however, after halftimewe struggled shooting the ball, didn't press well and also didn't win the game. We are improving and will be a very good team once we get more time playing together and also learn the sets and concepts of what we are trying to do. We looked strong in beating another E-time team onSaturdayand also the Dreamers on Sunday. I look forward to the tournament this weekend & can't wait to see how they look!

Coach Adam

Varsity Dawgs Black-March 26-27

2011-03-30T15:05:00.000-07:00

Varsity Dawgs Blue-March 26-27

2011-03-30T15:00:00.000-07:00

Game #1 and #2

Game one and two were pretty similar. The guys came out playing great defense. They rebounded great and ran. Everyone ran. We shared the ball on offense which lead both games to a 20 plus point victories.

Game #3

This was a battle the whole game. We had the game under control until the last three minutes. Then the other teams #2 started scoring incredible three's. They caught us then got us in overtime.

Varsity Blue-March 19th-20th

2011-03-23T13:35:00.000-07:00

Game one we played great as a team. Our defense broke the game open. We had some great Post play and Guard play.

Game Two was more of a challenge. The guys were a little flat at first and the other team had a little more fight in them than the first team. In the second half Dustin Coons starting carrying us, getting rebounds at both ends of the court. He starting scoring tough buckets on the inside. He was our anchor which lead us to a victory.

Game three looked great again. There was great team effort, defense leading to some stops and the fast break layups allowed us the win. We won our first team tournament championship.

JV Dawgs-March 19th-20th

2011-03-23T13:30:00.000-07:00

In our first tournament as a team we did well, allvariablesconsidered. We played at Hardwood Palace and played 3 games in 4 hours. We finished 1-2 with a decisive win over the Jesuit black team, and losses to 2 good teams in the Davis Wildcats and the All-Star Predators. We were led this weekend by the following players; Cole J. with 36 points for the tournament including 19 in the win over Jesuit. Cole & David R. led the way in assists with 8 each. Matt H. had 20 rebounds including 9 offensive rebs. Lawrence G.had 7 steals.Everyone played and contributed and we showed flashes of what we can become.

Coaches Thoughts

I look forward to getting to work with the team as we havethe makings of a good team that can really, really do well in the system I run. When we have run our system for even just a few weeks we will see the improvement show in our results. Be ready to work every minute we're together as Dawgs this season. I plan on doing the same!

Fall seven times, stand up eight. ~Japanese Proverb

8th Grade Black-March19th-20th

2011-03-23T13:00:00.000-07:00

8th Dawgs Black vs. True Grit March 19, 2011

The boys came ready to play this time. First quarter saw Brett, bringing the energy, while Nick contributed with shooting and passing. Jackson, Colin, and Brett slowed down the Grit offense with steals and forced turnovers. Overall first quarter was notable for good hustle and some good D, with the Dawgs ahead at the end of the quarter.

Second quarter saw Bryce, Grady, and Brett bringing the hustle again along with three pointers from Nick and Grady. Jared moved the ball well and scored too, which helped to end the half with the Dawgs up 23 to 20.

Third quarter saw steals and good D from Jackson as well as more hustle by Bryce. Mitch played strong inside with good rebounding and some baskets scored from inside the paint. The team also did well beating the Grit’s press third quarter, which ended with the Dawgs up 33 to 29.

The fourth quarter started strong with Mitch continuing to play well inside and more hustle from Brett and Bryce. Unfortunately, poor passing and ball handling coupled with too much one-on-one play doomed the Dawgs. Final score Grit 42, Dawgs 41.

8th Dawgs Black vs Predators Black
The second game of the day started pretty good.The team played well until the Predators started their transition game.The team struggle on offense. 9/34 shooting.As a team we will have to learn to work hard on the defensive end off the floor,continue to rebound and stay positive when our shots don’t fall. Final score:Predators 37 Dawgs 19.

Dawgs Black vs ETH March 20, 2011
For an early game, the boys were awake and ready to play. The good hustle play we saw in the first game on Saturday returned, lead by Bryce, Jared, and Brett. Jared also stood out in the effort category. Good team defense including steals by Grady, Bryce and Jared along with free-throw shooting by Brett gave the Dawgs the first quarter lead.

Second quarter saw Colin perform as a rebounder and scorer. Mitch was strong on defense, and Nick contributed with a steal and good hustle play despite very sore knees. We had good passing from Jackson and a 3 pointer from Brett to give the Dawgs the lead at the half—29 to 20.

Third quarter both Mitch and Colin rebounded well, while Jackson brought the hustle. There was good overall team defense, as well as good free-throw shooting from Jackson. End of 3rd the Dawgs were up 41 to 27.

The fourth quarter saw good team ball movement and execution on offense. Grady did well from the line and great team defense including steals from Jared, Jackson, and Bryce. The team had a lead and held throughout the game this time with the final score

Dawgs 51, ETH 27
Best Defense:Jared,Byrce
Best Attitude:Nichols
Best Hustle: Team
Offensive Player:Colin.

8th Grade Blue-March 19th-20th

2011-03-23T12:58:00.000-07:00

Aaahhhh, how sweet it is to be a part of the "Tournament Champion YBA Dawgs 8th-Blue" team!

We were crowned the champions because we believed in each other and we played as a TEAM! Vance is the ultimate team player. He is our utility guy that is always ready no matter when he's called upon. Vinny, also, eagerly awaits his time to shine. He brings a high-powered spark into the game on both offense and defense a we've called upon him to lock down an opponent's go to guy. Our 4/5 positions has done a 360° turnaround from just our last season. Amran never shy away from defending any player and is always looking for that big block shot. He can go strong to the basket or hit the 3. Josh has become a true inside threat for us. He's beginning to understand how we want him to be an inside bully. Josh, too, has racked up numerous blocked shots. Gunner does a great job boxing out his man. You can always count on him for hustle. He has shown great improvement controlling the ball. With his speed and quickness, Tanner is always a problem for the opposing team. Tanner is confident with his offensive skills and can hold his own on defense. Malcolm (MJ), unbelievably, has only played in 2 tournaments with us but is fitting in like he's been here since day 1. MJ has a knack for setting up the steal. When he takes 1 power dribble to the side, his jumper is lights out. Madd Maxx is very high wired that plays the game with passion. He's my on-the-court general. He is a leader in the games and in practice. Although he is an offensive threat, Max never denies himself the challenge of taking on the opposing top player. Daniel has improved all facets of his game. His dedication and hard work is paying off. He is, by far, our best 3 point shooter after hitting 5 (4 in the books, but that's another story) against the Predators in our championship game. Daniel is, too, becoming a vocal leader. His "help defense" is probably the best on the team. Dribbling in traffic is an area he can most improve but showing his will to better his all-around game he also plays back up point guard. Thanks coach Randy for all of your assistance.

Great job team! Now we see what working hard and playing together can bring you. Teams will now bring their "A" game against you so you must continue to work hard in your development! See you at practice

The YBA Dawgs Blue 8th did very well in their last tournament. Our 1st game against the EDH Trojans was our toughest match up of the tourney. We played great for 3 quarters. During a time out in the 4th quarter Coach Pickett told his team to work the ball around til we get a good shot. Well, we never got a good shot after that. Our next score came with less than 2 minutes to go on a 3 pointer from Tanner. Although it was a battle to the end, we loss to the eventual tournament champions. In game 2 versus Cal Reign, we bounced back with a running attack that was not to be denied. Max showed his leadership during fastbreaks and running the offense. With Tanner not in the line up, Daniel and, newcomer, MJ (Malcolm) picked up the slack on offense rainning numerous 3's. Of course my hustlers, Vance and Amran, were all over the court doing whatever it takes for us to control the game, diving after balls, blocking shots, rebounding, steals, or just solid defense. Yes, we rained on the Cal Reign's parade while handing them their 2nd loss of the tourney. My 2 bigs had a solid game against Cal, but in game 3 against Folsom Force they turned their game up a couple more notches being dominant in the paint on both offense and defense. Vinny also stepped it up in this game with his intensity and poise while running a little bit of pointguard. With a 27 point lead and less than 30 seconds left in the game, we called a crucial timeout to help seal this victory. We let our 1st tournament championship slip away from us but we continue to improve as a team and individually. Go Dawgs!

7th Grade Blue-March 19th-20th

2011-03-23T12:55:00.000-07:00

YBA Dawgs Blue 7th grade team went 1-2 last weekend, beating the Carson Valley Cougars, losing to the Red Raiders and the All Star Predators in a rematch of a championship win earlier this month. The Carson Valley team was pesky and kept the game close till the fourth quarter. Logan Echeverria made some more beautiful left handed shots, and has announced he will attend UCLA and major in ambidextorial studies. Jack Kearns hit a 3 and then a quick layup in the 4th quarter to finally open the gap and eventual win by 15 points.

