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Dos Palos boys basketball no match against Los Banos
[December 14, 2012]

Dos Palos boys basketball no match against Los Banos


Dec 13, 2012 (Los Banos Enterprise (Los Banos - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- When Dos Palos took a 1-point lead over Los Banos just before halftime, it could have been the turning point.

But Los Banos took control in the second half -- tying the game on an Isaac Ruiz layup before Delvonte Moore gave LB the lead for good with a pair of free throws -- for a 63-52 win Tuesday in Dos Palos.

The victory gave Los Banos (1-5) its first tick in the win column while sending Dos Palos to an 0-6 record.

"We weren't really a full team. We didn't have the chemistry," Ruiz said. "(The difference is) the football guys being in the gym with us, being at practice, all the hard work that we did." After LB took a 7-point lead in the second quarter, the Tigers flattened and DP roared back. Howard Redding Jr. drained a shot with 15 seconds remaining to give DP a 28-27 lead.



"We were kind of down on ourselves because we weren't playing the way we should have been, but we picked it up in the second half," Ruiz said. "(Coach Mike Bonillas told us) just play like you're supposed to. Ball pressure, ball pressure. We weren't pressuring, so that got us the win in the second half." The tables turned after the break, and DP's lead disappeared after an Alec Barcellos layup.

"I went back to that zone," Dos Palos coach Howard Redding Sr. said. "I was trying to give my big men another chance. With my big guys I thought that we could get the ball in to them, and it would make a huge difference." The Tigers extended their lead to 9 points on a Ruiz 3-pointer late in the third.


DP's Andre Hill led all scorers with 18 points, followed by teammate Redding with 17. Los Banos spread the ball around with a guard-driven game -- Ruiz scored 12, Daeton West 11 and Delvonte Moore 10.

"It's DP, we've just got to get this 'W,' " Los Banos guard Isaac Ruiz said. "We take this as the first game of the season, so we've got to start off with a bang." Redding Sr. said he is looking forward to having his true point guards back, which will let him slide Redding Jr. back to his natural 2 position and Hill back to the 4. Point guard Michael Ignacio hit the floor against LB for his first action of the year after minor surgery, and Noah Croninger (knee) has been cleared to return.

"We sustained it for a minute, but we're just so inexperienced. We just couldn't do it," Redding Sr. said. "I've still got guys out of position. But I'm just trying to figure out where my big guys are. They're just not showing up. We have great practices." Enterprise reporter David Witte can be reached by phone at 388-6565 or by e-mail at [email protected] Enterprise reporter David Witte can be reached by phone at 388-6565 or by e-mail at [email protected] ___ (c)2012 the Los Banos Enterprise (Los Banos, Calif.) Visit the Los Banos Enterprise (Los Banos, Calif.) at www.losbanosenterprise.com Distributed by MCT Information Services

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