Prep boys’ basketball: Behind a 1-2 punch, Liberty Ranch finally wins 1st section title
As the final seconds ticked away Saturday afternoon at Golden 1 Center, Brian Chavez was engulfed by his assistant boys’ basketball coaches. The group hug included a group attempt to hop up and down, and there were some feel-good tears.
The emotions were warranted. Having lost the last two times in this NBA venue in Sac-Joaquin Section championship finals, Liberty Ranch High School made it a breakthrough to cherish, pulling away to beat Venture Academy of Stockton to take the Division IV championship 68-57.
The players also celebrated, including some back flips. The media session was a festive scene for a group that grew up together playing sports, dreaming big. But some of those youth games were not kind to the kids. They lost big, but then came of age as freshmen, and by the time they reached the varsity ranks, they were part of the program’s growing tradition. The Hawks of Galt, opened since 2009, have long since arrived, this being their third consecutive section finals appearance (and fifth overall, all since 2013). Josh Williams coached some of those teams and set a championship foundation. Chavez has added to the lore.
Liberty Ranch (26-5) has won 15 consecutive games and bounds into next week’s CIF Northern California Regional tournament with more goals to conquer.
“It’s emotional,” Chavez said of this championship. “It’s hard to get here. It’s hard to win. This game was a perfect recap of the last 16 months for us. We fought through adversity with COVID, no season, just seven spring games. Our kids kept fighting. We set a goal to get here, and we made school history. We’ve waited for this moment for so long.”
Liberty Ranch is led by its terrific 1-2 punch of Drew Fischer and Cody Smith, as good of a 1-2 combo as there is in the section, regardless of division.
A 6-foot senior point guard, Drew Fischer scored 24 points and pulled down a remarkable 21 rebounds, 10 of them on the offensive end in offering a glimpse of his team’s grit and relentless drive to compete. A 6-7 junior forward, Smith muscled inside for 16 points and 12 rebounds and three blocked shots. He’s a rising-fast football recruit with perfect grades who appreciates every rebound and bucket in this sport. He competes like a young man who cares.
In a sport that seems to have lost the appeal of an impact center, Smith fits the bill. Terry Battenberg is a longtime area coach, now retired, who has written books about post play. He saw a recent Liberty Ranch game and raved to Chavez about his big man.
“He said ‘I love your big!’ Chavez said of Smith. “Isn’t that cool? We actually have a post player. I had to take him out with three fouls and I was worried that he might throw me, but he didn’t.”
Fischer doesn’t just score and gobble up boards. Against Venutre Academy, he dished out eight assists, his goal to get everyone involved as the team’s floor leader.
“Unbelievable heart and work ethic; Drew’s an amazing leader,” Chavez said.
With an equally amazing supporting cast. Logan McCreery and Nathan Nelson each scored nine points, Yousef Diab had eight and Benjamin Herrera had two points, two steals and two assists. The vibe is so good with this group that no one bemoans practices.
“It’s fun to go to practice,” said Chavez, the coach. “I show up and the guys are all in the parking lot waiting to get in their gym. We’re a tight team, like family.”
Jacob Seguara had 21 for Venture Academy and Mario Williams 19.