The season is well underway for local basketball teams, as both
the Analy Flying Tigers and El Molino Lions have posted wins in the
early going.
This weekend (Dec. 9-11) the Flying Tigers (1-0) will compete in
the Red Brown Classic Tournament hosted by Drake in San Anselmo,
while the Lions (1-2) participate in the 43rd annual Rose City
Tournament at Cardinal Newman.
Analy starts season with a flourish
The Flying Tigers have set the bar high after going 56-10 under
coach Brett Page in the past two years, with a goal of becoming one
of the top programs in the state.
The Tigers have done nothing to diminish their expectations so
far, notching a 63-55 win over Franklin of Elk Grove in the Newark
Memorial Tip-Off Classic on Nov. 27. The Wildcats came into the
game ranked third among Sacramento area Division-1 schools and 21st
overall in the state.
The win over a highly ranked opponent to start the season was
encouraging to say the least, even for the normally unflappable
Analy coaching staff.
“We played a great game defensively and handled their pressure
offensively,” said Page. “The team is working together and getting
familiar with each other and we’re optimistic as well as excited to
compete this year.”
Last week, the Flying Tigers took on host El Cerrito in the
annual Foundation Game, an outing that doesn’t count toward the
overall season record. El Cerrito entered the game ranked 11th in
the state among Division-3 schools, providing another good litmus
test for the Tigers. It was another impressive performance by
Analy, pulling off an unofficial victory (no score was
reported).
“The foundation games don’t count but both teams were trying to
win,” noted Page. “I’m very happy with the two games, but know we
have a long way to go to be able to compete in our league. If we
are fortunate to make the playoffs in D-3, we must get better. It’s
a great group to work with,” he added.
Lions win one of three
The Lions are just now rounding into form after getting half of
their players back from an extended football season.
El Mo has already played three games in pre-season, falling to
Cardinal Newman (no score reported), recording a 54-39 win over
Lower Lake, and most recently dropping a 36-34 decision to Elsie
Allen on Dec. 6.
The loss to the Lobos was disappointing, considering the Lions
had gone 1-1 before their players returned from football. Monday’s
game illustrated that it will take a while for players to reach the
proper conditioning level for basketball success.
“We’re still trying to get everyone up to speed on what we’re
running and so forth,” said El Mo head coach Eugene Patterson. “I
really just wanted to pick the guys up in the locker room after the
game as we have a veteran group this year that should be able to
recover from games you lose early in the season.”
Although no stats were available, the Lions got good production
on the boards from power forward Tyler Elderkin, and from guard
Levi Karns on the defensive end.
Despite missing players for the first month of pre-season, the
Lions are confident that an outstanding group of returning seniors
will be quick in rounding into form.
“This year I feel will be one of our best yet, and as a head
coach at the varsity level, I’ve never been so confident in our
ability to create our own recovery to a winning level in this
program,” said head coach Eugene Patterson, who has shelved his
customary sweater and tie for a more relaxed look. “The casual
attire represents the lower blood pressure and confident composure
that coaching this team has created.”
The Lions resume pre-season action this Thursday, Dec. 9 at 3:30
p.m. when they take on San Marin in the opening game of the Rose
City tourney.
