The Wiregrass Ranch High boys varsity basketball team beat Sunlake High 87-74 on Tuesday night.

Before the game started, head coach, Jeremy Calzone, explained what was needed for the Bulls to get this crucial win.

“Rebound, play hard, play defense, it’s really that simple. When we do those things, no one can beat us,” Calzone said.

Throughout the course of the game, the Bulls proved to play true to Coach’s game plan and got the win that they needed. The categories that the Bulls most dominated in throughout the game were rebounds and steals. As a team, the Bulls grabbed 50 rebounds; a good chunk of them coming from Valentin “Val” Garcia, as he was a big presence in the paint. Steals came from the quickness of players like Jordan Miner and Bryan Parker that led to many easy fast-break layups, the Bulls finishing with 19 points.

The first half started with the first 9 points being scored in silence to recognize domestic violence every 9 seconds in America. Garcia broke the silence and scored the basket that led to the loud cheering of the crowd, dominating the rest of the game.  The half was filled with great passing by Elijah Howell and Jordan Miner, allowing for open shots to help the Bulls keep the lead throughout the half. VJ Williams gave a sense of energy to the Bulls as he came flying through air behind a Sunlake player and blocked a shot with authority, sending the ball out of bounds. The Bulls ended the half up 40-31.

The second half was similar to the first, with the Bulls’ defense taking charge of the game. The game got a little chippy as there was a scramble for loose ball between Parker and Justin Lucena, ending with what looked like a shove that alarmed the crowd, but only gave more energy to the Bulls. Defense was on lock down throughout the second half, one of the many reasons the Bulls ended up winning with a score of 87-74.

The standout athlete of the game was Val Garcia who got a double-double in one of his final regular season games of his high school career.

“It feels good, it’s just something I should do every night, something I can do for the win. Not every game, but I got to do what I got to do for the win,” Garcia commented.

Garcia commanded the rebound game throughout, finishing with 10, and also scored 16 points. It was evident that he was ecstatic that he completed a great stats achievement.

The win sends the Bulls to an impressive 16-5 looking to keep improving for districts. The Bulls host IMG Academy, a very prestigious school from Bradenton, looking to keep their game plan and play hard until the whistle blows.

Link for highlights: http://cbsprt.co/2E1YUQh