The Red Raiders stifling defense, exceptional ringer players, and accurate shooting was too much for the Dawgs and they ended our 7 game win streak/undefeated March. The Dawgs played tough till the very end, maximizing coach Brad's hockey line substitution strategy. Dom Pericin had some incredible fast break plays. Alex Isola showed some great spin moves in the key. Kyle Turner smartest play of the season: volleyballing a missed FT with 0.3 on the clock. The ref said "clever - and it woulda counted!" Cole Kelly evangelized right up in the face of these PAL opponents.

The Sunday game vs the Predators was close throughout and ended in a one-point loss. The game was even closer than it sounds. The Dawgs matched up against this athletic team very well, showing great improvement over the past couple months. Over the weekend, Alex Patton showed some strong moves under the basket. Nick Cherry showed some excellent defense and ball handling skills. Offense award to Alex Patton. Defense award to Cole Kelly. Hustle award to Logan Echeverria. Scorekeeping award to Ryan Gee of the Whitney Wildcats all-male competitive cheer team.

6th Grade Black-March 19th-20th

2011-03-23T11:30:00.000-07:00

Playing in the mid-level 7th grade division, there were a lot of unknowns for the 6th grade DAWGS Black team. Unknown teams, unknown players...

The first game saw the DAWGS play an even game with a 916 Select team up until the 3rd quarter. With a quick press, and some timely shots, the DAWGS pulled away in the 4th quarter with a 17-4 run and ended up winning the game by a 20 point margin. The entire team hustled, and stayed sharp throughout the game.

First game ran behind (due to starting late) offsite, so the DAWGS had to hustle over to their "home court" at Hardwood Palace and went right into their second game against a E-Time Hoops team from Antelope. Feeling the effects of a back-to-back game, the DAWGS were slow. The game was close the entire way - but the DAWGS couldn't overcome a 25-foot heave at the buzzer that found the backboard and went in. In the end, execution was the key, and the DAWGS did not execute. They did well, and on another day, the DAWGS win this one.

Sunday's game was against a very well coached Del Oro Eagles team. The DAWGS came out intimidated and soft, and the score showed. By halftime the DAWGS found themselves down at one point by as many as 16 points. They came together, and played tough team defense. Darren Nelson became the "Incredible Hulk" on the boards and dominated the second half in the paint. Joshua Ohara hit a 24 foot 3-pointer to bring the DAWGS within three, and soon after, Jashon Lewis hit a 3-pointer to tie the game. That was the momentum swing the DAWGS needed, and they held on to win the game. ALL players (JKim Porras - quick baskets and great defense, Alex Martinex - Great boxing out and rebounding, Ethan Wainwright - strong inside and great drives to the basket, and newcomer Conor Jeffery - great ball control, and strong on "D") contributed to what I (the coach) believe was their best win in a LONG time. They earned it and deserved it!!

6th Grade Blue-March 19th-20th

2011-03-23T11:15:00.000-07:00

6th grade blue played much better as a team in this weekends tournament. We won 2 and lost 1. The first game we started with a full court trap that put us up and we pretty much kept the lead to win by a few. Our guards were passing well and hitting some key outside shots.

The second game we faced a very strong and tall Long Beach team. With our trap we were able to keep the score with in a bucket by the end of the half. We started to play into their game in the second half by trying to out fast break them. We were not able to finish and keep their bigs from scoring and lost by 15. Even though we lost the boys played as good as we have seen to date and feel we could have hung with that team if we slowed it down.

The third game was against the Predators B team and we have never played them. We have been waiting for this match up since the beginning of the season. The boys played their hearts out with great defense and great ball movement. We won by 9 and should have won by more but we managed the clock to make sure we would win. It was a great tournament for the boys with great competition and they did well as a team. Coach Lars and I both feel we are seeing huge improvement in each player and more so as a team.

5th Grade-March 19th-20th

2011-03-23T11:10:00.000-07:00

4th Grade-March 19th-20th

2011-03-23T11:00:00.000-07:00

After blowing out the teams last week in a HWP (the worst by 61 points), our boys went into this weekend with their confidence level high. It was hard to contain our Dawgs' desire for strong contenders after last week and I looked forward to our first challenge.......the T.B.F. Long Beach.

T.B.F Long Beach really did travel 7 hours from Long Beach....and it seemed just to play the Dawgs! I knew nothing about this team, but Long Beach proved to be a strong contender that we really enjoyed playing. Long Beach met my Dawgs need for a strong challenge both offensively and defensively. Long Beach had a tenacious defense and relentless offense that my boys handled very well by responding with the same tenacious defense and offense.........right back at you kind of game! This game was close and very suspenseful from the beginning to the end. Our Dawgs continued to give a strong effort both offensively and defensively that Long Beach did not seem to expect from the Northern California team that they traveled so far to play. The challenge that both teams gave each other earned respect from player to player while they were on the court. If Long Beach pressed hard and caused a turnover, our Dawgs pressed hard and caused a turnover. If Long Beach worked hard for a good shot and was successful, our Dawgs did the same.....and, our Dawgs did an outstanding job as a team. I couldn't ask for a better play from our Dawgs. Although both teams were matched evenly, our Dawgs were down 3 points toward the end of the game forcing us to foul to stop the clock. Long Beach met the challenge well and made their free throws causing the Dawgs to lose 43-35. I can't wait for the next time......

Our second game was against Carson Valley. Our Dawgs press was just too much for Carson causing a 25 point lead early in the 1st period. Eventually, I challenged our Dawgs by asking them to not press and pass the ball 5 times before shooting. Our Dawgs met that challenge easily. The next challenge, our Dawgs were not able to dribble after passing the half court and had to pass only to get a shot only in the paint. Our Dawgs did an excellent job passing, moving to get open, and taking good shots in the paint. We defeated Carson 56-7.

Our third and last game, we played a much faster 916 Select team. A team that matched well with our boys.......fast a furious. Our Dawgs did a great job in most areas, but lacked a little concentration in their passing during this game. Due to our turnovers, this game seemed to be a little closer than I anticipated. In the last few seconds of the game, our Dawgs were up by 6 points, but the quick team threw up a last second shot a few feet behind the 3 point line and "busted" it making the game closer than what it actually was. The final score was 39-36, Dawgs.

Coach Martinez

9th Grade Black-March 12-13

2011-03-16T13:40:00.000-07:00

Game 1 – YBA - 63, Dreamers Traveling Team - 49
Game 2 – YBA – 48, CRR 9th Black – 52
Game 3 – YBA – 32, Granite Bay Bolts - 38

The YBA 9th grade Black team played in the JV division for their first tournament. With a team of very talented players, all with a high basketball IQ and understanding of the game, the team played very well for their first tournament together. Although there were 2 losses, the games were close throughout and with only one practice under their belts, we expect the team to only improve in the coming weeks! Highlights include excellent defense by all in the first game along with great hustle up and down the floor. Finding the rhythm in the next two games was a little more difficult with a team that includes players from 4 different areas. It won’t take long for the players to find that rhythm and turn into a highly competitive team at both the 9th grade and JV level. The team will play again this weekend in the 9th grade division so that they can develop that confidence and work on crucial shooting, but will continue to play at the JV level when playing local.

9th Dawgs Blue-March 12-13

2011-03-16T13:00:00.000-07:00

YBA Dawgs Blue vs. Calaveras Pride- WIN

Saturday 3/12/11 1:20 9.m. YBA squared off against Calaveras Pride. This was a back and forth barnburner. YBA was able to handle the Calaveras press. In addition, YBA showed good offensive execution in this game and played aggressively on defense for 4 qtrs. 4 qtr saw YBA come out a little flat but they were able to fight it off and regain their intensity again. Keys for improvement from this game: ball security, offensive execution, and a stronger will to compete for 4 qtrs.

Defense player of the game: Grant, Joe Henry, and Morgan Green
Offense player of the game: Luke Jordan
Best Hustle: Whole Team
Best Attitude: Whole Team

YBA Dawgs Blue vs. Davis Hotshots – WIN
Sunday 3/13/11 10:05 a.m. YBA squared off against Davis Hotshots came out hot. They had some good deep ball shooters. Great defensive efforts from Austin gave us a chance to take the lead and never give it back. We hit a flat spot in the 3 rd quarter but rebounded well through out the game. We suffered a big loss in the 3rd quarter will big Joe going down with what looked like a major knee injury. We protected to ball and came away with a 4-point victory.

