Page 9 - Sanger Herald 2-8-18 E-edition

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SANGER HERALD * PAGE 1B * THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 2018
Rematch vs. Memorial goes awry, and Apaches look ahead
By Mike Nemeth
Sanger Herald
The rematch didn’t go as planned — at least from the Apache perspective.
For the San Joaquin Memorial Panthers, the 80-53 win over visiting Sanger on Feb. 2 at the Fresno Catholic school went just the way they intended.
“They wanted this,” said a Memorial parent court- side before the game.
Indeed.
Under the watchful eyes of two or three professional athletes, one a former Panther, the two teams started fast with both intent on dominating the other. Only one did. The other stumbled.
Unfortunately for Apaches fans, Sanger fell short. In the previous game Jan. 16, the Apaches served up the Panthers for the home win, 85-75, hamstringing their best player, nationally scouted sophomore Jalen Green.
Asked for a bright side to the game after it had concluded, Apache coach Al Alvarado III offered this
aside with a half grin: “It’s over?”
Alvarado let that sink in a moment, then said, “We had to play a flawless game (to win).” He said Memorial had three really good players, Division I college caliber, and that affected Sanger’s ability to deliver a repeat performance of what the Apaches did before a capacity home crowd.
Dror Geron, dad of senior Jonah Geron of the Panthers, said his team should have won that first contest. And he said Memorial’s team was itching to prove itself. The younger Geron played a role in the win, scoring eight points with two three- pointers and pulling in four rebounds. Jonah is headed to play for the University of Washington in Seattle, he said.
waited 15 years for,” he said. “They’ve been playing basically all their lives. It’s been great to see.”
Jonah Geron scored 18 points in the Panthers’ loss Jan. 16, five from behind the three-point arc.
The Memorial gym was packed, and the SJM official handling the crowd, who wore a California Interscholastic Federation logo on his polo shirt, closed the doors midway through the first half. The 1,148-person capacity, listed on a plaque above the main door, had been reached, he said.
One of the last to arrive was Quincy Pondexter, who played for Memorial and the University of Washington before bouncing around the NBA and landing with the Chicago Bulls. Seats in the front row of the bleachers were saved for Pondexter and his entourage, which included professional tennis player Sloane Stephens. Stephens is ranked No. 12 by the Women’s Tennis Association.
shooting as many free throws as possible during a timed period. Stephens, who is from Fresno and also plays basketball, won the contest. Pondexter placed himself at the top of the key in three-point range. Afterward, a small group surrounded the pair. One of the Sanger players said Pondexter teammate Cameron Payne also showed up.
The score at halftime of 22-44 left almost no chance Sanger could pull out a turnaround.
Green, who stands 6 feet 6 inches, ended up scoring a game-high 32 points for the Panthers, with a couple three-pointers. He shot 12 of 13 free throws, pulled down 11 rebounds, dished three assists and had a steal and two blocks.
The game also marked the return of Panther Dameane Douglas, who is also 6 feet 6 inches (as is Jonah Geron). Douglas, a freshman, scored 26 points, pulled down nine rebounds and had two blocks. Douglas
See Basketball, Page 2B
Mike Nemeth / Sanger Herald
Jalen Green scores 32 for Memorial in Sanger rematch. The Apaches had trouble containing the sophomore.
But more than just
beating Sanger, the elder
Geron said, for him, the
season has been invaluable
because he’s gotten to
watch his two boys (his
younger son Jaden is a
freshman) play together.
“It’s something we’ve a show during halftime,
Boys battle Madera before post-season
By Mike Nemeth
Sanger Herald
Sanger’s varsity boys soccer team wanted a win. It was senior night, an
evening that gives teams and families a chance to honor the players who, over the seasons, have celebrated wins and suffered losses, taking the good with the bad. And the bad indeed could be dire, maybe like a header to the face, cleats to a knee or an injury that forces the player to sit out most of the season.
