A dominant defensive effort led to plenty of easy buckets on the offensive end for Dos Pueblos boys basketball on Tuesday night as they cruised to a 76-28 victory over Nipomo inside Sovine Gym.
The rout was on from the beginning, as the Chargers (2-1) held a 17-6 lead after the first quarter and led by 30 or more points for the majority of the second half.
After Dos Pueblos surrendered the first point of the night at the charity stripe, the Chargers finally got on the board with a three-pointer by Justin Stock that barely beat the shot clock buzzer at the 5:42 mark of the first.
That long ball sparked the Dos Pueblos offense and the defense followed suit. The Chargers were aggressive, instituting a full-court press in the opening quarter.
It paid off, as Nipomo turned the ball over seven times in the first quarter.
“We really wanted to press a lot tonight and I felt like we did a really good job at forcing our sideline rotations,” Dos Pueblos coach Joe Zamora said. “And what that did was speed them up and rush them into some quick shots and some bad turnovers.”
While the defense carried the majority of the load in the first, the offense stepped up in the second quarter with 27 points, including six points and four assists from Christian Perez.
Perez, a senior who missed all of last season with a torn ACL, was making plays on both ends of the court all game long. He finished with 14 points and eight assists.
“[Perez] is our alpha male, he does a good job of leading everything,” Zamora said. “His presence, the guys really respond to it.”
Thanks to Perez and a solid all-around performance in the second, the Chargers carried a 44-18 lead into the halftime locker room.
The strong defensive play continued into the second half as Dos Pueblos allowed just 10 points in the final two quarters, including three points in the fourth.
“I was really proud of the way they funneled the way they were supposed to go for the traps,” Zamora said of the defensive effort.
As for the offense, the Chargers were active on the fast break, taking advantage of the turnovers caused by their suffocating defense.
This led to a balanced scoring attack, with five players scoring nine or more points. While Perez led the way with 14 points, Matthew Zamora and Allister Linden poured in 13 apiece.
Following the leading trio were Coulter Jay and Evan Pinsker, who each scored nine points.
“One of the things that I really like is our depth,” Coach Zamora said. “We know that guys can shoot from the perimeter and the interior.”
When asked about the team’s focus for non-league games, coach Zamora spotlighted the team’s ability to play defense and rebound effectively as areas for improvement before Channel League play.
While the defense was evident on Tuesday, the rebounding was present as well. Sophomore big man Coulter Jay was active in the paint with 15 rebounds while Linden and Wyatt Gardiner chipped in seven apiece.
Dos Pueblos will host a strong Capistrano Valley team on Friday at 7 p.m. inside Sovine Gym.
“They’re going to bring a good team,” Coach Zamora said. “We’re looking forward to it… (Limiting) turnovers and making free throws are going to be big.”