Defense player of the game: Austin/Grant
Offense player of the game: Austin/Luke
Best Hustle: Jared
Best Attitude: Luke/Christian/ Jared-and Joe with returning to the bench with an injury to be with his teammates

YBA Dawgs Blue vs. – CRR Red-Loss
Sunday 3/13/11 12:15 p.m.YBA squared off against the CRR Red. YBA came out with good energy the whole team showed great defensive play and hustle. Offensively as a team, decision making and scoring showed improvement in this game. YBA was able to turn solid defensive stops into transition baskets in the fourth quarter. However rebounding was a struggle for the entire game. CRR had some great shooters and took advantage of us not having big Joe in the line up. CRR proved to be the better team down the stretch hitting four-clutch basket in five positions.

Defense player of the game: Morgan Green , Jared
Offense player of the game: None
Best Hustle: None
Best Attitude: Christian

Coaches Thoughts:
Overall, We played very well for having very limited practice time. We showed stretches of great ball movement and more importantly “GRIT” which we will need to have as a team to continue to be successful. Players please be ready to work this week in practice be willing to run through a wall. “It is amazing what we can accomplish when we don’t care who gets the credit for it”.

7th Grade Black-March 12-13

2011-03-16T12:30:00.000-07:00

Hurricanes 45 YBA Black 40
The 1st game of the weekend we came out aggressive and built a 11 point lead through out the game going into the 4th quarter. The 4th quarter we had several unforced turnovers. Which lead to a 16-2 run by the Hurricanes who beat us by 5.

Sac Titans 41 YBA Black 33
The Motto for this game was when you get down we get back up and fight!
Get up they DID! We met at 8:15 at hardwood (daylight savings) and really started playing great! In the end a few too many turn overs in the 3rd quarter did us in....but we were proud of the effort!

YBA Black 42 EDH Blue 25
As the weekend got longer we got stronger! We asked Sean to go full ct MAN defense on the point guard. And Defense he did! I don't think the kid got them in the offense or scored and their team did not get into a a good flow. We competed and beat them for the rebounds with the help of Wes (the BEAST) and the team VALUED the basketball. To finish the weekend with a strong Defensive and offensive effort by a really good team.

7th Grade Blue-March 12-13

2011-03-16T12:22:00.000-07:00

The YBA Dawgs 7th grade Blue team is on a roll in March - back-to-back 3-0 tournament victories! Brandon Thong, acquired before the NBA trading deadline from the Black team, has been a powerful force down low, scoring many points and calmly dropping in free throws. In the March 13th championship game, the Dawgs fought off a strong E-Time Hoops team featuring the non-identical fast talking twins. Logan Echeverria calmly sank two free throws to ice the game in the final seconds and win by two. In the March 6th championship game against the All-Star Predators, the Dawgs shot the lights out from downtown with Alex Isola, Ty Williams, and Dom Pericin hitting under pressure, and Jack Kearns draining two three's in the fourth quarter to put the game out of reach.

Defense has been the key to the Dawgs success. Cole Kelly applies constant ball pressure, Alex Patton is dominant on the boards, and Dom gets his usual few steal/breakaways each game. Hands are all over the passing lanes - poor opponents! The YBA Dawgs recently traded their heart and soul player Michael Downen to the Black team, but owe him a debt of gratitude for the passion and intensity that he instilled in this team. Attitude award to Kyle Turner and Hustle award to Nick Cherry. Dave Garcia has been working hard in practice and showing much more poise handling the ball this year. Go Dawgs keep up the amazing breakthrough performances.

6th Grade Black-March 12-13

2011-03-16T12:20:00.000-07:00

"They're too small" is what the DAWGS heard from the opposing parents. And sometimes, words like that can be "fuel to the fire". Facing a Gladiators team that we have not seen before, we did not know what to expect. However, we are completely confident in OUR game and it showed. After a quick 18-1 first quarter, the DAWGS never looked back and finished the game with a 30+ point win – how’s that for being “too small”?

Facing another unknown opponent in the Nevada Nets, the DAWGS came out slow. In the end, the NETS had the height advantage (across the board), but the DAWGS had the speed advantage - and speed prevailed! Using a trapping defense, the DAWGS forced many turnovers and walked away with a 25 point win.

In the championship game, the DAWGS faced the Wolfpack. A team that has in past weeks been winning championships. The Wolfpack gave it their best shot in the first and second quarter to stay close, but the DAWGS wore them down. Hitting from the outside and tough, smart defense led to a 21 point DAWGS win.
Overall, the team looked great after not playing for four weeks. Also, having only six players all weekend, no one got much rest! But, these players are unique - great athletes & competitors, with extremely high basketball IQ's for their age. They are fun to watch!

5th Dawgs-March 12-13

2011-03-16T12:15:00.000-07:00

4th Grade-March 12-13

2011-03-16T12:01:00.000-07:00

8th Grade Black-March5-6

2011-03-09T14:56:00.000-08:00

YBA 22, Yellow Jackets 7th 21

The Dawgs were in control of this game throughout the 2nd and 3rd quarter. The front line of Bryce Crouch and Mitchell Holt led the way. The Jackets extended their defense in the 4th quarter and we were unable to capitalize, so they closed the gap and finally took the lead with about a minute remaining. Grady Collins hit a go-ahead jumper with 8 seconds remaining, and the team held in for the victory!

Offensive Player: Bryce (6 points, 4 assists)
Defensive Player: Mitch (helped hold the Jackets' impressive big man in check)
Best Hustle: Jared (trying to bring weak-side help)
Best Attitude: Grady (kept his head in the game despite missing shots early, paid off at the end)

YBA 43, Folsom Force Red 46 (OT)
This was a heartbreaking loss for our boys in black. After YBA led 19-10 at halftime, the Folsom team got hot from outside to tie the game at 28 going into the 4th quarter. After several more ties and lead changes, we led by 2 with under a minute remaining. Folsom tied the game with about 20 seconds left and then prevailed in overtime.

Offensive Player: Bret Lynch (10 points, 4 assists), Grady (11 points)
Defensive Player: Jackson Sterling (5 rebounds, 3 blocks, 2 steals)
Best Hustle: Bryce
Best Attitude: Max (bounced back from early turnovers)

YBA 55, Forrest Lake Christian 9th 25
The team moved the ball very well in this game against the scrappy Forrest Lake side. Mitch was a force inside throughout and finished with 10 points, 14 boards, 2 assists, and 2 blocks. Max O'Rourke scored 14 points off the bench. The team moved the ball very well in this game and for the tourney as a whole.

Offensive Player: Mitch, Max
Defensive Player: Mitch
Best Hustle: Bret Lynch (7 boards, 2 steals)
Best Attitude: Jared Flowers (finished with a good all-around game)

8th Grade Blue- March 5-6

2011-03-09T14:55:00.000-08:00

The YBA Dawgs Blue 8th did very well in their last tournament. Our 1st game against the EDH Trojans was our toughest match up of the tourney. We played great for 3 quarters. During a time out in the 4th quarter Coach Pickett told his team to work the ball around til we get a good shot. Well, we never got a good shot after that. Our next score came with less than 2 minutes to go on a 3 pointer from Tanner. Although it was a battle to the end, we loss to the eventual tournament champions. In game 2 versus Cal Reign, we bounced back with a running attack that was not to be denied. Max showed his leadership during fastbreaks and running the offense. With Tanner not in the line up, Daniel and, newcomer, MJ (Malcolm) picked up the slack on offense rainning numerous 3's. Of course my hustlers, Vance and Amran, were all over the court doing whatever it takes for us to control the game, diving after balls, blocking shots, rebounding, steals, or just solid defense. Yes, we rained on the Cal Reign's parade while handing them their 2nd loss of the tourney. My 2 bigs had a solid game against Cal, but in game 3 against Folsom Force they turned their game up a couple more notches being dominant in the paint on both offense and defense. Vinny also stepped it up in this game with his intensity and poise while running a little bit of pointguard. With a 27 point lead and less than 30 seconds left in the game, we called a crucial timeout to help seal this victory. We let our 1st tournament championship slip away from us but we continue to improve as a team and individually. Go Dawgs!

6th Grade Blue-March 5-6

2011-03-09T13:00:00.000-08:00

The Dawgs 6th grade Blue had a rough tournament this last weekend. We faced two very tough D1 teams right of the bat and got our confidence down to lose all three games. It was a learning experience for both the players and coaches. Except for one game we played hard with 100% effort. We did see positives from the team. One was that we never had a problem with the presses or traps and in D1 that is usually the stumbling block. Our transition game was good and better than before even though we lost all three games, and a couple of our bigs had great box outs. Our biggest problems is still being able to finish. We are missing easy lay-ups and jump shots, and not getting enough of the rebounds.