On Feb. 1 before the game, Apache seniors received hand-painted signs and single red flowers for their dedication to the sport. Families posed for pictures, and fellow players got a chance to rib their elders.
The visiting Madera Coyotes wanted to play the role of spoiler. However, from the opening minutes, the Apaches’ lineup, featuring most of coach Alex Gutierrez’s seniors, launched one furious assault after another on the Madera goalie.
Junior Francisco Segovia of the Coyotes, the goalie, had other ideas. He and his teammates fought off attacking early drives deep into his territory, several by senior Gurjot Singh.
“It was very intense,” said senior goalie Salomon Salinas, who turned away a number of attempts on the Apache side, getting at least three saves. One of the attempts bounced off one of the goal’s uprights, just centimeters from his fingers. Then he made the subsequent save when a Coyote no more than a body length away made another attempt.
“It was a thrill,” Salinas said. “The whole game. We played very well.”
Yet, it ended in a 1-1 tie.
Salinas had some criticisms. As the goalie and chief defender, he saw everything, every little flaw in the protective
Mike Nemeth / Sanger Herald
Hector Sanchez was back. The senior forward, above, was still ailing but fed the ball to teammates like Omreep Mander, No. 10, below. The game against Madera resulted in a tie.
shield his fellow Apaches built around their goal. “Some mistakes,” he said. “That’s gotta be fixed. Small decisions, like passing. That ball was everywhere — scattered.”
Half time stopped play with no score by either team. The Coyotes, under coach Nic Landeros, hadn’t had much success over the months and played like they wanted the game, like they had learned a lot over the season. They weren’t shy and kept the intensity up.
But the Apaches played like a team whose players needed no introduction. Their seniors, under captain Hector Sanchez, communicated on the field like veterans with a nod or brief alert. They passed to each other seamlessly and
headed the ball, often into friendly territory. Their efforts brought the larger- than-normal crowd more emotionally into the match.
Before the half, senior Omreep Mander, a wizard of ball control, sent a kick toward the goal as did fellow senior Hans
Finstad. Senior Adrian Recinos made a solo run at the goalie, feinting one way and kicking another without success. And junior Saul Sanchez also made an attempt.
In the second half, the Apaches didn’t let up. At just under 30 minutes
remaining, senior Adam Moreno put Sanger ahead by a goal. The stands, and especially the core of the girls’ varsity soccer team, went wild. Needless to say, the volume in Tom Flores Stadium went way up. Recinos had the assist.
“Exciting,” said Moreno
in response to a question about the moment. “Adrian gave me a little pass. Then I turned around and kicked it. It was there, perfect time.
“We’re looking good out there. We’re doing good passing, good talking. But they were doing good as well.”
Coyote senior forward Salvador Chavez scored with about 5 minutes left on the clock, tying the game at 1-1. And the score remained there as regulation ended. Despite the required two extra 10 minute periods, neither team scored. Mander, sophomore Gabriel Torres, Sanchez and others worked hard to get another point. And freshman Ethan Saephanh almost scored in the second overtime, missing by inches.
“Keep your heads up,” said Alex Guillen, assistant coach, after the game.
“Everything we’re doing is learning,” coach Gutierrez said. “You cannot lose that fire, that energy. You have to make good decisions.”
Later, he said the team will have to take that into the playoffs. Just Tuesday’s game against San Joaquin Memorial remained in the regular season. “We’ve built up from each game,” he said. “We’ve learned a little bit every single game. We’ve gotten to the point where we understand the system.
“It’s just understanding the nuances.”
The game was sweet for team captain Sanchez, who spent much of the season sidelined with injury. He returned to the field but had his left thigh wrapped several times to avoid straining it further. During the game he poured water on the bandage to numb it.
Afterward, although it still hurt, he didn’t let it bother him. “It was a good game,” Sanchez said. “Today I was playing with a
See Soccer, Page 2B
The pair of pros put on