2/12/07 WARRIORS MAKE STATEMENT AND WIN LEAGUE TITLE
IT'S THE KIND OF THING EVERY KID DREAMS ABOUT. LAST GAME OF THE YEAR WITH EVERYTHING ON THE LINE AT YOUR RIVAL'S HOME COURT. SOME THRIVE UNDER IT AND SOME CRACK, THE LATTER WAS NOT THE CASE FOR THE WARRIORS AS THEY TOOK THE GAME TO EL CAMINO AND SHUT THEM DOWN WITH A GREAT DEFENSIVE EFFORT. "THAT WAS THE KEY FOR US ALL YEAR. WE PLAY THE DEFENSE WE CAN AND WE WILL WIN. THAT'S WHAT WE WANTED TO DO AND THAT'S WHAT WE ACCOMPLISHED TONIGHT." SAID NICHOLAS CAMPANA
CAMPANA USED A CHALLENGE HE RECEIVED FROM HIS COACHING STAFF TO PUT UP A GREAT INDIVIDUAL DEFENSIVE EFFORT AGAINST EL CAMINO'S MAIN PLAYER AND LIMIT HIM TO 10 POINTS. "THE FUNNY THING IS THAT COACH SAID YOU HOLD HIM TO 10 POINTS OR LESS AND WE WILL DOMINATE THE GAME. HE HAD 10 EXACTLY AND WE MAINTAINED A DOULE DIGIT LEAD THROUGHOUT MOST OF THE NIGHT. JUST LIKE COACH SAID" ADDED BEN PERRY
PERRY WAS ABLE TO HARRASS EL CAMINO GUARDS AND GOT SOME CLEAN STEALS TRIGGERING AN EFFICIENT FAST BREAK THAT LED TO MANY EASY POINTS. "OUR DEFENSE HELPS US GET OUT AND RUN AND WE TAKE FULL ADVANTAGE OF IT. WE FEEL LIKE NOBODY CAN HANG WITH OUR PRESSURE THE WHOLE GAME. WE'LL WEAR YOU DOWN" SAID VICE MATUU WHO ADDED SOME KEY BUCKETS WHEN EL CAMINO TRIED A ZONE TO STOP THE WARRIORS. "WE HAD AN ANSWER FOR EVERYTHING THEY TRIED, THE LOOK ON THEIR FACES WAS PRICELESS. BOTTOM LINE WE ALWAYS BRING OUR BEST AND OUR BEST IS JUST BETTER THAN THEIR BEST. THAT'S WHAT COACHED HAS INSTILLED IN US AND THAT'S HOW WE'RE GOING TO CONTINUE TO BE. I CAN'T WAIT TIL NEXT YEAR WHEN WE PLAY FOR THAT HOOP." SAID CO CAPTAIN AND PAL NORTH CO PLAYER OF THE YEAR FALE MALEPEAI
ALONG WITH MALEPEAI THE PLAY OF JESSE MCCOWAN WHO ALSO RECEIVED CO PLAYER OF THE YEAR HONORS PUSHED THE WARRIORS PAST AN EARLY SPURT FROM THE COLTS. "WE JUST WANTED TO COME OUT FIGHTING AND JUST GET THORUGH THEIR FIRST RUSH OF ENERGY. AFTER THAT WE JUST PLAYED WITH OUR INTENSITY AND GOT GOOD SHOTS AND KNOCKED THEM DOWN. WE JUST DID WHAT WE ALWAYS DO. IT MAY SOUND SIMPLE BUT LIKE COACH SAYS PLAYERS HAVE TO MAKE PLAYS AND I DIDN'T WANT TO WAIT. WE STARTED TO MAKE PLAYS EARLY AND OFTEN. BUT OUR DEFENSE WAS OUR TICKET TONIGHT, JUST LIKE IT HAS BEEN ALL YEAR." SAID MCCOWAN
"THESE KIDS ARE JUST SPECIAL AND I WANTED THIS SO BAD FOR THEM. THE HARD THING TO BELIEVE IS THAT THEY WANTED IT WORSE. COACH JUAN CAME UP TO ME DURING PREGAME AND TOLD ME, WHATEVER YOU SAID TO THEM IN THAT LOCKER ROOM MUST HAVE BEEN CHILLING BECAUSE JUST BY LOOKING AT THEM I CAN TELL THEY ARE READY. BOTTOM LINE I JUST DID MY JOB TO GET THEM READY. WE WORK HARD TOGETHER AS A GROUP. I AM VERY HAPPY TO BE PART OF THIS WITH THEM YET SAD TO SEE THEM MOVE ON, BUT I KNOW THEY WILL REPRESENT SOUTH CITY WELL FOR THE NEXT FEW YEARS TO COME." SAID COACH CHEVEZ
CONGRATULATIONS TO THE PAL NORTH DIVSION CHAMPIONS, THE ONE AND ONLY SOUTH CITY WARRIORS!!!
