Laguna Creek stuns Grant as ‘nutbags’ down two-time defending Sac-Joaquin Section champs
None of them deny any bit of their image and reputation.
The Laguna Creek Cardinals are not a somber group. They are a loud and boisterous bunch, one that will rock the team bus on a basketball road trip with good cheer and lively debates. Practices are not dull. Neither are games.
On Wednesday night in Elk Grove, the only thing more relentless than the wind and sheets of rain that battered the state was the effort of the upstart Cardinals. Leading big early and never letting up, No. 12-ranked Laguna Creek topped No. 13 Grant 65-53 in a Metro League opener.
And it wasn’t even that close. The Cardinals set the tone early with frenetic play, by sharing the ball and by hounding the two-time defending Sac-Joaquin Section Division II champions. Then they whooped it up with typical Cardinals joy afterward in moving to 14-3 in a season of great promise.
“We’re a wild group,” said Laguna Creek star forward Dante Walls, who leads his team in scoring at 22.1 points per game and had 16 in this one by attacking the basket and hitting jumpers. “We’ve got a lot of rowdy guys. We’ve all known each other since about the fourth grade. Defense wins games, and when we play like this, it makes my heart warm.”
Mike Gill is the Cardinals coach who doesn’t try to contain his squad’s spirit and joy. He told his crew afterward that they should have tired legs and they should feel the pain of exhaustion because they earned it with their hustle. As for the team’s silly nature, the coach laughed.
“They’re nut bags!” he said. “They’re crazy. But I love them. I believe in them. I’d rather reel them in than have to light a fire. They’re a fun bunch.”
The coach said beating Grant registered as a gauge game, a statement effort and a building block. All the work in practice, all the harping on playing defense and moving the ball reaps nice rewards like this.
“It’s the first time we’ve beaten Grant,” Gill said. “It’s special to me, and it’s special for our team and for our fans and alums. We’re trying to build something, and we’re doing it with intensity. We’re hoping to shock people. I think we shocked Grant.”
Grant coach Deonard Wilson said he will challenge his team to up their game the rest of the Metro slate, or the Pacers can expect to be trounced again. No one takes it easy on the heavyweights.
“I tell my kids all the time that with our rich history and success, we will always be everybody’s Super Bowl,” Wilson said. “They outworked us, out-coached us, and the best team won tonight. If it was going to happen, it needed to happen in the first game of league. We will be ready when they come to Pacer Nation.”
Laguna Creek has been building for this sort of season for years. Two years ago, the bulk of the team was freshmen during the odd COVID-19 year that reduced the season to a handful of games with no postseason.
What’s more, the Metro League proved to be rough sledding for the Cardinals, who realigned from the Delta League before the 2014-15 season, Gill’s first as head coach. Laguna Creek managed to win just two, three and four Metro League games before going 18-10 overall and 10-4 in league play in the 2017-18 season. The Cardinals went 3-9 in the Metro in 2019-20, had just three league contests in the COVID-shortened 2020 season, and went 13-12 overall last season.
Now, they’ve grown up. But the Cardinals are still young. They are junior heavy, including key cogs Walls, point guard Ja’len Flenory (11 points against Grant), KJ Ramey (12 points) and Adaarion Stauthers (six points). Senior Josiah Carr muscled inside for six points, and the bench was into it from start to finish with support.
If Walls is the lead act as an intriguing 6-foot-4 guard/wing, the soul of the team is Flenory. He’s 5-7 and tireless with the dribble.
“Playing against him is like trying to drive a car with a bee in the car — you’re always worried about that bee, and he’s on you and you hear him buzzing,” Gill said.
The coach said of Walls, “He believes he’s a bucket. He thinks he’ll make every shot, and he makes a lot of them. And he’s a defender we can count on.”
Defense was the theme here. Grant’s best player — Kiku Parker — was held to two points in the first half and finished with 16. The standout senior guard was coming off a 37-point outing and MVP honors in a 3-0 sweep at the Cordova Christmas Classic. Gill said his entire roster was eager to defend the Pacers and Parker in particular as they recognize his talent and impact on the game.
But this win only matters, Gill and assistant coach Scott Silva told their players, if they keep it up. On Friday, Laguna Creek hosts another storied program in the Burbank Titans.
Grant was led in scoring by impressive 6-5 freshman wing Andre Gomez, who hit runners, inside baskets and 3-point shots to finish with a game-high 18.
This story was originally published January 5, 2023 at 11:19 AM.