We know what to work on, so we will get back to the fundamentals and get ready for the next tournament. The Dawgs 6th Blue are hard workers so we will use this past tournament as a motivator and work even harder to win the next tournament.

5th Grade-March5-6

2011-03-09T11:00:00.000-08:00

8th Grade Black-February 19-20

2011-02-22T11:57:00.001-08:00

YBA 24, Hurricanes 35

The Dawgs jumped out to an early lead and were still ahead 16-14 at the half. However, the team seemed to get lulled to sleep by their opponent's deliberate offense and packed-in zone defense. We scored only 11 points after the first quarter, which allowed the Hurricanes to pull away in the final period. Bryce Crouch had a good game on the boards, and he and Connor Milnes converted most of the few chances we had in the paint.

Offensive Player of the Game: Jackson Sterling (8 points, 2 assists)
Defensive Player of the Game: Bryce (7 points, 7 rebounds)
Best Attitude: Jared Flowers (didn't hang his head after making a few turnovers)
Best Hustle: Bret Lynch (Our king of the floor burn! I'll be stocking extra first aid supplies just for him.)

YBA 38, EDH Trojans Blue 45

The team came out with more energy and passion in the Saturday afternoon game, which was tight throughout. YBA trailed by one going into the fourth quarter but managed only 4 points in the final 7 minutes. The help-side defense was a problem all game as the superior execution of the El Dorado team enabled them to score bucket after bucket in the paint off pick-and-rolls. I hope the team learned something about committing to better execution & team defense, and I think they will appreciate our two missing centers more when they return after the break!

Offensive Player of the Game: Connor (9 points, 4 assists)
Defensive Player of the Game: Nicholas Clough & Jackson (combined 8 steals)
Best Attitude: Jackson (never gets fazed!)
Best Hustle: Bryce (always plays at full speed)

YBA 40, E-Time Hoops 36

In the Sunday morning game, the team got back to their typical level of play in spurts but weren't consistent enough to pull away from their determined opponents. Help-side defense was again a problem as E-Time's aggressive guard was able to get into the lane repeatedly despite the coaches imploring the boys to bring help as soon as he put the ball on the floor. A more focused defensive effort in the final few minutes allowed the team to hang on for the victory. Connor pulled down some critical rebounds late in the game, Nicholas was aggressive offensively throughout, and Grady Collins iced the game by converting both ends of a pressure one-and-one situation from the line in the final seconds.

Offensive Player of the Game: Nicholas (16 points)
Defensive Player of the Game: Nicholas & Grady (8 points, 2 assists) for their hard work on Keyshon with little help
Best Attitude: Bret (more floor burns, kept working hard)
Best Hustle: Connor (6 points, 8 HUGE boards)

6th Grade Blue-February 19-20

2011-02-22T11:30:00.000-08:00

Dawgs 6th Blue decided to play up in the 7th D2 to get challenged and to develop the team ball concept on playing together.

The first game was our typical early morning slow start. We were down by 8 right off the bat but we climbed back by the half and got it to with in a couple of baskets for the rest of the game till the end of the fourth. We lost by low double digits but the boys never gave up.

In game two we attacked early and put on good ball pressure. We went score less in the second quarter but turned it on in the last half to lose by 4. We were proud of how the boys played hard to bring it back and almost won the game. The team play was great.

The last game was our best! We played great team ball and lots of hard pressure. We won by double digits. All in all it was a great experience. Although we went 1-2, the boys played 100 percent and great team ball. We know that we can compete when they play team ball.

Coach Lars and Coach Glen

7th Grade Black-February 11-12

2011-02-16T11:48:00.002-08:00

The 7th Grade DAWGS Black Team participated in the “Hearts & Hoops” tournament at HWP Feb 12 & 13 playing in both the 7th Grade Boys “Red Division” and 8th Grade Boys “Black Division”. The only game on Saturday got off to a sluggish start against the Del Oro Jr Eagles in the 8th Grade Division. The DAWGS never really found their rhythm and had difficulty penetrating the Del Oro defense. Too many turnovers and missed shots resulted in the DAWGS losing 29 to 19.

On Sunday, the boys started their day playing the Sac Titans in the 7th Grade Division and got off to another slow start down 8 to 2 in the 1st Qtr. Shots not dropping and too many fouls after Titan shots resulted in the DAWGS being down 39 to 27 by the end of the 3rd Qtr. In the 4th Qtr, the boys finally started to find their rhythm and fought back to create an exciting finish to the game but ended up losing 49 to 46.

After finishing the game against the Titans, the DAWGS immediately ran to the next court to take on Incline in the 8th Grade Division. The DAWGS carried the momentum they ended the last game with into the beginning of this game and started with a lot of energy. They were down the first 3 Qtr’s but kept it close, entering the 4th Qtr down 29 to 26. By keeping their focus and playing good aggressive ball in the 4th Qtr, the DAWGS pulled off a nail-biting finish, winning 39 to 38… and it felt good!

The last game was against Berkeley in the 8th Grade Division and the teams were neck and neck throughout the whole game. The DAWGS did a great job finding the back door, getting rebounds & put backs and playing very aggressive ball, but in the end, the ball didn’t fall their way and they ended up losing 44 to 43. Even though they didn’t get the win, we were very proud of our DAWGS!

The best way to sum up the weekend was that it was a wild roller coaster ride of emotions and game play!

7th Grade Blue-February 11-12

2011-02-16T11:40:00.000-08:00

The guys played up a Division and battled some tough teams. The first game vs Reno Ballers the guys played tough and saw some great shooting by Dominic Percin and Alex "Little Al". Ty also came through with a big three pointer and his defense has been improving the last few weeks. We lost by less than 10, but the guys played smart and hard. Game two vs E-Time was a coming out game for Cole Kelley as he scored 9 points and had zero turnovers, even getting a complement from the ref during the game, "that is one smart point guard!" Game two was another tough battle in which we lost, but our rebounding and defense was impressive and tough. Game three we lost. All in all it was a good weekend for the guys!

6th Grade Black-February 11-12

2011-02-16T11:35:00.000-08:00

After a below average showing the tournament prior to this one, the 6th grade DAWGS Black team felt they had a message to send. In a late night contest on Saturday, they came out aggressive and blasted CalReign by 49 points.

The first contest on Sunday was against a gritty Folsom Force team. Having to work through the inconsistent referees, the team battled hard and won the war by 16 points. This by far was the most physcal game we have played, and we came out on top.

The Championship game was against the All Star Predators. Having beaten this team the week prior by only seven points, the DAWGS had another message to send. They came out aggressive on defense, and in attack mode on offense. Despite it not being their best game of the weekend, they did many things right in coasting to a 25 point win.

6th Grade Blue-February 11-12

2011-02-16T11:30:00.000-08:00

With only 1 player on the injured list, the Dawgs Blue went 3-0.

The first game started at 9:00 and we got off to a slow start. We quickly took back the lead and went back and forth but eventually won the game.

The second game we faced Reno ballers black and Coach Lars instructed our bigs to back their dominant big and him shoot over two hands up. It worked! Our bigs defensively helped win that game.

The last game we played a smaller sub par shooting team. Coach Lars concentrated our guards to put extra pressure on and put on the trap at different times and the guards did it! Their scrappy defense helped to win that game.

Over all it was a great team effort that every player was a positive part of the total tournament win. Good job Jeremy L., Kazik L., Everett L., Brendyn I., Blake S., Nick O., Taylor I., Jalen S., and Tommy E. For supporting your team while injured.

4th Grade-February 11-12

2011-02-15T13:43:00.001-08:00

The fourth grade DAWGS team played in the Xtreme Hoops “Hearts and Hoops” tournament (4th grade division) on Feb 12th and 13th and faced some tough competition but were oh-so ready for the challenge!

The DAWGS met up with the “916 Select” team for their first game, and our offense dominated right from the jump ball. The boys brought their energy and intensity onto the court and really used what they’ve been internalizing during the practices… Lots of steals, some super sneaky spin moves, amazing ball movement down the court, shooting it in to the open man, dynamite dribble drive, and great press defense. This all packaged up, led us to a 45/29 victory over a very good team.

Early Saturday evening, the boys rolled onto the most frustrating of the Hardwood Palace courts (dreaded #8) to face the Rocktown Ballers. Again we took off from the very beginning showing versatility on the much smaller court. Lots of good, smartly executed plays, teamwork, and denying the defense helped us maintain our lead throughout the entire game. The boys were on their toes and hustling from start to finish. Every player was ON, every player contributed, and every DAWG showed some bite during this game. Final score: YBA takes it, 55/34.

