By MARK MOLINA
Staff Writer
LYFORD — For the Lyford Bulldogs basketball team, Monday night’s bi-district 72-67 double-overtime win over the Santa Gertrudis Academy Lions meant more than keeping their season alive.
It marked Lyford’s first playoff win since 2010 and the first for head coach Pete Torres.
Now, the Bulldogs have seen their work payoff, which is a feeling Torres can barely describe.
“It’s hard to describe, to be honest, but there are moments as coach you start to think what I can do better,” Torres said. “When you win a game like that, it’s not only a shot in the arm for our player, but for us as coaches.
“It was my first time feeling that as a coach and I’m real proud of our guys; I think they worked their tails off.”
The Bulldogs overcame a 10-point fourth-quarter deficit and did not lead until the start of the first overtime, which was forced by a game-tying miracle three by Jaime “Spanky” Cortez at the buzzer.
Academy forced a second OT, but the Bulldogs were not to be denied in the end.
Now, Torres feels his team grew after showing composure and chipping away at a large lead late.
After a less than stellar district season, Torres now sees his team peaking.
Oddly enough, that probably wasn’t the case heading into Monday.
“If you asked (if our team was peaking) a couple of weeks ago, I would have told you no,” Torres said. “I think we played our best game Monday and we brought it right at the best time. Now, at this point, I feel we’re playing our best basketball.”
Torres said the team didn’t reach their goals of a district title or second-place finish. Now, the players have made new goals: get that elusive playoff win for Torres and become one of the top teams in the program’s history.
“We wanted to really do it for our coach because we lost to Banquete last year in a game we really wanted,” said junior point guard Andre Ibarra. “We wanted that banner on the wall, but coach just pushed us and said keep on going.
“Now, we think we can be the best team in Lyford history and head to the third round.”
First the Bulldogs must get by Mathis, who also squeezed past bi-district with a 72-70 win over Cotulla.
Knowing that, the Bulldogs are prepared for a fight, but they feel this year’s squad has the cohesiveness to get to the regional quarterfinals.
“We’ve played with one another since the Boys and Girls Club and we have the chemistry other teams before us didn’t have,” Cortez said. “We want to put Lyford on the map now. District didn’t go so well, but we’re picking up now.”
Lyford will aim for the third round and focus on a strong Mathis team, but even if his team were to run out of magic, he can’t dismiss what his team has already accomplished and the feeling it comes with.
“I’d do double (the work) to win games like Monday and do it all over again,” Torres said. “We’ve come through some adversity this year. I know some coaches, good ones, who feel like this all the time. For us, it’s a feeling I’m definitely going to savor for a while.”
Lyford and Mathis tipoff at 6 p.m. Friday in Bishop.