Boys basketball: Wolf Pack ball out in rivalry win over the 'Dogs

West’s junior wing Cameron Williams later revealed that the team’s fast start was something that they really worked on in the buildup to the game.

“That was a change that we made today,” he told the Tracy Press. “We followed through with our game plan, played West Wolf Pack basketball and pushed through to the fourth quarter and then we put them to bed.”

Junior guard Joseph Walker set the tone for West during the early run as he swished two triples to get the visiting crowd going. He finished the opening period with 8 points — his total for the game — and was a real fire starter for the visitors.

The rest of the Wolf Pack soon followed suit — ensuring that the hosts never got closer than within 10 with under three minutes left in the game.

“I thought we came in locked in defensively,” West’s first year head coach Brandon Parks said of his team’s performance. “We played assignment basketball, knocked them off their spots and made them uncomfortable. That was our game plan, to play at our pace and not theirs."

Parks has passionately preached about the changing of culture that he is overseeing at West all season long and the brand of basketball that his Wolf Pack played against the Bulldogs (4-16, 0-6 TCAL) at times was a real treat to watch.

No matter how hard the Bulldogs tried, the visitors were always able to keep them at an arm’s length with relative comfort through disciplined defense and controlled offense.

“This is a big win for our confidence and for a program that’s not used to winning,” Parks added. “Now we’re trying to teach them how to win and teach them those habits and we’re on the right track.”

Not even a performance as outstanding as that of ‘Dogs’ junior guard Malcom Akamien — who poured in 17 points to lead all scorers, including three 3’s, to go along with eight rebounds, three assists and one block — was enough to swing the pendulum in the hosts favor.

Tracy hit seven three-pointers as a team on the night but they were just missing that little something every time it felt as though there was an opening to get back into the game.

“As terrible as we played, we got it within 10 and then missed a wide open three that would’ve got it within seven, and then they hit a shot and that seems to be the ongoing thing with us this year,” Tracy head coach Junior Cueva said. “We play hard, we get the looks to come back and then we just don’t put the ball in the bucket.”

Once the Wolf Pack built a sizable lead, trading baskets was very much in their favor down the stretch. The visitors led by 17 at 48-31 after three and had three players in double figures to Tracy’s one on the night.

Junior point guard Xavier Cardona Renshaw ran the point and delivered 12 points, six rebounds, four assists and two steals for West. Williams poured in 13 points and grabbed seven boards. Junior power forward Yuvi Mann had 13 points and five rebounds.

Mann addressed the importance of beating Tracy in such dominant fashion and what a win like that does for the team’s confidence afterwards.

“It definitely felt good,” he said. “Especially with how the crowd was. It feels good to play in these types of games and it’s fun to win these types of games with your teammates.” 

West’s dominance on the glass was really emphasized by senior forward Nicolas Rodrigues who hauled in 12 rebounds to go along with his 6 points and three steals. Freshman guard Roderick Coladilla gave West good minutes off the bench with 8 points — all from the free throw line.

Tracy dropped to 0-6 in league play with the defeat despite playing some good stuff in stretches of the game. However, with quite a few juniors on the team, there is optimism for the future if the ‘Dogs can put it all together.

“It’s just about consistency,” Cueva said. “We just can’t seem to get that extra charge call or make that extra play. We also get away from the game plan too quick. We don’t buy in for the full 32 minutes and that’s been the story of the year.”

Senior guard Izaac Brooks had 6 points and three steals for the hosts. Junior guard Japri Jamison nailed two 3’s for 6 points. Junior guard Michael McCreary had five assists. Senior guard DJ Jones chipped in with five points and four assists.