And onto the championship game Sunday afternoon to take on a team we always look forward to playing, the Predators. This well-oiled-machine-of-a-team knows their game and challenges us to up ours every time we play them. Our boys played good aggressive ball, showed great pressure on defense, really were anticipating the passes… Our DAWGS turned into predators themselves during the second and third quarters (ahead by 6 and 4 points consecutively) and were setting their sights high! Fourth quarter was neck and neck throughout, but the DAWGS had a few too many fouls which allowed the Predators to just squeak by for the win, 37/36. Although the points reflect a loss for our team, this game was really a win in the heart of every player and DAWGS fan watching. Smiles all around for these boys. They truly brought and gave everything they had to this game.

8th Grade Black-February 5-6

2011-02-08T14:15:00.000-08:00

The 8th grade black team team played in the very competitive Hadnott tourney and showed a lot of heart and desire against the toughest competition we've seen so far. In stretches, the young men showed how they are capable of performing.

YBA 39, MVP Flight Elite 55
YBA got off to a strong start against a very strong MVP team, which comes from one of the best programs in Northern California. We led 16-15 after one period and trailed by only 7 at halftime. However, the players never adjusted to MVP's strategy of taking away the first option which led to several silly turnovers and easy baskets at the other end. Nicholas Clough had 14 points and 6 assists, while Jackson Sterling and Bryce Crouch each pulled down 4 rebounds.

Offensive Player of the Game: Nicholas Clough
Defensive Player of the Game: Bryce Crouch
Best Hustle: Jackson Sterling
Best Attitude: Jared Flowers

YBA 36, D1 All Stars 47
The Dawgs rode good ball movement and shooting to a 25-22 halftime lead. D1 came back to take a 5 point lead going into the 4th quarter. We got several consecutive stops on defense but couldn't score to close the gap. The All Stars from Modesto finally broke through for a couple of buckets to take control, and they hit their free throws down the stretch for the final margin. Grady Collins led a balanced attack with 8 points and 3 assists, with Jackson and Mitchell Holt contributing 7 each and Bryce scoring 6. Mitch also grabbed 6 boards, and Jared Flowers contributed 2 assists and 3 rebounds off the bench.

Offensive Player of the Game: Grady Collins
Defensive Player of the Game: Jackson Sterling
Best Hustle: Nicholas Clough
Best Attitude: Grady Collins

YBA 38, MVP 50
On Sunday morning, our young men played their best ball of the season for 3 quarters against the tough Walnut Creek team. We again led at halftime and trailed by only 3 late in the 3rd quarter, but MVP scored an easy bucket and then a buzzer-beating 3 to lead by 8 starting the final quarter. The Dawgs kept competing in the fourth but committed far too many turnovers against pressure defense to close the gap. Mitch led another balanced team effort with 9 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists, Connor Milnes added 8 points and 4 boards, and Bret Lynch notched 7 points.

Offensive Player of the Game: Mitchell Holt
Defensive Player of the Game: Connor Milnes
Best Hustle: Mitch (for chasing down an opponent who tried to dunk on a fast break)
Best Attitude: Bret Lynch

8th Grade Blue-February 5-6

2011-02-08T14:10:00.000-08:00

I am seeing our team grow as we go through each tournament. Our first game against Sylvan, as my team already know, put a very sour taste in my mouth that I cannot get rid of. We went into the game knowing the results would be a win for us. We played to the level of our competition and they played above and beyond. Although it was close from start to finish, they held on to give us a very tough loss. In our second game against Fairfield the Dawgs knew they had to have a strong outing. Max and Tanner controlled the tempo of the game pushing the ball up the court and getting plenty of offensive help from Amran and Vance. New to the starting lineup, Vinny added a lot of speed on both offense and defense. Josh came out of his shell and showed Fairfield how dominant a force he can be inside. While proving they had no answer for Josh we finished with a convincing win! Although we didn't win our third game, we played the East County Hoyas very tough in a fast paced uptempo game. I believe we ran out of gas in the 2nd half but it was good to see my guys continuously break the press of E.C.H. and going strong to the basket. Great Job Dawgs!

7th Grade Black-February 5-6

2011-02-08T14:00:00.000-08:00

This weekend the 7th Grade YBA Black team participated in the Lov’in Basketball VI tournament at HWP in the 13U Division. The first game on Saturday was a 9 am game against Spirit (ELON) and our boys got off to a sluggish start and didn’t really wake up until the 3rd quarter and got down by as much as 16. Once they woke up, they started to get more in synch as a team and in spite of their efforts to fight back and cut the lead to 3, before they lost 35 to 43.

The next game was at 2:50 pm and the boys were awake and ready to play the Predators. They did a much better job running the new offensive rotations they have been working on and executing the press defense. What a difference a few hours makes with the team wining 44 to 30.

The final game was on Sunday at 10:10 am against N-Yo-Face. This was a close game until the 3rd quarter where our boys started to pull away sparked by JB off the bench. Both the defense and offense were executing well resulting in a win (63 to 51) and 5th place overall in the tournament.

7th Grade Blue-February 5-6

2011-02-08T11:59:00.000-08:00

The YBA Blue 7th grade team ventured beyond the friendly confines of Hardwood Palace on Feb 5th for a Sac Area Sports tournament at Martin Luther King, Jr. Middle School Academy of Fine Arts and Sciences
Magnet Program. Inspired by the four-color portrait of Mike Shaw hanging in the bulletproof faculty display case on the wall, and the fact that it was Kyle Turner's 13th birthday, the Dawgs took the court for some Division 1 action. Game 1 was versus the Franchise Boys, led by Hurricanes/Cooley Middle school Isiah Tennette's identical twin brother, Isiah. The Franchise Boys applied strong pressure and created numerous turnovers, running away with the game. Positive highlights included Michael Downen showing some great post moves and touch under the basket, and Dom Pericin getting some breakaway layups and foul shots.

Game 2 was versus the Junior Elite Top Gun Flite Academy. These guys were also very strong, applied big pressure and jumped out to a big early lead. However, the Dawgs put together a great comeback, led by
the front row parents cheering section who never let up the energy for the whole second half. Ty Williams had some nice shots and passes in the key, and there were some disciplined attacks/jump stops in the white offense. Logan Echeveria and Jack Kearns were really quick and aggressive on defense. With a full 10-player roster, the Dawgs did some hockey-like line changes to pump up the energy. The game was closed out nicely by Cole Kelly, Nick Cherry, Kyle Turner, Alex Patton and Ty Williams.

Game 3 was versus the Ponderosa Bruins. The Dawgs jumped out to a big early lead with a great zone offense and many steals on defense. The Bruins mounted a strong comeback as guys started bombing in 3's and coach Garcia was distracted when a couple Sacramento City cops entered the gym. Alas, they were just parents watching the game and had no association or interest in any alleged outstanding parking tickets. Alex Isola was on fire in this game and ended with a Dawgs season-high 20 points. He stroked in a couple threes and then another jumper in succession to put a safe distance between the Dawgs and the Bruins.

The game was a great chance to learn about keeping cool during an opponent's rally and close out the game successfully. Kyle Turner set the tone in this regard by being patient with the ball and seeing the floor well during all three games. Immediately after the final game, the whole team gasped in awe as Kyle was whisked away in a stretch Hummer limo to an undisclosed location for a VIP-only birthday celebration with, get this - Mike Tyson and Adam Sandler!

6th Grade Black-February 5-6

2011-02-08T09:00:00.000-08:00

The 6th Grade DAWGS Black had "one of those weekends". Despite going 2-1, the team had to play (and defeat) the same Predators Red team twice. This was due to a team not showing up, and another team being disqualified due to their team being a 7th grade team.

The team played an early 900 game against a good Spirit Got Game team. The DAWGS came out slow, and were able to take the lead by one point late in the game. But bad decisions and turnovers were their demise.

The next two games, as mentioned above were against the Predators Red team. The DAWGS came out the first game and handled them pretty easily, using better defensive pressure than the first game, and showing signs of energy.

Sundays game against the same Predators team was a little closer, but the DAWGS prevailed. Using pressure defense, they pushed the opposition into turnovers that led to easy baskets.

Overall, not the best tournament by the team, but there were many things learned. But these DAWGS are stubborn, and will learn and apply those things to come back a better team the next tournament.

5th Grade-February 5-6

2011-02-08T08:00:00.000-08:00

We were excited to play this weekend against division 1 competition. We played D1 All Stars last year and lost by 6 and we have split with the Predators in the past.

