Boys’ basketball: Santa Cruz blues

Hoping to advance deep into Division 3 CCS play, the boys’ basketball team fell short Feb. 23 when they lost a frustrating game to the Santa Cruz Cardinals 62-52.

The game took place at St. Ignatius College Preparatory in San Francisco, where the Falcons were the No. 4 seed while Santa Cruz was No. 5.

The game started with both teams scoring proficiently. Santa Cruz did not seem to miss from three-point range as they bombed three after three. The score at the end of one quarter was 25-16 in favor of the Cardinals. 

In the second and third quarters, the Falcons clawed their way back from the early deficit with stout defense and offensive production from senior forward Stevie Berman and senior guard Kyle Dozier. 

However, players said officiating also played a role in the defeat, as the Falcons were unable to sustain momentum. Santa Cruz took advantage and was able to use the Falcons’ frustration against them. Coach Trevor Naas picked up a technical foul after what he thought was a blatant push on Dozier that was not called. 

Senior center Jonathan Boldt channeled his frustration by crashing the glass and earning some offensive rebounds and put-back baskets. His effort was not enough, however, as the Cardinals were able to counter and pull away in the fourth.

Berman, the team’s MVP for the season, finished with 15 points, nine rebounds and four steals, while Dozier contributed 11 points. Boldt added 13 points and 10 rebounds and senior guard Alex Wang had six points and three assists. 

“We lost a game, but all teams lose games; it just sucks that it ended our season,” Berman said. 

Berman had a standout year with season averages of 16.3 points, 12.2 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 2.4 steals per game, while earning All-League First Team Honors. 

Dozier and Wang earned All-League Second Team with averages of 10 points and nine points per game, respectively. Boldt was an All-League Honorable Mention averaging nearly seven points and five rebounds a night. 

The loss was a disappointing end to an otherwise highly successful season. There were some memorable highlights of the year, such as beating rival Los Gatos in every meeting of the year. 

“It was great to beat Los Gatos three times this year,” Boldt said. “The bond felt between all the guys on the team made this season very enjoyable.”

The Falcons finished second place in the De Anza League with an 18-6 record in the regular season.

“I think the season was a huge success for our team,” Berman said. “We may not have reached our final goal of winning CCS, but I believe we came together as the team we thought we could be.”

After moving up to the De Anza League from the El Camino League this season, many local publications predicted that the Falcons would be near the bottom in the standings. 

With excellent team play, Saratoga was able to achieve success despite the adversity of playing in a higher league in which no one believed they would have success..

“The season was awesome,” said Dozier, “and it was the best basketball experience of my four years [at SHS].”