MORGAN HILL -- Their mission of winning the Santa Teresa Division title hasn't been met just yet, but the Sobrato Bulldogs had enough to exult after knocking off Independence in the Sobrato Main Gym.
That deserved its own celebration.
After Independence snatched a share of first place on the last day of the regular season here a year ago, winning 55-48, the Bulldogs were devastated; far too much so to recuperate in time for a Central Coast Section playoff game at Palo Alto. The Bulldogs lost by 20.
They haven't been disappointed since. Sobrato's 15-5 record and 10-0 start in league have been rewarding, but naught without Friday's 66-54 homecoming triumph.
"It's been, in my opinion, the biggest game of the year," said Bulldogs senior guard Chris Bradley, whose 14 points comprised an array of jumpshots and bedazzling runners. "We were looking forward to this all year."
Lee Washington took that as a plus and a minus going into his first league season with the Sobrato varsity. Washington sought to legitimize the one-game-at-time approach. His team has responded by outscoring the rest of the Santa Teresa by 19.9 points a game.
"We're not overlooking anybody," Washington said.
"To be the champion, you have to beat champion. We did that tonight. Now, it's on to the next game."
That is Wednesday at Evergreen Valley, the only league foe that has lost by single digits to the Bulldogs. Sobrato forward Ryan Williams put the possibility of a hangover defeat to rest.
"We want to go undefeated," he said. "We want to win league and not have to worry about anyone else doing our business."
Williams scored a game-high 17 points and joined Bradley in hitting three straight treys that helped give the Bulldogs a 10-point lead less than five minutes in. They went ahead 19-7 when Howard Kwong drew a foul with his layup and made a free throw.
The 76ers' triangle offense picked up from there, as Independence put together a 17-8 scoring run to tie the game 27-all with 1:35 left in the second quarter. Guards Angelo De Los Santos and Brandon Potter combined for a trio of 3s during that stretch, and 6-foot-7 post Thomas Estifanos poured in five of his 13 points in the paint.
De Los Santos made four from beyond the arc on the way to 14 points.
"We knew they were going to have their runs, and we were going to have ours," said Bradley, who made 5 of 7 from the field. "We just had to have more."
Bradley made two free throws to push his team back in front, and Charley Bynum tipped in a put-back shot with three seconds left, giving Sobrato a 31-27 lead at halftime.
Williams and Bynum contained Estifanos and Tien Vu, a 6-foot-5 power forward, in the second half and received big support from point guard Pierre Hemphill, who led his team with 10 rebounds.
Hemphill dribbled the length of the floor and went up and under for two, then dished to Williams and Kenny Mounteer for open jumpers during an 11-2 run to start the third quarter. Bryan Bradley, who matched Bynum with seven points, made a free throw at the end of the period to put the Bulldogs ahead 48-31.
"Chris and Pierre really gave us chances to score tonight," Williams said. "We had to work harder inside against their big guys and get around them. We used our speed to use their size to our advantage."
Independence (11-9 overall, 8-2 league) was cold from outside by the end of the fourth quarter and could not slow Sobrato's grinding inside play. The Bulldogs answered each 76ers score, getting a twisting runner by Chris Bradley and a back-door layup by Scott Taylor, before breaking away on a 7-0 run. After Williams scored a fifth consecutive point to make it 61-40, both coaches began emptying their benches.
"This was a very satisfying victory," Washington said. "By beating them twice, we basically showed how close we are to being the champion."
After the final horn sounded, the Bulldogs shared chest bumps and shook hands with fans. Washington gathered his players and led them back to the locker room, where the celebration erupted again.
The Bulldogs may have a bigger one soon. They will travel to Del Mar on Friday, host Gunderson on Feb. 17 and visit Hill on Feb. 19. Sobrato is two wins from clinching at least a share of first place.
"We got to play everyone else like they're the best team in league," Chris Bradley said. "We want to go into CCS on a high note this time."
Branham 61, LO 43
Nathan Seifert nearly matched a season high with 19 points, as the Acorns dropped their third straight in West Valley Division play.
Branham (13-7, 7-3) pulled away with 23 points in the second quarter and received 16 points from Robby Anderson and a dozen from Ryan Sullivan. The Bruins remained tied with Lincoln for first place.
Live Oak (7-13, 4-6) will play three of its remaining four games away, starting Wednesday at Yerba Buena and Friday at Prospect.
Scott J. Adams Scott J. Adams covers Morgan Hill sports for South Valley Newspapers. Send him an email or call him at 779-4106.
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