Game 1 vs Tracy Hurricanes: Won 45-26 The first half we missed a lot of easy baskets and had a hard time scoring, but our defense was in lock down mode. We gave up only 7 first half points while scoring only 15. The 3rd quarter we broke open the lid on the basket by scoring 21 points in the period. We had a 20 point lead going into the 4th, but the boys continued to work hard defensively and we easily won the game. Blake Zieske led all scorers with 13 points and Carson March knocked down two 3 pointers. Dawson was a rebounding machine with 12 boards and the team was our defensive player of the game.

Game 2 vs D1 All Stars: Lost 41-30 This was a strong D1 team with quick guard play and several big men we had trouble matching up against inside. One of our big men Ryan Smith had 3 fouls by the middle of the 2nd and we had to sit him. It was 23-20 at half, but we did not rebound well and struggled scoring in the 2nd half. Blake Zieske again led all scores with 9 points and both Gabe Gillespie and Blake hit from 3 point land. Blake also led the team in rebounding with 6. My hustle award goes to Ryan Smith for trying to take 3 charges (the last one definitely was!!!) He was called for blocking fouls on all 3, but excellent effort!

Game 3 vs The Predators: Lost 27-26 This game stung and I think the boys will remember this one for quite a while. At the end of every quarter it was either tied or a one point game. We played outstanding team defense, but we hurt ourselves with missing too many easy baskets, missing 12 free throws, getting out rebounded, and costly turnovers converted into easy buckets for them. Overall I think we outplayed the Predators and we learned a lot about finishing games. Justin Kraft and Ryan Smith led all scorers with 6 points a piece. Ryan Smith led all players with 8 rebounds and Nick Periera was my hustle player of the game.

4th Grade-February 5-6

2011-02-08T07:30:00.000-08:00

Our fourth grade YBA DAWGS played in the “Lov’in Basketball VI Tournament” last weekend and had some great competition. Although down a few players the first game against the D1 All Stars, our boys put a lot of pressure on defense and really showed some skill and spunk! They seemed to feed off of the momentum of the game which carried them to a winning score of 43 to 24.

In our second game against the MVP Flight, our boys played well but just couldn’t match the moves and rebounds of the other team. At the half we were down 17 to 11 and just couldn’t quite climb back for a win.

On Sunday, we played against the Predators and started the game off with a BANG! The boys were sporting some spin moves, shot fakes and were following through with their shots which brought us ahead after the first quarter, 1 to 8. But the second quarter we lost some momentum, scoring only 3 points to their 16. We did out score them overall for the third quarter and our defense held them well, but we couldn’t dig deep enough to come back and lost 37 to 30 after putting up quite a fight.

But the icing on the cake this weekend was a team dinner/gathering at Chase’s house after the games Sat. What a wonderful time we all had eating a great meal, recapping the games, playing a little knock-out out on the sports court, and just making connections and getting to know one another better. What a terrific group of players and wonderful families supporting them all!

8th Grade Blue-January 29-30

2011-02-01T18:44:00.000-08:00

This was a very productive weekend for our 8th grade Dawgs-Blue team. I saw a lot of improvement throughout the tournament. Although our record was 1-2, I believe we did alot of winning in team achievements. During our first game, against the eventual tournament champion Predators, we started out great giving the Predators all they could handle. Max and Tanner lead the team with their offense. While showing great team defense, Amran, Vance and Josh gave us that extra spark. The 50-39 final score does an injustice to how hard boys played from start to finish. The coaches agreed this was clearly our our best game thus far in this young season. In the second game against E.D.H. Gunner showed dominance in the paint. We showed our offensive firepower with Daniel leading the way. The team showed lots of hustle on both,offense and defense which proved to be too much for E.D.H. as we tallied our first victory. Bryce gave us a moral boost with his all around energy. Our third game was against the Hurricanes. It was a tough fight from start to finish. We played them hard but a few turnovers and miscues held us from recording our second victory. I am pleased with what I saw this weekend. There is a tremendous upside for things to come with this team through hard work. GREAT JOB!

6th Grade Black-January 29-30

2011-02-01T10:25:00.000-08:00

The 6th Grade DAWGS Black faced off against a very scrappy 916 Select team for their first game. They cam out a little slow, but were able to hold them off for a 12 point win. Defense was the key, as the DAWGS switched defenses during play to keep the opposition on their toes.

The second game was against a very familiar Cal Reign team. Again, the DAWGS came out slow and were ahead by nine points at half. A full court press and an increase in energy in the second half was the difference and led to a 20 point victory.

THe championship game was against a very talented Predators team. Being tied at half, it was anybody's game. In the end, the Predators prevailed and the DAWGS lost. Many positives came from the game that the team will build on in preparation for the next meeting with the Predators.

6th Grade Blue-January 29-30

2011-02-01T10:20:00.000-08:00

This weekend the Dawgs 6th grade Blue went 2-1. At the beginning of the week we had three players out due to injury and illness. Even with a couple players out, we played hard and won 2. The first game we started out slow with the other team attacking the basket very hard. We had players playing different positions that they were not use too and that made the difference. It goes to show that if we had the whole team healthy we have no doubts that we would have won that game. We lost our only game by 5 and the reason was our change in positions. We the coaches take responsibility for that loss.

The Second game we won with better effort from the whole team. It was not as efficient as we would have liked but it was still a W.

The last game was our best! We played against our old arch nemesis EDH. With great ball movement and finding our different options, the whole team was in the win. It is a dream to watch the team win by applying what they are taught in practice.

All the players, ( Everett Libolt, Jeremy Lillis, Blake Stelzer, Tommy Edwards, Taylor Ittner, Nick Oehler, and Kazik Lewandowski) had something to contribute to the wins. We only win as a team. We wish Brendyn and Jalen quick recoveries.

5th Grade-January 29-30

2011-02-01T10:15:00.000-08:00

The 5th grade Dawgs played up to the 2nd highest division of 6th grade this weekend and we had our hands full. I am very proud of the effort and intensity put forth by the boys. We were so "out sized" in all 3 games but our heart was big. We finished with a 1-2 record, but we learned so much about were we need to get better.

Game 1 vs Reno Ballers Silver 6th- 33-22 Win We started out in a full court press and moved into a 2-2-1 1/2 court defense as our defense was awesome in this game. Ryan Smith had one of his best games ever as he scored the majority of our points and pulled down 10 rebounds. Dawson Fugate had 8 rebounds as well in a very strong effort.

Game 2 vs Nevada Nets 6th- 42-26 Loss We just didn't have the size and strength to keep the Nets from pulling ahead by 25 points. It doesn't help that we had 9 turnovers in the first quarter. But we challenged the boys to get it under 20 and work hard until the final buzzer. We outscored them 12-3 in the final period and really showed we can play with the bigger guys. Ryan Smith led the charge by playing huge against their big men. Dawson Fugate was also a big factor rebounding and defending their bigs.

Game 3 vs Reno Ballers Blue 6th- 50-29 Loss We lost this game by 21 points, but we walked off the floor a better team. We faced the best big man we have ever seen. Unfortunately Ryan Smith picked up 3 quick fouls n the first period and he sat until the 3rd quarter. Dawson again filled in really well, but we just could not stop their interior attack. The boys played so well this weekend and we are so proud of them!

4th Grade-January 29-30

2011-02-01T10:00:00.000-08:00

Our weekend of playing up in another 5th grade tournament as a 4th grade team proved to be another success for our 4th grade Dawgs....

On Saturday, our Dawgs played a strong 5th/6th grade Hurricanes team for our first game. The Hurricanes were comprised of mostly 6th graders and a few younger players, but our 4th grade Dawgs proved that they could play with even the 6th graders. Our Dawgs started this game using a new offense that we recently began practicing. Our Dawgs did a great job remembering how to run the offense with successful drives into the middle of the key. It was not an easy task to out rebound the much taller 6th grade Hurricanes, but our Dawgs gave it their best effort. On defense, our Dawgs kept their fire and utilized their speed to prevent the Hurricanes from out scoring our Dawgs by very much. We did not win this game, however, when our 4th grade Dawgs lose by only 9 points to a mostly 6th grade team, it is a win in my book. Great job boys!

Our second game on Saturday, we played the 5th grade Folsom Force team on a very small court in Roseville Sports Complex. Folsom Force had played earlier that morning against the same Hurricanes team that we had lost to in the same day. Folsom Force made the Hurricanes look like a 2nd grade team. I knew that we were going to have our hands full with Folsom Force on a small court. Our Dawgs started out with a strong showing by keeping on top of Folsom by just a few points. Unfortunately, in the second half Folsom began a strong press against our much smaller Dawgs that turned the game around. Our Dawgs gave it their best effort, but came up with a higher percentage of errors causing our 2nd loss for this tournament..........but we did do well for a 4th grade team, with lots of room for improvement.

Sunday, we started out bright and early at HWP for an 8 am game. To my surprise, our Dawgs looked like they were all wide awake during our warm-ups, so it provided me some hope for a strong effort against a much taller 5th grade Reno Ballers team. During this game, our Dawgs started out with a strong man to man defense that proved to be much stronger than what the Ballers could handle from our much faster Dawgs team. Each player on our Dawgs team became a rolling ball of fire while on the court playing defense. There was a show of awesome team work by every Dawg every minute of the game. I don't think our team parents would want to do this, but I told the Dawgs players, "you boys are going to play every game at 8 am now!" and, although I was only playing, the Dawgs reacted with a big, "yes!". I was happy to hear that they are going to play early in the morning just as well as later in the day. On offense, I couldn't have been happier seeing the boys run their offense as well as they did. They forced the Ballers to move for one side of the court to the other creating drives up the middle and around the baseline. Our boys out rebounded the much taller Ballers because of the determination our Dawgs had to fight for the ball. Awesome! Our Dawgs Defeated the Ballers by approximately 40 plus points.

Our second game on Sunday, our Dawgs had to quickly leave court 5 after defeating the Ballers and run to court 7 for a 9 am game. Our boys had not even had a minute to rest before playing a strong, fast, and very tall 5th grade YBA Xtreme team coached by Coach Garcia, a great coach. Our Dawgs started out strong and held the Xtreme team to very few points, but began losing a little strength toward the end of the game. Needless to say, our 4th graders had the confidence, but couldn't push out the strength and stamina to win back to back against a well coached older team. Our Dawgs were defeated, but gave 110% against their YBA brothers until the last second of the game. This was a great challenge and learning experience for our Dawgs. Thanks for your hard work boys!! Thank you parents for your dedication to our team and arriving early to this game!!

Coach Robert Martinez

7th Grade Black-January 22-23

2011-01-25T11:30:00.000-08:00

It was another exciting weekend of basketball for the YBA 7th Grade Black team playing in the 8th Grade Boy’s Black Division. The boys played great hustle basketball in their first game against Napa doing a good job of passing the ball and finding the open man. It was a neck and neck game to the finish with our boys coming out on top 47 to 45.

The next game was a back to back game against a much larger, taller, quicker and seasoned team from Mission City. The boys held their own in the 1st quarter but lost ground in the 2nd and 3rd quarters. Even though the boys had a 30 pt deficit going into the 4th qtr, they kept fighting back and outplayed Mission City 15 to 4 in the 4th qtr losing 35 to 54. The quickness and execution of the Mission City team helped our boys identify key areas to keep working on as they move forward through the season.

The last game on Sunday against the Rocktown Ballers White team was a “nail biter” to the end. The boys ended the 3rd qtr behind by 5 pts but by keeping their composure and executing both the offense and defense well, owned the 4th qtr winning 38 to 40. The coaches and parents were proud of how the team played this weekend and got a glimpse into the potential this group of young men have and the future looks very, very bright. Go DAWGS!

7th Grade Blue-January 22-23

2011-01-25T11:25:00.000-08:00

The guys kicked off a great weekend of play with an intense battle against the Hurricanes. A game where we were physically out played on both the offensive and defense boards, the guys learned both the importance of shot faking, and creating contact when a shot goes up (boxing out). Game two vs the Davis Wild Cats started the same for two quarters going into halftime with an 18 point deficit. At half time, the importance of ignoring the score and coming out more physical was stressed. The guys bought in and finished the third quarter holding the Wildcats scoreless for the entire quarter! We went on to win with physical play from all of our guys, especially Mike Dowen (bloody lip), Cole Kelley (shiner in the eye) and Jack Kearns (boxing out the bigs). Alex Patton had a stand out game with 12 points and a great up and under move down low. The third game was a great game from the start putting pressure on EDH and gaining a 15 point lead early on. We won by 20 points. All in all a great weekend 2-1 in D1 bracket!

6th Black-January 22-23

2011-01-25T11:20:00.000-08:00

After a layoff of four weeks from tournaments, the Black Team was back in action. Despite the coach's concern about being "rusty", the team quickly picked up where they left off. With a convincing 71-32 win over the Hurricanes in the first game, they never looked back.
The second game was on the "Big Stage" (Court 1), and again - the team was excited! So excited, they smothered rival Rocktown Ballers and won 66-23.

The championship game was a convincing 66-31 win over the Folsom Force.

Using an array different defensive sets, and executing their offense cleanly, the team averaged 67 points a game, and had an average margin of victory of 39 points.

5th-January 22-23

2011-01-25T11:10:00.000-08:00

Game #1 vs Hurricanes 46-17 win

We started slow offensively missing a lot of easy buckets, but our defensive pressure was too much and we started pulling away in the middle of the 1st quarter. The boys executed very well on both ends of the court as everyone contributed to the win. The offensive player of the game was Justin Kraft with 12 points. Our entire team played lock down "D" all weekend, but Justin led the way with intense "on ball" pressure and a team leading 8 rebounds and Ryan Smith recorded 6 blocked shots. Mr. Hustle was Blake Zieske. In the final seconds the Hurricanes had a fast break opportunity and Blake caught him from behind and blocked the shot without fouling! This kind of hustle exemplifies this teams attitude and I couldn't be happier with our effort. The Dawg with the best attitude was Josh Farr. I don't think I have ever seen him rattled or upset.

Game #2 vs Rocktown Ballers 49-13 win
Not much to say about this game because it was all Dawgs, all day. The boys were unbelievable defensively and able to fast break at will. It is hard to coach games like this because I don't like holding the boys back. I let them know we don't hold back with intensity or effort, we just don't fast break or put too much pressure on the ball. We worked on our half court offense and I feel we got better at executing. Gabe Gillespie and Blake Zieske each hit 3 pointers and Justin Kraft led all scorers with 10 points. Defensively Ryan Smith anchored the paint with tough interior defense and 7 rebounds. Josh Farr, Justin Kraft and Blake Zieske all had 3 steals. Best Attitude and Mr. Hustle was Ryan Haug. There isn't a thing he would not do for his team as he is all over the court diving for loose balls and playing awesome defense. Nice job boys!

Game #3 vs Eldorado Hills 47-9
Sorry to be so boring, but it was the same story all weekend. The boys have so much team spirit and cohesiveness that they will not let up defensively. Our defensive player of the game was the whole team, with Ryan Haug and Carson March leading the way. Again I had to pull back the reigns and not allow fast breaks because it would have been too ugly. We slowed the tempo and worked on our half court game. Josh Farr led the way with 10 points and Ryan Smith pulled down 8 boards and recorded 3 steals. Nick Periera was the Dawg with the best attitude.

Coach Gillespie

4th Grade-January 22-23

2011-01-25T11:00:00.000-08:00

It was another great weekend of basketball for our 4th grade boys DAWG team playing in the 5th Grade Boys “White Division”. The first matchup was against the much taller EDH Trojans White team, which challenged our boys to fight for rebounds and hold their composure when being pressed. Even though the boys lost this game 27 to 46, it provided them with a great opportunity to identify areas to keep working on, as well as areas they have improved in, as a team. The next match up was against the Del Oro Eagles in which our boys did a great job executing both their defense and offense winning 34 to 28. The DAWGS won their Sunday game against the YBA 5th grade Xtreme White team 33 to 25 . This was a fun game to watch because we were able to see how both YBA teams have improved over the last several weeks. Overall the YBA 4th grade team played very well and continue to improve.

8th Grade Black-January 15-16

2011-01-18T09:40:00.000-08:00

The team got through the always-interesting first tournament of the season with a reasonable 2-1 record. Overall, the coaches were pleased with the results. The team played very good defense in 10 of the 12 quarters. We held Natomas to 0 points in the 3rd quarter, the Wildcats to 2 points in the 3rd, and the Yellow Jackets to 4 in the 1st. No team scored more than 14 points by halftime. That shows impressive hustle and hard work! In almost all cases, the players worked hard while they were on the court. Please congratulate your sons on that.

The execution and results on offense were good in spots, but not as good as on defense. That isn't surprising this early in the season. Many of the mistakes came from a young man trying to do too much. Those mistakes are much easier for the coaches to accept than those that result from lack of effort. As the players become more comfortable with the offenses and with each other, we believe they will make better reads on their cuts, passes, and shots.

YBA 26, Yellow Jackets 7th 49
The Dawgs started strong in this game and forced several hurried shots and a few airballs. Unfortunately, we were also thrown off by the Jackets' aggressive defense and missed several chances to extend our early lead. Despite many turnovers, YBA trailed by only 4 at halftime, 14-10. Early in the 2nd half, more Dawg turnovers and missed shots led to some easy baskets for the opposition. Once the team fell behind, there was a noticeable drop-off in our energy and intensity. This was really the only disappointing part of the weekend. It allowed the Jackets to get into a groove on offense and extend their lead. The coaches hope the team learned something about patience and staying together. Connor Milnes led the way with 8 points. Jackson Sterling and Grady Collins had 4 each. The two newcomers also contributed, with Bret Lynch handing out 2 assists and Bryce Crouch garnering 4 rebounds and 2 steals to lead the team in those categories.

YBA 38, Natomas Spartans 9th 20
After a long break to consider our mistakes, the team came out hungry to battle against the older Natomas team. The Dawgs played great perimeter defense, helped in the lane, and pursued rebounds which limited the Spartans to only 11 points after 3 quarters. Our execution and shot selection also improved, which resulted in 34 points by the end of the 3rd quarter. Jackson had 10 points, followed by Bret with 7 and Mitchell Holt with 5. Mitch also blocked 3 shots to help close down the lane. Nicholas Clough and Grady notched 2 assists apiece.

YBA 40, Franklin Wildcats 9th 15
The Dawgs played another strong game in the 3rd place matchup on Sunday. Our defensive pressure was too much for the Franklin freshmen, and the team ran out to a 19-4 lead after one quarter. Jackson was a force on the ball with 8 steals, several of which resulted in easy buckets. Nicholas, still getting into the swing of things after missing 2 months with a knee injury, played a strong game to total 7 points and 5 boards. Jared Flowers also had 7. Connor and Mitch each hustled for 4 offensive rebounds. Colin Hawkins and Connor had some strong moves inside but couldn't quite finish. We're sure they will score more often than not off such moves as the season progresses. Bryce impressed throughout with his energy and intensity, especially since he also played in all 3 games for the blue team! Colin was very consistent throughout the weekend.

Best Offensive Player: Jackson Sterling

Best Defensive Player: The entire team
Best Hustle: Bryce Crouch
Best Attitude: Grady Collins

8th Grade Blue-January 15-16

2011-01-18T09:39:00.000-08:00

The 8th Grade DAWGS started the season off against the Rocktown Ballers. It was very competitive game with the lead exchanging hands many times. Rocktown had a big size advantage on the boards but we battled with them the whole game. We fell behind in the fourth quarter and staged a late comeback but ran out of time. We lost 50-46. Max O’Rourke carried the offense against the Ballers and Bryce Crouch cleaned up the boards for us all game. The 2nd game against the Reno Ballers was very competitive also. The game went back and forth with the DAWGS taking a lead at the end of the fourth quarter, but the Baller were able to tie the score to send the game into overtime. Overtime went back and forth but the Ballers came out on top with a 46-44 win. Vance Gregg did a great job on the defensive side of the court, Amran Bisla had good game in the paint, and Tanner Dodson provided an offensive punch for the DAWGS. Sunday morning it took awhile for the DAWGS to warm up which put us in a hole to start the game. We battled back and forth but we could not get the “mojo” going and lost to the Redbirds 46-37. Vinny Frizzi and Josh Finkelstein provided a strong offensive punch for us through out the game to keep the score close. Overall it was a good first weekend and the coaches are looking to build on it for the next tournament.

7th Grade Blue-January 15-16

2011-01-18T09:35:00.000-08:00

The 7th grade kicked off the second straight weekend of tournament play with games against the Reno Ballers, J-Ballers, and EDH. The guys were short handed with only six players, but still managed to make it to the championship game. Both Mike Dowen and Cole Kelley suffered injuries, but played their hearts out. Despite a bloody lip Cole Kelley managed to enter back into the game and finish strong. Overall, it was a great weekend despite being short handed and losing to EDH in the championship game.

6th Grade Blue

2011-01-18T09:30:00.000-08:00

This weekend was the season opener for the YBA blue 6th graders. They had a close call in every game. Game 1 we faced the Reno ballers and they had a dominant big, but we played to 100 percent on both defense and offense to win by 3. Since we played back to back we were a bit tired for second game. We were down by 11 in the start of the fourth climbed back to tie but lost by a bucket to the rocktown ballers in OT. The boys played their guts out. We took our frustrations out on folsom fury to win by 25 and also to win the tournament. We were proud of the boy's effort.

Game 1: Offensive player: Brendyn Ikeda, Defensive player: Taylor Itner, Best Hustle: Kazik Lewendowski, Best Attitude: Taylor Ittner.

Game 2: Offensive Player: Blake Stelzer, Def. Player: Tommy Edwards, Best Hustle: Kazik Lewandowski, Best Attitude: Taylor Ittner

Game 3: Offensive Player: Jalen Stringer, Def-Taylor Ittner, Best Hustle Everett Libolt, Best Attitude Taylor Ittner.

Coach Lars and Coach Glen

4th Grade-January 15-16

2011-01-18T09:25:00.000-08:00

It was an exciting weekend of basketball for the 4th grade DAWGS team playing in the 5th grade boy’s white division. They did a great job controlling the ball under pressure and running the offense as a team. They won their first game against Del Oro (35 to 24) and met steeper competition in the next two games losing to the Reno Ballers (35 to 30) and CJBA (31 to 21). The kids did a great job maintaining their composure under pressure against the much larger players. Especially #55 on CJBA who looked like a young man next to our kids! Special recognition for this week’s tournaments was Chase for best offense, Nathan for best attitude, Julian for best defense and Zach for best hustle. Go DAWGS!

6th Grade Black Champs Again

2010-12-17T07:22:00.000-08:00

We're so proud of our 6th Grade Dawgs Black Team. Throughout the summer and fall, they played up in the 7th grade division and did really well. In fact, they took 1st place in two 7th grade tournaments this year. What a great accomplishment as there is a tremendous difference in size, strength, speed, and maturity in 7th grade boys compared to 6th grade boys. Our boys showed that they can keep up with the big boys by playing smart, strong, and together. Each one of these boys are leaders and true teammates. We've never seen a team so unselfish. Amazing!

Congratulations to our boys for their continued success in playing the game they love. These boys always play with their hearts and give it their all. And most importantly, they truly respect each other and their coaches and have such a strong, heartfelt bond!

Here's to another successful year to our 6th Grade Black Dawgs! You boys are awesome individually and together as a unit!

4th Grade December 5th

2010-12-05T16:01:00.001-08:00

Our last tournament, our team played smart and hard and placed first in our bracket.....This week, our team surpassed my expectations once again.......

Our goal as a team is to continue to work to keep improving our skill level all awhile we have fun and grow stronger as a family. Exceeding the coach's expectation regarding how each player plays individually and, most important, as a team, is thought of continuously by every good or decent coach. Once again, our boys played a strong game both offensively and defensively. During the game this Saturday, I spoke to the boys about a their "fire" or passion for defense each and every second of the game. Every player proved that they had a "fire".....and then some! Along with the passion to play good fundamentally sound and hard defense, all of our boys played unselfishly, smart, and fundamentally sound offense.

Our opponents for this tournament was our one and only team, or game, for the tournament........the Davis Wildcats. Although our Dawgs had played in one tournament this season already as a 4th grade team, I was excited to see 7 players instead of only 5 playing in this game. The boys knew that we would always have two players on the bench anxious to get into the game. Knowing this, I reminding the boys that we do not rest on defense and to never give less than 100%.....and what a success the boys proved to be by doing this.

The Wildcats were no match for our Dawgs team. Every Dawg player contributed offensively scoring in this game. Every Dawg player contributed tremendously by being unselfish and passing the ball for many assist in the game. Every player played like a top notch defensive player never giving less than 100%. All of our boys kept their hips low, knees bent, on their toes, and moved their feet fast. As I watched each player on the court, I was impressed by how each player watched the ball to anticipate passes while on defense. All of our Dawgs had steals while on defense and reacted quickly as a team to either set up the offense or quickly get the ball down the court to score with, almost always, a lay up. I was impressed with how the boys kept their heads up while "pushing" the ball up the court which allowed them to see the other players working hard to get open for either an outlet pass or a quick score. Every player played with a big heart for other brother Dawgs sharing the ball offensively. Our boys ran our offense very well, using all of the "pass and cut" or "backdoor cuts" extremely well.......especially for a young team.

I was impressed with how our boys used their "help" defense or "weak side" defensive help to keep the Wildcats to a low scoring game. Our boys did a great job and denied passes, anticipated passes for steals, used great footwork to prevent drives into the middle or down the baseline, and worked as one unit to keep the Wildcats from ever being in the game. Great job boys!

Our final outcome for the game was 52 points for our Big Little Dawgs (Wruff, Wruff!) and 4 points for the Davis Wildcats.........

Coach Martinez